Christmas tree with beautiful Christmas lights, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Altai Baatarkhuu Ubzo7he I0g Unsplash
What this is – Hello and welcome to the “The Shaman Podcast.”
Was Santa really a shaman—let’s explore the meaning behind the age-old Christmas traditions that have been celebrated for ages and see how they have become the story we are taught as children today. At the same time, we’ll try to move away from the consumerism and commercialism that often surrounds Christmas today.
Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is December 21, 22. Perhaps the most striking thing about this day is the televised celebration of the Solstice by Druids at Stonehenge in England.
The winter solstice is the point where the path of the sun in the sky is farthest south, resulting in the day of the year with the least sunlight and, therefore, the longest night.
Before the solstice the days get shorter and shorter. At the Winter Solstice, the sun appears to be stationary in the sky for three days because the sun rises to the same point in the sky three days in a row. Something it does not do at any other time.
The scientific explanation for the winter and summer solstices is the way the earth travels around the sun. The earth doesn’t travel around the sun in a perfect circle; it’s more like an ellipse. Also, the earth doesn’t rotate perfectly on its axis, like a spinning top, but it wobbles a bit, which means it tilts away from the sun at certain times and towards it at others.
At the Summer Solstice in on June 20th or 21st, we have the longest day of the year; in the northern hemisphere, this is when the earth is tilted towards the Sun, the Sun is higher in the sky, and the hemisphere receives the most sunlight, and most warmth for a longer period of time.
Reindeer with Sled – Photo By Norman Tsui On Unsplash
It’s the opposite way round in the Southern Hemisphere. The vernal equinox on March 20th marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, spring starts September 22ndor 23rd. At the vernal Equinox, the days and nights are equal in length.
The sun appearing to be stationary at the Winter Solstice represents the dying of a king or Sun God. This should not be confused with it disappearing at night. In Egyptian mythology the sun dies at sunset and is reborn at dawn, which is not what we have here.
Go far enough north during the winter solstice, and you will not see the sun at all. The tilt of the earth is such that the sun does not appear at all during these three days. On December 24th the sun appears to start rising in the sky again. In Christian belief, the next day, December 25th is the birth of Jesus and many traditional celebrations have a manager as part of the festive decorations.
To the Shaman, Winter Solstice is a time of celebration and new hopes for crops, animal husbandry, and babies are conceived. Generally, there is great hope for a good year ahead as the old year transforms into a new one. Transformation is a very shamanic quality. The myths at this time point to the awakening of our true nature.
The shaman, male or female, is an essential part of the community and at the winter solstice, they have special duties to perform. From those traditions we Christmas.
The traditional Christmas tree is an evergreen conifer, the dominant species of tree that grows in the harsh northern climates, especially Siberia and Mongolia. Whether you have a real tree or an imitation one, it is the symbol of the tree that is important.
Amanita Muscaria mushrooms Photo by Andriy Nestruiev on Unsplash
The Amanita Muscaria mushroom, known as fly agaric, grows at the foot of evergreen conifers and has a symbiotic relationship with the tree. Nutrients pass back and forth in their roots to the point where the mushrooms can’t grow without the tree, resulting in the mushrooms being seen as the fruit of the tree.
The mushrooms have a distinctive bright red cap with white spots or growths on it. They may also be yellow or gold in colour.
The shaman and people of the community pick and dry the mushrooms by leaving them on the lower branches of the tree. So, now we have a green conifer with red and white mushrooms drying on its branches. Does this remind you of the baubles you attach to the branches of your Christmas tree?
Early decorations on Christmas trees were editable. It was too costly to have decorations that were not. Usually, they were made from baked dough and the ornaments eaten as part of the celebration. Later, apples were used, as they symbolized the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Apples were later replaced by shiny red balls, which were not edible.
When Shaman gathered mushrooms, their traditional dress was long, warm robes of red and white to symbolize the mushrooms and let woodland spirits know what they are doing. In the northern climate, deep snow and ice make travel difficult. Some sort of sledge or sleigh is required to get around.
Yurt Village, Mongolia. Photo By Audrius Sutkus On Unsplash
In the cold north, the lowest recorded temperature in Siberia was -67c / -97.3F. To survive outside in these temperatures, layers of fur would be put on, making the person appear rather “chubby, or fat.”
In the northern climates, reindeer are an important source of meat, fur, bone, and other animal products for all manner of traditional needs. They are an important source of power to pull things. One or more may be attached to a sleigh to move it through the snow, woods, and across the plains. This practice continues to this day, as horses are not hardy enough to survive and work in the harsh climate.
So, now we have a rather well-rounded person, riding a sleigh, pulled by one or more reindeer and dressed in red and white clothing.
The Shaman’s world view included layers of existence:
Lower World
Middle World
Upper World
In ancient shamanic traditions across the world, the Tree of Life (or World Tree) serves as a sacred map and passageway between these realms. The roots of this great tree extend deep into the earth, reaching down into the Lower World. Its trunk stands firmly in our physical reality, the Middle World. And its branches stretch high into the sky, touching the Upper World. This tree is not just a symbol—it is a living portal, a bridge between worlds that shamans have used for thousands of years to journey between realms.[1]
Yellow/Gold Amanita Muscaria Mushroom Photo by Mark Coenraads on Unsplash
Many people took a conifer tree into their Yurt or they would build their Yurt around a suitable tree. In a sense, they were bringing the World Tree into their homes.
The North Star is very bright in the sky at this time of year and is considered to be the very top or highest part of the Upper World. The three layers were connected by the World Tree and a conifer was the tallest and best physical representation of it in the real – Middle World. A representation of the star was placed on the top of the tree.
The psychedelic effect of the mushrooms includes visions and altered states of consciousness, a sense of euphoria, and clarity of mind. Because of these positive effects, the shaman brings what they have collected with them. They bring them in a sack for their own use and to share with the people they are visiting.
Tall Trees reaching to the Upper World. Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
The need for shaman to perform ceremonies, conduct healing, and retrieve souls in soul journeys is still very much needed even when the snow is deep and the door to the traditional nomads Yurt is snowed in. To get in, the shaman climbs on the roof and enters through the smoke hole in the roof top.
So, now we have everything we recognize in Santa today. A portly shaman, dressed in red and white clothing, carrying a sack of good things, who arrived on a sleigh, pulled by reindeer, and entering through the smoke hole in the roof. If everyone is high on mushrooms, stories of the shaman flying across the sky on their sleigh, pulled by faithful reindeer to visit many yurts during the night, seem quite believable.
Have a wonderful holiday season and celebrate the Winter Solstice this year. Celebrate the start of the New Year, which begins the day after the solstice… not a week later!
Have a wonderful Holiday.
[1] Ella Giljam, “The Three Shamanic Worlds,” (2025).
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