5 Christmassy Things You Do That Prove You've Been A Low-Key Pagan This Whole Time!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Jack Frost nipping at your nose? When you think of Christmas and the holiday season… what comes to your mind first?

Some people will think of spending cozy nights by the fire, sipping hot chocolate with loved ones…

Others might think about baking cookies for days on end… but I think it’s safe to say that most of us, when we think about Christmas, think about those classic Christmas traditions that we faithfully uphold every single year.

But I bet you had no idea that the Christmas traditions you love so much are actually steeped in ancient Pagan tradition…

In fact, most holidays and “traditions” that follow today can be traced back to original Pagan roots. Now I know some of you reading that might scoff at the idea… but if you think about it, most of the world’s religions, beliefs, and practices are really just a big ‘ol mash up of centuries and centuries of practices, cultures, traditions, and beliefs from all around the world. And if you really sit down to analyze each of them (with unbiased opinion, of course) you’ll start to notice TONS of similarities across the board.

And it’s not just the world’s religions that share commonalities…

Studying the tribes and cultures from ancient times shows us that many of them had similar “stories”, traditions, and beliefs that they followed and passed on to the next generation. Of course, there are always differences in the details… but the Big Picture is generally very similar.

And isn’t that kind of cool? Doesn’t it beautifully humanize all of us? No matter your belief system, no matter what you name it, no matter what part of the globe you call home, no matter your skin color, no matter your height, weight, or hairstyle… us humans are all deeply connected to one another.

And to prove it, we’ve mapped out 5 “Christmas traditions” that actually stemmed from ancient Pagan tradition…

But first, let’s touch briefly on what Paganism exactly is.

Paganism was a term that was originally developed as a derogartory description that referred to unfamiliar religions (aka not Christianity, Islam, or Judiaism), often used to describe “uncivilized” rural cultures who believed in more than one god, or who worshiped the cycles and rhymths of the Earth.

Today it is used as an umbrella term that covers a wide range of ancient and modern beliefs, customs, and traditions… such as Wicca, Neo-paganism, Asatru, Celtic reconstructionism, Indigenous traditions, Hellenic paganism, Druidry, witchcraft, and more… Most people no longer view Paganism as satanic or evil, but instead it is thought of as a “return to ancient customs”… a way to honor the cycles of the Earth as it moves through birth, growth, death, and rebirth.

And just about every Pagan culture from all over the globe, celebrated the Winter Solstice each year with customs and rituals that look eerily similar to our modern-day Christmas traditions. These are 5 Christmassy things you do that show you’re a secret Pagan!

1. Tell The Kids About Santa Clause

Well, we might as well start with the big red man that many of us have come to view as the mascot of Christmas. While he’s become known as a fat bearded man sporting twinkling eyes, rosey cheeks, and a cherry nose… that image wasn’t actually created until 1930, by Coca-Cola, for an advertisement campaign.

However, the history of Santa Clause goes back centuries… all the way back to 4th century A.D., with a man who we now refer to as Father Christmas – Saint Nicholas. St. Nick was a do-gooder who was known to be a generous gift-giver to the poor, and who just happened to walk around with a big beard.

But even before St. Nick graced us with his generous spirit, Norse Pagan’s worshiped a different bearded man, named Odin. Odin was an old man with a long-white beard, who flew through the skies riding his 8-legged steed (8-legged steed, 8 reindeer, they both fly…)

Odin was also thought to be the far-seeing, and all-knowing, god whose magical creatures who roam the Earth and report back to him who was “good” and who was “bad”. Odin would then reward the worthy with gifts and items of need. The magical gift-making elves in ancient Pagan mythology were also referred to as “Odin’s men”, and Odin was believed to live in a frozen land North of Asgard.

While it’s unlikely that the figure of Santa Clause was taken directly from Odin or St. Nicholas, it is very likely that our current day Santa is a mash-up between both figures.

