A Christmas tree, poppy seed cake or nuts are a Christmas tradition after our pagan ancestors
- Christmas is also a symbol of the birth of the sun, in this case of Jesus. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is also related to this date. The old pagan holidays have been replaced. But the habits of their ancestors have remained, although many people do not know why they buy a Christmas tree and decorate it.
It seems to us that the Christmas tree, poppy seed cake, mistletoe are old Christian traditions. Few people know that our ancestors in Europe introduced such customs when celebrating the Winter Solstice ...
And yes, all over Europe this poppy seed was served, because the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere was celebrated in every culture. Likewise, we have the summer solstice on the same day in the southern hemisphere. It falls between 20 and 22 December. It was a time of great holiday because the sun began to appear longer and longer in the sky. In the Slavic tradition it was Szczodre Gody, in the Scandinavian Jule Festival - a time to celebrate Fire and the return of Light.

They were entertained for eight to 12 days. Traditionally, the poppy helped connect with the Ancestors and Ghosts. As the period of darkness was coming to an end, in which it was believed that various demons and spirits were present and that were to depart with the coming of the sun, they were asked for support and not to harm. The nuts, in turn, symbolized the abundance that everyone wished for the coming time. An important element of the tradition was grain and grain dishes. Sheaves with grain were placed in the corners of the houses. They signaled abundance and a good harvest plus a happy life for the next season. We worshiped Swarog or Daźboga, the Scandinavians of Odin or the Torah. Their mythology survived in Edda Poetycka (the Older), dating from the 9th century, and Prosaic (Younger), written in the 13th century. There is a lot of interesting information there.
And the mistletoe and the Christmas tree, Where did they come from in the Christmas decorations?
Mistletoe is the protector of the durability of life. In Celtic culture, only druids could cut it down with a golden sickle. They could appoint someone to the role, but ordinary people were not allowed to touch it. There is some justification for this, because although mistletoe is a poison in high doses, when used properly, it regulates the heart and blood pressure. They made incense out of it to access their own spirituality. Honestly, it doesn't smell too good, but that wasn't the main thing. It was a sacred plant. However, when it comes to Christmas trees, their predecessors (because the Christmas tree itself is a Germanic tradition, it appears in Poland from the second half of the 19th century) were podłaźniczki. They were wreaths, bouquets made of branches of evergreen plants, mainly fir and spruce. They were hung from the ceiling, decorated with straw toys, cakes, ribbons and mistletoe, they were supposed to decorate a cottage or a house for an important holiday. They symbolized the continuity of Life.
This time in the northern hemisphere is the time of solar worship. Saturnalia was then celebrated in Rome. The holiday coincided with the winter solstice, at which point the days began to lengthen again, ending the period of "darkness" and opening the way to more and more joy in the sun. At the end of Saturnalia, December 25 to be precise, it was a day to celebrate the birth of the Immaculate Sun. And when from 325 CE the entire empire adopted Christianity as the official religion, pagan dates began to be replaced with Christian dates.Thus, in AD 350, Pope Julius I suggested that the birth of Jesus should be celebrated on December 25, and four years later his successor Liberio officially declared this day a holiday. Yet Jesus wasn't born in December, but in the fall.


Yes, it is true that each culture alluded to the Winter Solstice in its own way. Christmas is also a symbol of the birth of the sun, in this case of Jesus. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is also related to this date. The old pagan holidays were backed up. But the habits of their ancestors have remained, although many people do not know why they buy a Christmas tree and decorate it.
You also read Runic Tablets, which are magical symbols. What plaque did you take for the winter solstice, which is December 21 this year?
The rune hints, indicates the type of energy, gives us a specific message, direction. I do not know what will come for this year's important Solstice, I will draw it on Solstice day! For the recently passed New Moon and solar eclipse, I have drawn the Ansuz Rune, divine inspiration. So we already have a special time.