THE MANY LAYERS OF CHRISTMAS

       Peel back the many layers of Christmas and we find a whole
  host of rites and rituals connected to the olde agricultural calender.
  The winter solstice being the culmination of the year gone by and the
   beginning of the new. They are often called Pagan, "Paganus" pertaining
   to the  countryside, yule time meaning the wheel ! It is usually said that
   there are 12 days to Christmas but if one includes Christmas eve, which
   is the most important day/evening in, many countries, we have our
   13. There are 13 luna months in the year, in fact this december has 2 full
   moons. It was pope Gregory 13th who reformed the calender and dropped
   13th month. There are 13 ingredients in the Christmas pudding, which should be
   stirred from east to west (the path of the sun accross the skys). Later the burning
   brandy burning, sybolizes the suns heat.

     The Feast of Misrule, Saturnalia, or the feast of fools.From the latin "Festum
   fatuorum, festum stultorum". A Roman feast in honour of the god Saturn.
   The God of sown seeds. It was a great time of feasting and merry making,
   when roles were reversed and  it was presided over by the King of misrule, he
   ruled for his short term and was then slain!.

    The holly berries (female,) the mistletoe (male), symbolic of new life were
   bought into the house on Christmas eve, along with the tree, symbolic of the
   world tree. Incidently the Fly Agaric fungus appears under this fur tree. A favorite of
   raindeer and shamens. The distinctive red and white markings so much part of
   Santas outfit. The consumption of the dried fungus would bring out feelings
   of flying and euphoria.!
     Mistletoe is an interesting- nervine and narcotic. It is also known as "heal all",
   being apparently an anti cancer herb. It comes under the rule of Freya-Frigga,
   the goddess of love. It brings good luck ,love and peace. It is a parasitic plant
   and is said to hold the soul of the host plant together. Legend has it that Freyas
   son Bolder (God of summer), was killed by his brother Hoder, using an arrow
   made from mystletoe. His death brought winter. The mystletoe, heart broken
   pledged "yuletide", to kiss under the misletoe relieves the pain of loss and brings
   back the light of life. In the past enemies who met under this magical plant would
   lay down there arms, in a jesture of peace and goodwill.
     To go wassailing,(be well). Folk would go out to the trees with a wassail cup of
   mulled wine and sing to the trees, dipping in toast and blessing the trees.

     In Ireland on Christmas eve they would light the (bloc na Nollag) christmas log.
   The log from the year before was used to light the new one. It was also a time to
   remember the dead. Candles were lit in every room to bring back the sun. The
   house was white washed ready for  Christmas and decorated with holly and ivy
     on St Stephens day wren boys would go out with a holly bush dressed in ribbons,
   and a model of a wren on top singing from door to door, where they were given,
   money, cake and refreshments.

     And so to the last day of Christmas,(womens day in Ireland). The day of the three
   kings , when the children received gifts.