2. Kiss Under The Mistletoe

Ah yes, the classic “kissing under mistletoe” tradition… seems a little odd doesn’t it? Ever wonder why in the world we started making out under mistletoe every year? In ancient Pagan tribes and cultures mistletoe was believed to be a sacred plant of peace, protection, and fertility.

Ancient Romans would conduct fertility rituals underneath a mistletoe in honor the god Saturn (that might make for an awkward family Christmas)
To the Druids, whenever enemies would meet under mistletoe they were obliged to lay down their weapons and make peace.
In Norse mythology mistletoe was linked to Frigga – the goddess of love.

And in later times, during the Middle Ages, mistletoe was used in a variety of ways all centered around the more ancient beliefs of fertility, protection, and peace. Everything from hanging mistletoe outside your door to ward off evil spirits, to being hung in the home to prevent/extinguish fire, to being given to infertile animals in order to promote conception.

3. Put Up A Christmas Tree

Another very widespread tradition is cutting down an evergreen tree, hauling it inside, and decorating it up nice and pretty for the holiday season. And once again we can trace this practice back before the times of Christianity.

During the Pagan festival of Saturnalia, which took place December 17th-25th each year, Romans would cut down trees and bring them inside their homes. During the festival, they were also known to decorate their home and hearth with vines and other greenery.
The Druids decorated their temples with greenery during the Winter Solstice as a representation of everlasting life.
Even in ancient Egypt, palm trees (they don’t have evergreen trees there) were a symbol of resurrection, and they were brought into the home to celebrate the triumph of life over death, during the Winter Solstice.

And where our more modern tradition really took root was from old Germanic tribes, who celebrated Yule. They traditionally decorated trees with fruits and candles during the Winter Solstice, in honor of the god Odin. As centuries passed, and Christianity became widespread, many Germans upheld this ancient tradition. And when Queen Victoria’s German husband brought her an evergreen tree to decorate on Christmas Eve in 1848, the popularity of this Christmas tradition quickly spread to the masses.

4. Christmas Caroling and Mulled Wine

Today most Christmas carols are Christian in nature, however the roots of this practice actually date back to the Pagan custom of wassailing. Every year, wassailers would go door to door singing and shouting aloud to banish evil spirits and bring forth good health to their neighbors.

And of course, no wassailing event was complete without the traditional drink of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, spices, and sugar… which is no doubt where our modern holiday drink of spiced mulled wine stems from.

In the 13th century, St. Francis adapted this traditional custom to Christianity and started the modern-day practice of Christmas caroling.

5. Gift Giving and Hanging Stockings

Nope, this didn’t always mean spending hundreds of dollars and receiving dozens of gifts each year… the ancient Romans would exchange small gifts to bring good luck and a bountiful harvest in the coming year. Later on, this tradition was adopted by Christianity when the 3 Wise Men famously gifted baby Jesus frankincense, gold and myrrh.

As for hanging stocking by the chimney with care… This is another modern merge of Odin and St. Nicholas. In Norse culture, children would leave offerings of straw, sugar, and carrots to Odin and his 8-legged steed by the hearth for him to warm himself at night. Odin would repay the children with treats and small gifts.

And in later times, St. Nicholas was believed to have thrown gold coins into the window of a poor household with three “unmarriable girls”… as legend would have it, the girls had hung up their stockings to dry by the fire, and a coin had miraculously fallen inside one of the stockings. Some versions of the story say St. Nicholas was caught in the act by the girls’ father and thanked for his generosity, and there are also versions that state he threw the coins down the chimney…

Over time these customs have merged together to create our current tradition of gift-giving, leaving treats for Santa and his reindeer, and hanging stockings.

So no matter what you call it… be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Saturnalia, or the Winter Solstice festival… Many of our modern day traditions are linked to the ancient celebrations, practices, and beliefs of our ancestors. And although they look different and may not hold the same meanings as they used to… I think that by remembering the roots of these customs we can honor our history and nurture the similarities that connect us all.

What’s your favorite Christmas tradition? Comment below!

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