Jackson Crawford, a scholar of Norse mythology, notes that Hakon the Good was a Christian king, however, he allowed his subjects to remain pagan. He only insisted that everyone celebrate a holiday in December—Christmas or Yule—and stipulated that every free man consume a minimum amount of al...
Decorate an indoor or outdoor Yule tree to celebrate the solstice for Yuletide or Christmastide! The Christmas tree is just one of the many ancient traditions scholars believe is borrowed from early Pagan earth-based solstice rituals. In the past, evergreen trees called Yule Trees were brought...
Christmas in Norway is a magical time, thanks in large part to its winter wonderland-style beauty and rich legacy of pagan traditions. While most of us celebrate Christmas on 25 December, Norwegians host their main festivities on Christmas Eve instead. One fun ancient tradition i...
For ancient pagan Celtic peoples, who inhabited the British Isles, and modern Scandinavians, who experience almost continuous sunlight at this time of year (think “Land of the Midnight Sun”), the summer solstice is a magical time, one of new beginnings celebrated with bonfires and festivals....
This includes the practice of decorating with holly – which was appropriated from the Druids, bringing in theYulelog – appropriated from Germanic pagan festivals, and using the colors red and green – traditions that were appropriated from the pagan traditions of ancient Rome, particularly Satur...
This included Christmas, which had roots in the pagan Roman winter festival of Saturnalia, as well as the Norse festival of Yule. At the time, celebrations of Christmas in England lasted for nearly two weeks—from the day of Jesus Christ’s birth, December 25, to Twelfth Day, January 6—...
One of the less cheerful Christmas legends is the story of Krampus, Santa's evil counterpart. Pagan legend has it that Krampus torments naughty Austrian children, threatening to beat them with birch branches or whisking them away in a basket. He is said to accompany St. Nicholas, visiting chi...
of the lack of proper medication and proper nutrition, which end the lives of many infants even before reaching their first birthday. That’s why, both commoners and royal families used to celebrate the 100th day after a baby’s birth to the world and call it “baekil” in...
If you count its ties to pagan festivals, the holiday is still older. Christmas in the United States has its fair share of influence over today's holiday customs. One could argue that between Cocoa Cola and Clement Clarke Moore, the U.S. helped create the modern image of Santa (but we...
If you count its ties to pagan festivals, the holiday is still older. Christmas in the United States has its fair share of influence over today's holiday customs. One could argue that between Cocoa Cola and Clement Clarke Moore, the U.S. helped create the modern image of Santa (but we...