25: Winter Solstice

Midnight in the Mountains

On this episode of MITM Laura and Aaron step back in time for MITM Christmas Special Pt. 1. Winter solstice and the dangerous dark days of the past are discussed. Laura shares the oldest winter tradition, Yule, dating back before the year 672, was celebrated and started by Norse Pagans in Scandinavia. The pagans used ancient superstitions to keep their homes and themselves save from the evil spirits of winter, that could result in death. Winter could be a dark scary time but in order to survive they needed to have hope. The 21st of December marks the winter solstice, it marks the return of the sun, days start to become longer from this point on. This was a time to celebrate and be with loved ones. Burning Yule logs, drinking wassail, telling stories, decorating with evergreens, were all parts of the celebration.
Over in Rome, the Roman Pagans celebrated the ancient tradition of Saturnalia, known to share similarities with Yule, however the Romans got a little crazier than the Scandinavians. Saturnalia consisted of a week long party, the whole social structure was turned upside down, slaves were treated as equals, a lower member of the family was put in charge for the week and their job was to act foolish. Drunken celebrations and singing in the streets was all apart of this. Eventually Christianity took over. These celebrations ended and Christmas began. However Yule is still celebrated today by pagans. There are clear ties to the ancient traditions and the Christmas holiday has adopted parts of it that are still done today.
Aaron shares the evolution of Santa Claus through the years, dating back to the 1800’s. Some unexpected versions are discussed.
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Sources:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/72496/10-surprising-early-versions-santa-claus
https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-christians-really-steal-christmas-from-the-pagans
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3xzczg/is_christmas_really_a_pagan_holiday_did_the/
Outro song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkzbbLYPuI