The modern-day version of Santa Claus has some of its roots in the informal Dutch name for St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas who was renowned for his charity. However, this 4th-century Greek saint looked nothing like the jolly fat bearded brightly clothed figure of today.
So where did the inspiration for Father Christmas come from?
One of the main sources of our version of Father Christmas comes from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Clarke Moore who wrote his seminal poem in the 19th century, but what did he draw upon for his inspiration? It is hard to tell, but there are many other sources from ancient times, which pre-date the Dutch saint St. Nicholas.
There are many potential pagan (or pre-Christian) precursors to Santa Claus which may have inspired the likes of Clement Clarke Moore in his interpretation of a personification of Christmas.
The Slavic deity known as Father Winter, who wears red and white coloured clothes was inspired by Siberian shamanic traditions. The Oral histories of this region tell us that the shaman would gather Fly agaric (Amanita Muscaria) magic mushrooms - the classic fairy tale ones with red and white spots β and distribute them to the village households. The villagers would then dry them on the hearth before consuming them at the winter solstice celebrations.
Incidentally, the snow is very high at midwinter so far north, meaning that the Shaman couldn't enter through the door. Instead, they would have to climb through the smoke hole cut into the top of the hut, which is thought to be the origin of the concept of Santa entering through the chimney.
An ancient Norse myth tells of Odin riding forth at the head of a hunting party called βThe Wild Huntβ at wintertime. The 13th century Poetic Edda said that Odin's horse, Sleipnir, could leap great distances, seeming to fly through the sky...much like the reindeer in our modern Santa myth.
During Yule (the Nordic celebration of the winter solstice), Odin would reward children who left carrots and hay in their boots for his horse Sleipnir with presents.
After the Viking conversion to Christianity, the practice of gift giving at Christmas was adopted in relation to St. Nicholas. Children would leave their shoes on the windowsill for the Saint to reward them with nuts or fruits.
So, when you're sitting down to your Christmas dinner spare a moment to think about the origins of many of the traditions that are celebrated at this time of year.
And if you're a tub-thumping Christian who espouses the love of Jesus one moment, while in the next breath damning everyone who doesn't agree with the story of your religion to fire and eternal torment, remember... part of your Christmas tradition comes from mushroom eating tribal peoples, and a Viking civilization that dominated a large part of Europe in the middle ages π
Colossians 3:13-23
"Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else".
It was the political machinations of the Christian church which led to the subjugation and cultural destruction of some the practices I have mentioned above, often through violence by influencing leaders to convert to Christianity, leaders who then imposed their new beliefs through war and violence.
Ephesians 4:2
"With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love".
Facts that seem to run contrary to the quotes I've included above from the bible about tolerance.
I'd like to quickly clarify here that I'm not singling out the Christian religion for any other reason than it was the Christian church who perpetrated the cultural subjugation of the traditions I've listed above.
Many other religions have perpetrated acts of cultural, societal and physical subjugation, that is the nature of the beast of 'organized religion.'
It just seems ironic to me that one of the main Christian festivals may have in parts of the world originally been a time for taking magic mushrooms, a plant that can expand the mind in ways that see through, around or even implode accepted ideologies and social conditioning. Such as the social conditioning of religion which almost always teaches 'love, peace and acceptance... as long as you believe as I do'. To put it simply, Us Vs Them.
I often think it's a shame that Santa isn't real, based on one of these ancient models - Imagine a real ghost of a Siberian shaman who sneaks down the chimney and spikes the Christmas Turkey with a powerful dose of Fly agaric mushrooms.
Who knows, if my merry Siberian shaman ghost were real we might see a rash of the worlds elite sociopaths/psychopaths' consigned to the asylum when the extent of how much suffering their choices create are laid bare to them unfiltered, while decent, loving, honest people are awakened to the fact that much in this world is a game where the chips are stacked against them, a game in which the rules say take what you deserve no matter the cost to others to win. But there is another option, you can choose to play a different game!
Happy Trip-mas Everyone ππππ
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