A Quick Lesson on the International Pagan Origins of Traditional Christmas Customs and Celebrations

AJ+ offers a quick animated lesson about the Pagan roots of time-honored Christmas traditions such as decorating the tree (from Latvia and Northern Europe), Santa Claus (Odin), La Befana, 8 flying reindeer (Sleipnir, Odin’s 8-legged horse) and even the date of Christmas (Sol Invictus, Balder, Mithras).

Whether you’re putting up the tree or decking the halls, you might be surprised that some of your favorite Christmas traditions are actually pagan.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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