Merry and Trippy Holidays
A Sprinkle of Magic Dust
It’s the last full moon of the year, so I wanted to infuse a little seasonal joy and wonder into this last Seven Senses edition.
‘Tis the season of gifts, and I wanted to share a mystical story on Santa Claus. There are many theories as to where the legend of Santa comes from, but it most likely evolved from various pagan festivities celebrating the winter solstice. One of the most interesting origins for the cheery red figure is more magical than we might imagine.
In the ancestral communities of the Arctic, the winter solstice was celebrated through rituals conducted by Shamans who collected the Amanita muscaria mushroom, also called fly agaric, which has powerful hallucinogenic properties. The Shamans would visit people’s homes, ingest the mushroom and share their vision quest with their hosts.
The Amanita muscaria is considered to be the world’s oldest known intoxicant, predating alcohol by 10,000 years. This magic mushroom’s most prominent characteristic is its red cap with white dots, which is thought to be the reason for Santa Claus’ attire.
The Amanita muscaria grows under pine trees, which have now become the customary Christmas tree. For Nordic indigenous people, pines were deemed to be the trees of life, due to their great heights. Having these particular mushrooms grow at their trunk was perceived as a particularly symbolic and auspicious sign.
Since the mushrooms are very toxic, they often had to be dehydrated, by stuffing them in socks and spreading them over the fire – which might have evolved into today’s gift stockings tradition.
Another way of reducing the mushroom’s toxicity was to ingest the mushrooms from the reindeer’s urine. When the animals ingest the magic mushrooms, they filter the harmful components yet retain their hallucinogenic effects.
One of the psychedelic effects of Amanita muscaria is the sensation of flying, which might explain the origin of Santa Claus soaring through the sky on his reindeer-drawn sled. The hallucinations lead to feelings of joy, a desire to sing, or increased muscle tone, which also made physical efforts easier to perform.
When it comes to Santa’s entrance through the chimney, that could be explained by the way Shamans would enter the yurts: through the hole in the roof, because the main door was usually covered with snow.
I loved discovering this short film by Matthew Salton created for The New York Times, illustrating the theories of two scholars: Carl Ruck, who studies ancient shamanistic traditions and ecstatic rituals, and mycologist Lawrence Millman.
The link between Santa Claus and Amanita muscaria is still debated. But the red-cloaked bearded man as we know him today has gone through various evolutions.
One of the associations is Saint Nicholas of Bari, a Christian 4th century Greek bishop in the early Christian church known for his generosity and protection of children. His legendary habit of secret gift-giving might have transformed into the folklore of Santa Claus ("Saint Nick").
The modern version of Santa Claus emerged in America in 1822 after Clement Clarke Moore published his poem ‘An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas’ which starts with the known line “Twas the night before Christmas.” Forty years later, the illustrator Thomas Nast started depicting Santa in Harper's Magazine as a jolly man with elf assistants in his North Pole abode.
The most iconic and commercially-driven image of Santa Claus was influenced by Finnish-Swedish artist Haddon Sundblom who created a drawing of Santa Claus for Coca-Cola in 1931.
This latter version has become the prevalent visual of the character, but I tend to prefer thinking of Santa Claus as the shamanic ritual of a magic mushroom induced trip, flying through the heights of the spirit-realm, beaming with love and offering gifts of wisdom.
For this Full Moon’s sensory recommendations, I wanted to explore 7 other winter solstice celebrations that take place around the world, offering you a way to SEE, HEAR, SMELL, TASTE, TOUCH, BALANCE and ENVISION this magical season.
In Joy,
Sabrina
PS: I’ll be taking a break from publishing for the next couple weeks and I’ll be back in early January. Thank you for being here and for supporting Seven Senses – it means the world to me. Wishing you the most wonderful end of the year ♥️
SEE
Saturnalia
Saturnalia was the most popular holiday of the Roman year, and considered a forerunner to modern Christmas celebrations. During this time, the Roman god Saturn was celebrated for the winter solstice. The festivities originally took place on December 17, but were then extended to last until the 23rd.
During this time, all the farmers’ seeds were planted and Saturn, the god of seed and sowing was honored to bring a fruitful Spring harvest. To mark the occasion, Roman soldiers would march through the city center, handing out glow sticks and adorning their homes with greenery.
It was an occasion to let loose, letting go of lawful restrictions and inverting the social order. Roman slaves were allowed to dress in their master’s clothing and gambling was permitted. Cities would organize public banquets and gifts were exchanged.
Though Saturnalia is rarely practiced today, the city of Chester in the UK has continued to keep the tradition alive in honor of its Roman history.
HEAR
Shalako
The winter solstice signifies the beginning of the year for the Zuni, one of the Native American Pueblo peoples in western New Mexico. To prepare for it, the tribe fasts and prays by observing the sunrise and sunset for several days, marking the exact moment of itiwanna, the rebirth of the sun.
