- The traditional explanation of Santa Claus is an ancient fable about Christian virtue which spread across medieval Europe and then, upon landing in the United States, was promptly commercialized.
- The revisionist version is a tale of pre-Christian, indigenous pagan spirituality that was somehow smuggled into our modern Christian/consumerist holiday.
- The traditional explanation is the story of Saint Nicholas, a Greek bishop who was persecuted for his faith by the Romans and gave away his inheritance to the poor.
- The revisionist version starts with the Amanita muscaria, a psychoactive mushroom that gives humans the sensation of flying.
- The indigenous people of Lapland used to consume the drug safely by drinking the reindeers’ urine and shamans would dress in its likeness, in a red and white costume, and visit prominent Sámi households to pass along the insights that they achieved through their hallucinogenic trips.
- It’s possible that, like Easter, our Christmas traditions are a blend of Christian and pagan themes.
- Maybe the mushroom is even more connected to the birth of Jesus than to Santa Claus.
Click HERE for original. Published December 24, 2022
