The Cannabis Christmas Connection: A Long-Ago Winter Solstice Tradition
December 15, 2022
It may surprise you to learn that you’re not the only one who enjoys a “green” Christmas. There’s a chance that the Germanic people have been celebrating a cannabis Christmas back in their days. Find out how that came to be.
Christmas Wasn’t As Merry in the Past
Our Christmas traditions may be exciting to practice now, but to the ones who started such activities, not so much. The Germanic people didn’t like the idea of having a white Christmas at all. Their crops were dead, livestock had to be rationed, and well, heaters weren’t invented yet— they were just cold all the time! The Germanic people had a lot of reasons to hate wintertime. Because of this, they looked forward to the spring season when greenery would bounce back to life. Until then, all they could do was daydream about the next season. That’s why evergreen trees, ivies, and hollies are common Christmas decorations even up to this day…they may have also added cannabis for their spring fantasy.
Deities and Dope
Ancient people believed that during the 12 nights of Yule, the god named Wotan (others spell it Woden or Odin) was fighting off the darkness which was believed to be evil— this is called the “Wild Hunt.” While the skirmish ensues, the people from the past would protect their homes from evil in different ways. One of the most common traditions done back then was they would smudge their houses with herbs like mugwort, juniper, and possibly, cannabis. Another tradition by the Germanic people was smoking a concoction of herbs called “knastert” — and weed was most likely included in this mixture. This is also the reason why depictions of Sta. Claus would have him holding a pipe.
Cannabis, Christmas, and a Little Conclusion
If you find lighting up a spliff during these cold months hits differently, you’re not wrong— because you’re not alone. Various ancient traditions in the past involved the herb and the cannabis Christmas celebration has been practiced long before Christmas was even invented.
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