Holiday Origins

[Clayton]

Okay so we're all pretty clear Christmas is not Jesus' birthday. So what holiday horrors and traditions do you know of before they were sanitized by Christians and parents?

"There's be scary ghost stories and tales of the goriest Christmases..." 

Krampus? (Not just oN Christmas night...) 

 

The Christmas Spider

 

A poor but hardworking widow once lived in a small hut with her children. One summer day, a pine cone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and took root. The widow's children cared for the tree, excited at the prospect of having a Christmas tree by winter. The tree grew, but when Christmas Eve arrived, they could not afford to decorate it. The children sadly went to bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, they woke up and saw the tree covered with cobwebs. When they opened the windows, the first rays of sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver. The widow and her children were overjoyed. From then on, they never lived in poverty again.^[

 

And that's where we get tinsel. 

Did you know the glass bulbs on X-mas trees are meant to catch witches and evil spirits?

 

That Santa's milk and cookies originated with bribing elves not to steal away children with offerings of bread and milk? Similar to how on Halloween we do the same with goblins and the dead. In Japan SaNTA LITERALLY HAS EYE ON THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. Meanwhile in Europe he was part of the Wild hunt

https://www.buzzfeed.com/aglover/terrifying-origins-of-christmas-traditions

 

Did you know if you were born on/around Christmas you could turn into a werewolf? Or a Kallikantzaroi 

 

 

Halloween and Jack-o-Lantern

 

Eostre? (The egg hunt is a way to participate in The Wild Hunt, whose rules are Hide, Join, or Die) Aril used to be new Years and required sacrifices... or did you thinK jesus had a problemw ith colored eggs and they needed to be hid? It was actually evil trolls that his things on Easter morning and they were cursed. 

 

Walpurgis Night? Witches get all the good holidays. 

 

 

So seriously what nice and scary origins for holidays and the like do you know?

 

 

While he may certainly have existed 90% of the Jesus stuff comes from Odin, Baldur, and gods like Mithras coopted. 

Edited December 23, 2024 by Clayton

[Wickett]

It's too bad this thread never took off. (honestly, not sarcasm here)

[Clayton]

On 1/6/2025 at 1:46 PM, Wickett said:

It's too bad this thread never took off. (honestly, not sarcasm here)

You got anything?

[Wickett]

No I just wanted to watch people argue about the origins of christmas.

[Clayton]

On 1/7/2025 at 7:29 PM, Wickett said:

No I just wanted to watch people argue about the origins of christmas.

 

Have you heard of Mithras? 

[Clayton]

Easter is coming up. Did you know the goddess Eostre turned a bird into a hare, yet it retained the ability to lay eggs, thus becoming the first Easter hare?

 

 

 

The Easter hare is a symbol of the goddess Eostre, who was the Saxon goddess of spring, fertility, and rebirth. The hare is associated with Eostre because both the hare and eggs symbolize fertility. 

 

Origins

• Archaeological evidence suggests that Eostre was worshipped in parts of England and Germany. 
   
• The Easter bunny tradition may have originated from pre-Christian celebrations of spring. 
   
• The Christian story of the Resurrection was added to the pagan Saxon festival of Eostre. 
   

 

The Eostre hare story

• One story says that Eostre turned a frozen bird into a hare. 
   
• The hare was grateful to Eostre and laid eggs for her at Easter. 
   
• The hare became known as the Eostre hare. 
   
• Over time, the spelling changed to Easter hare or Easter rabbit. 
   

 

The Easter hare and fertility 

 

• Hares and rabbits are both prolific reproducers, which is why they are associated with the birth and renewal of spring.
• Eggs also have connotations of new birth.

 

 

 

I saw the Easter Bunny once, My sister ran tot he window when we went to get out baskets and there was a little black bunny hopping down the road. 

Edited February 1 by Clayton