Have you ever wondered about the origins of modern Christmas
traditions? What is the origin of the Christmas tree, with the star on top,
decorations about, and all the brightly wrapped presents beneath? This
Christmas, as it's been done for generations, stories of Santa and his reindeer
will be told around the world, including tales of how Mr. Claus flies around on
his sleigh in the middle of the night delivering presents to all the good
children while they sleep snug in their beds. Where do these stories come from
– and better yet: what are we actually celebrating on Christmas morning?
Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday,
many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually
derived from the shamanic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern
Europe . The story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced
to shamans in the Siberian and Arctic regions. Santa is
a modern counterpart of a shaman, who consumed mind-altering mushrooms to
commune with the spirit world, according to one theory. Read more.
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