The Mushy Meaning behind Christmas.

The Christmas celebration we now know today was influenced by many different countries, peoples and cultures. There are many different myths and theories about where the celebration originated including the Theory that Santa is a shaman, or perhaps even a mushroom. The reality of the story of Santa Clause is directly related to the powerful living being, The Amanita Muscaria.

The Amanita muscaria has a mycorrhizal relationship. This means the Hyphae (or fungal threads wrap around the tree’s roots exchanging sugars. These sugars hold nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, and even water. This creates a hidden underground network that benefits the fungi and the tree. The Amanita Muscaria has a couple favorite host trees such as birch, pine and spruce.

Is Santa actually a Shaman?

The Sami people are from north Europe in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula, their culture dates back to over 10,000 years ago to the post ice-age. A majority of the Sami people were (some still are) reindeer herders. There are other indigenous peoples of the north pole with similar traditions, such as the Koryaks of Siberia.

At times, Reindeer can suffer with symptoms similar to a cold, such as coughing and spluttering, This however is not a common cold. This is an infestation of fly larva or ‘Snot bots’, as they are affectionately known. These are flies of the genus Cephenemyia. And they cause the reindeers noses to become red and swollen. Hello Mr. Rudolph.

The Indigenous people noticed that the Amanita Muscaria was a favorite treat to the reindeer. But something a little different happened when the reindeer would eat the Amanita. When the reindeer would eat the Amanita they would become ‘Silly”. They could be seen running fast and jumping through the air. But they survived, unlike some people who tried to eat the amanita in its raw form.

They soon realized the yellow snow from the reindeer could be collected and consumed for intoxication later. Traditionally the spiritual leaders or healers, called shamans would consume this urine. It is also known that these Shaman would also eat the Amanita Muscaria. They would bring a pine tree inside the home and string the Amanita Muscaria mushroom like a garland and lay it on the tree to dehydrate. Or put it into stockings and hang them by the fire to dry. They could then be prepaid in a way that was nontoxic and ingested by the Shaman.

Solstice

When the Shaman would eat either the urine from the reindeer who had ingested the mushroom or had it dehydrated mushroom dehydrated and prepaid properly itself they would embark on a psychedelic journey. During their journey they could see the future of the community, they could turn into animals and fly towards the north star in search of knowledge. At the end of their hallucinogenic experience they would return to the group in their yurt. Oftentimes they would have to enter through the hole in the roof because the snow was higher than the doorway. Thus, the Shaman made their appearance descending from the highest part of the yurt. They would meet with the important folks of the town to share their visions and the knowledge they received and begin the solstice ceremony.

Traditional clothing

Now, If that does scream Merry Christmas to you, let’s look at the Traditional Sami Clothing. Some of which are still worn today. The Shamas would dress in red and white clothes to honor the Amanita Muscaria. And to protect themselves from the snow they would wear large reindeer hide boots that over time turned black. The other Sami traditionally wear a Kofte (tunic) colored red and blue with a little bit of green and yellow. And the Beaska (fur coat) that is made from reindeer hide. I don’t know about you, but I actually have a Christmas cardigan that has these exact color combinations!

As you can see there are many similarities between the Christmas Celebration we know and celebrate today and the traditional ways of the indigenous people of the north pole, including the Sami and the Koryaks.

We have reindeer with red noses, who eat red and white mushrooms and become “silly” and run and jump through the air. We are bringing the tree inside the house and decorating it and hanging our stockings by the fire. The healer of our community is wearing red and white clothing with big black boots. And, he is going on a journey to the north star and coming back with gifts. When he returns with the gifts he enters in through a hole in the top of the house. Sounds like Christmas to me! Perhaps Santa was or is actually a Shaman.

Stay tuned for another blog about the connections between the Norse God, Odin and Santa Clause. And just how we got to the Santa Clause we celebrate today!