The Rural Voice, 1989-12, Page 43Sharing the spirit .. .
Beef and
Boar's
Head
The custom of using beef as the
Christmas meat among the British is
the outcome of an ancient Druid
ceremony. When the Druids gathered
the mistletoe each winter, two white
bulls were sacrificed and the beef was
a memorial of this sacrifice.
The ceremony of the Boar's Head
can also be traced back to the Druids.
At the winter solstice, the Druids
killed a boar and offered its head to
Freya, the goddess of peace and plenty
who was supposed to ride a boar with
golden bristles. In the Middle Ages a
whole boar, richly gilded, was some-
times served.
The lemon in the boar's mouth
is a Scandinavian symbol of plenty.
Bringing in the boar's head was an
elaborate ceremony during the ancient
feasts, complete with trumpeters and
huntsmen. At Queen's College, Ox-
ford, the ceremony has been retained
for five centuries, and is still per-
formed today.
Some five hundred years ago, as
the legend goes, a student of the col-
lege, wandering over Shotover Hill
and deep in the study of Aristotle, was
attacked by a wild boar. Having no
means of defence, he shoved the book
down the throat of the boar. Aristotle
proved too much for the boar, whose
head was brought home in triumph.
Santa Claus
It is certain that the myth of Santa
Claus was introduced into America by
the early Dutch settlers of New York.
Santa Claus is another name for St.
Nicholas.
According to Scandinavian
mythology, at the time of the winter
solstice the gods left their dwellings in
heaven and made a visit to earth.
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DECEMBER 1989 41