M3 Diana & Witchcraft

            For this Halloween, I wanted to do something special. I’ve already talked a bit about the history of Halloween, but now I’m going to delve into the history of witchcraft. To be clear, this is not about Wicca or any kind of Neopaganism. Rather, this is about the beginnings of how Medieval Christianity perceived witchcraft, and the connection to mythology.

M3 Christmas: Santa

            Okay, Santa is huge. No, I’m not talking about his belly. Mythologically, he is many people. The name Santa Claus derives from the Dutch figure Sinterklaas. But stories of gift-givers are throughout Europe (and even other locations, but they aren’t attributed to being part of Santa). There is Saint Nicholas, Odin, Krampus (a kind of opposite who gives bad gifts and frightens people on the naughty list into behaving), Ded Moroz (from Russia), and still more in Austria, Hungary, with variations on the story.

M3 Christmas: Nativity: The Manger

            Okay, our next stop on the list is the manger. We have to examine this because there is a misconception about this particular part of the story. Many people have actually already written on this subject, but they usually take an approach that is linguistic or archaeological. I’m going to look from a more cultural perspective.

M3 Christmas: Nativity: Wise Guys

            Well, okay, now, the birth of Christ. This is some big stuff. And it’s important to get it right, starting with the Christmas decorations!

            Yeah, I know, that made no sense. But this is where we have to start. You see, that Nativity scene you put out, it’s wrong. Yeah, the three guys holding the gifts, they weren’t there.

M3 Christmas Overview

            When is Christmas? December 25^th, as always. Why is that the date of Christmas? That’s more complicated.

M3 Halloween Mythology

            I’ve been doing some of the more familiar witches fairy tales as a segue between the fairy tales and Halloween, but now we’re here, the big dog itself. So, definitively, is Halloween a pagan or a Christian holiday? Yes.

            What, you want more? Okay, you asked for it.