Christmas ham

"tradition [that] was initiated in all probability on the Isle of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons, although our knowledge of it comes substantially from medieval times....[In ancient Norse

Norse paganism

Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religion which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and during the Christianization of Scandinavia of Northern Europe....
 tradition] sacrifice carried the intent of imploring Freyr

Freyr

Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallus fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"....
 to show favor to the new year.

Discussion

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Encyclopedia

A Christmas Ham or Yule Ham is a traditional dish associated with modern Christmas

Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
, Yule

Yule

Yule or Yule-tide is a List of winter festivals that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples as a Germanic paganism religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christianity festival of Christmas....
 and Scandinavian

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
 Jul. The tradition is suggested to have begun amongst the Germanic peoples

Germanic peoples

File:Germanische-ratsversammlung 1-1250x715.jpgThe Germanic peoples are a historical Ethnolinguistics group, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Indo-European languages Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age....
 as a tribute

Blot

A blot can refer to several different things.*In biology, a Blot is a method of transferring proteins, DNA, RNA or a protein onto a carrier....
 to Freyr

Freyr

Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallus fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"....
, a god in Germanic Paganism

Germanic paganism

Germanic paganism refers to the religion beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. The best documented version of the Germanic pagan religions is 10th and 11th century Norse paganism, though other information can be found from Anglo-Saxon paganism and Continental Germanic mythology....
 associated with boars

Boar

The wild boar , or colloquially simply called the boar, is an omnivorous, wikt:gregarious mammal of the family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced elsewhere....
, harvest and fertility.

Origins

According to some folklorists and historians the Christmas ham's origins in England lay in a:

"tradition [that] was initiated in all probability on the Isle of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons, although our knowledge of it comes substantially from medieval times....[In ancient Norse

Norse paganism

Norse paganism is a term used to describe the religion which were common amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries prior to and during the Christianization of Scandinavia of Northern Europe....
 tradition] sacrifice carried the intent of imploring Freyr

Freyr

Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallus fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"....
 to show favor to the new year. The boar's head with apple in mouth was carried into the banquet hall on a gold or silver dish to the sounds of trumpets and the songs of minstrels."

In Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
 and England

England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen , known as the Protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
 may have inherited some of Freyr's legacy. His feast day

St. Stephen's Day

St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christianity saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church....
 is December 26 and thus he came to play a part in the Yuletide celebrations which were previously associated with Freyr. In old Swedish art, Stephen is shown as tending to horses and bringing a boar's head to a Yuletide banquet. Both elements are extra-canonical and may be pagan survivals.

See also

• Boar's head carol
  Boar's Head Carol
  
  The Boar's Head Carol is a macaronic language 15th century English Christmas carol that describes the ancient tradition of sacrifice a boar and presenting its head at a Yuletide feast....
  
• Yule Goat
  Yule Goat
  
  The Yule Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions. Yule Goat originally denoted the goat that was slaughtered around Yule, but it may also indicate a goat figure made out of straw....
  
• Yule log
  Yule log
  
  A Yule log is a large wooden log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in several European cultures....