Christmas

Our traditional Christmas has deep roots in the prehistoric pagan past. Archaeologist Paul Frodsham has been tracing the cultural links between midwinter rituals at Stonehenge (left) and ‘Merry Old Santa Claus’, as depicted here by Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly in 1881 (above).

From Stonehenge to Santa Claus: the archaeology of Christmas

What does Stonehenge have to do with Christmas? How did the Romans celebrate midwinter? Was Jesus really born on 25 December? How did the Medieval church merge the celebration of the Nativity with earlier pagan tradition? Why did Parliament abolish Christmas in the 17th century? What are the origins of Christmas trees, carols, and crackers? And who is Santa Claus?

A Christmas carol 1873

This week: Christmas

It is an argument that has become as traditional as turkey and mince pies. Where did the annual festival held primarily on 25 December and now celebrated by billions of people around the world really come from?

Trench opt

Wartime Christmas

Christmas at the front was about making do. Here, for instance, British soldiers have gathered in a shell hole around a makeshift table. Some are sitting on the ground, others on what appears to be rolled-up sheets of wire.