Originally published January 2010.
Archaeologist Paul Frodsham is very fond of Christmas. His book, From Stonehenge to Santa Claus – the Evolution of Christmas, takes readers on a wide-ranging 5,000-year journey through the celebration of midwinter.
Most people are vaguely aware that our modern Christmas merges ancient pagan elements with Christian tradition. As an archaeologist, Frodsham wanted to explore these connections in detail, and trace them back as far as possible. His journey led to encounters with Stone Age shamans, Celtic Druids, Greek and Egyptian gods, Roman emperors, Jesus Christ, Saint Nicholas, King Arthur, St Francis of Assisi, assorted Medieval English kings, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Dickens and, of course, dear old Santa. But the starting point for the journey had to be an investigation of the links between Christmas and the winter solstice.
The science of the solstice
Today, most of us live in towns and cities and pay little attention to the movement of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. In our artificially lit and heated buildings, we can exist almost without reference to the changing seasons of the natural world. But to ancient people, observation of the heavens was critical. This was for practical reasons, so they would know, for example, when to plant and harvest crops, but would also have provided the framework for the numerous ceremonies that occurred at particular times of year.
Revisiting research and challenging conclusions