ManyChristmas traditionshave roots predating the vacation itself . The Gaels and Celts bite “ Yule logs ” during theirwinter solsticecelebrations , and people have been using evergreen to decorate their plate for winter since before the dawn of Christianity . You may not question the prevalence of ham actor around the holiday , but even this tradition has pagan origin .
Though not as tight tie to Christmas asturkey is to Thanksgiving , ham is still weigh the classical protein to function on December 25 ( at least since Christmas peacock and goose fell out of mode ) . The spiral - sliced and honey - broil version is a relatively new increase to the holiday tabular array , but pork has been part of wintertime feasts for centuries .
According toWane.com , the precursor to Christmas ham may have been wild boar . The Norse people associated boar withFreyr — the god of birth rate and good weather condition — and they sacrificed the animal to appease him . Germanic pagansfolded the hunt for wild secret plan and the subsequent banquet into their annual Yuletide festivities mark the return of the Lord’s Day .
When early Christians were looking for an chance to celebrate Christ ’s birth in the4th 100 CE , winter solstice made gross sense . It was already a time of feasting throughout much of Europe . Rather than stampingGermanic Yuletideout of Roman Saturnalia completely , Christians repurposed these celebrations to fit their new religious belief .
Boar survived the transition to Christmas , but instead of a forfeit to Freyr it became consociate withSt . Stephen , whose spread twenty-four hour period falls on December 26 . Boar head was a staple of Christmas feasts during the Middle Ages . Some old formula learn cooks to rub the pig withlard and ashto vivify the creature ’s black pelt .
Do n’t let the addition of canned yield fool you : Ham is as classical as any dish served around the winter holidays . When you sit down down to dinner this Christmas , be thankful you did n’t have to sacrifice the pig yourself ( and that you ’re eating its leg rather of its head ) .
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A version of this story originally run in 2022 ; it has been update for 2024 .