The celebration concludes with a ceremonial dance called Shalako, which refers to the beaked spirit deities who are messengers to the gods. Six members of the tribe are selected to represent the Shalako messengers, one for each cosmic direction (the four cardinal directions as well as one for above and one for below).
There is a specific order for the entrance of the Shalako messengers: first enters Shulawitsi (Fire God), then Sayatasha (Rain God from the North), third is Hu-tu-tu (Rain God from the South), and then two Yamukato protector warriors, one from the East and one from the West. And finally, the giant Shalako. After four days of dancing, new dancers are selected for the following year, and the yearly cycle begins again.
SMELL
Tōji
The winter solstice is celebrated in Japan as a time of harmony and balance. Rooted in Chinese philosophy, it is considered to be the balance point between the 'yin' of darkness and cold, and the 'yang' of warmth and light.
Several rituals are observed, most notably the custom of taking a scented bath. On the solstice, people visit an onsen (hot spring) and bathe in waters infused with the citrus fruit, yuzu. This solstice bathing practice is thought to remove impurities and may have originated from Buddhism. Soaking in yuzu is also thought to bring good health and fortune for the new year.
Some believe that the ritual evolved from the “phonetic matching” as Tōji both signifies winter solstice as well as hot-spring cure.
Beyond the yuzu bath, the winter solstice is also celebrated by eating certain foods, such as kabocha (winter squash), and foods that contain the "n" sound (like udon), which are believed to bring good luck.
TASTE
Yaldā
The tradition of Shab-e Yalda has been celebrated by Iranians for centuries during the winter solstice. The holiday is a dedication to the sun god Mithra, which dates back to the Zoroastrian tradition. It marks the cycle of rebirth and the victory of light over darkness. It is a symbolic reminder that no matter how dark the times, brighter days are ahead.
During this special festivity, people gather to share stories and read poetry through the night and welcome the sun. Special foods with red hues are eaten, such as pomegranates, watermelons, and persimmons, along with tea-drinking.
A traditional Farsi saying that is often shared: “I wish you a long and happy life like Shabe Yalda, sweet as watermelon and fruitful as pomegranates! Shabe Yalda mobarak!”
TOUCH
Dongzhi
In China, Dongzhi literally translates to "winter's arrival." It is believed to be the turning point when the yin energy transitions to yang, as days grow longer. During the Han Dynasty, it was a time to celebrate the end of harvest and to start winding down.
The holiday is very much a family affair, when people travel back home to spend time with their parents, and also visit cemeteries to honor their ancestors. Family members cook and eat hearty meals, including dumplings in Northern China, or tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) in the South.
Another custom is “counting nines,” which is called Shujiu. This Chinese custom is meant as a countdown to Spring, when the days after the Winter Solstice are divided into nine segments of nine days each. After 9 counts of 9 (81 days days), Spring is said to arrive.
BALANCE
Santo Tomas Festival
In the Guatemalan town of Chichicastenango (also known as Chichi in short), the winter solstice is celebrated for an entire week between December 13 and 21. The festivity is a way of honoring Saint Thomas. The holiday blends Christian faith along with K’iché Mayan customs.
The festival opens and concludes with the cofradía procession, moving through the town toward the church to the sounds of flute and drum music. People dress in brightly colored masks and traditional costumes for the occasion. Many dancers also tote live snakes as an ode to the Dance of the Snakes, a fertility ritual which was banned by the church.
On the last day of the festival, "el baile de palo volador” takes place. Wooden poles of 100-foot high wooden poles are erect in the plaza near the Church of Saint Thomas, where pole flyers tied with ropes jump off the top, to the sounds of marimba music.
ENVISION
Soyal ceremony
The Hopi tribe of the American Southwest mark the winter solstice through the ceremony of Soyal, which means “Establishing Life A New for All the World.” It is a time when protective spirits called katsinas bring the sun back from its long slumber. The kachina represent the earthly or cosmic realm. They might personify a location such as the sun or wind, or embody ancestors. There are more than 400 different kinds of kachina, each one is different and some even punish naughty children.
For the Soyal ceremony, Hopi men dress up as kachinas and dance throughout the village. They make Pahos sticks, decorated with feathers and paint, to bless the whole community on December 21st.
This special ritual marks a time for prayer and purification and takes place in sacred underground chambers called kivas. Lasting up to 16 days, it includes dancing, storytelling, and gift-giving.
Fabulous cross cultural write up! Thank you for the reminder that "Christmas" AKA Solstice has been celebrated by rituals around the world since time immemorial.
Oh these are great! I love the Santo Tomas festival!
One Christmas at dinner I told my sister about the mushroom connection and she almost dropped her fork. I’d also read the aminita muscaria represented a sort of immaculate conception because mushrooms grew without the need of seeds but it was the dew from the pine trees which fertilized the mushroom. So the tinsel we put on Christmas trees is meant to represent - errr - magical semen. (Don’t tell the kids).