![]() The winter solstice, when the sky is its darkest, has been a notable day of celebration in agrarian societies throughout human history. ![]() The solstices, when the Sun is at its highest and lowest points in the sky, were major events. A symbol of life in a time of darknessĪlmost all agrarian societies independently venerated the Sun in their pantheon of gods at one time or another – there was the Sol of the Norse, the Aztec Huitzilopochtli, the Greek Helios. To give up the tree would be to give up a ritual that predates Christmas itself. Then my inner historian scolds me – I have to remind myself that I’m taking part in one of the world’s oldest religious traditions. Strapping a fir tree to the hood of my car and worrying about the strength of the twine, I sometimes wonder if I should just buy an artificial tree and do away with all the hassle. Why, every Christmas, do so many people endure the mess of dried pine needles, the risk of a fire hazard and impossibly tangled strings of lights?
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