The Ethnobotany of Christmas and the Winter Solstice #18

From the shamanic origins of Santa Claus to the Ethnobotany of Christmas, Herbalist & Midwife Tamara Hiller takes you on a sled-flight through the icy lands of Siberia, where Shamans stick the little red Amanita mushrooms on fir trees to dry them in sun, then put them all in the big sack, going home, entering the house through the chimney and hanging the mushrooms in socks around the fire to dry further. Just that this is not a tale, it's the true history of Northern reindeer-herding tribes and their traditions. She connects the dots to Christmas in Germany where she grew up, baking cookies spiced with Ginger, Cinnamon, and Clove with her Grandma, and to the old pagan custom of the "raw nights" which mark the darkest days of the year, the smudging of incense to cleanse the house of bad energies and the waiting and hoping for the return of the sun by our ancestors. Tamara gives us a little peek into her mixed feelings about Christmas and consumerism and why she returned to celebrating this day with her kids, filling it with meaning through the connection to the natural world and its cycles.  What about giving your loved ones a meaningful gift in the form of a health consultation with Herbalist Tamara? You will get a beautiful gift card to lay under the Christmas Tree.  Health consultations are available through www.herbalhelp.net. Dive deeper into Herbalism with me! Get access to my exclusive weekly posts and videos with herbal inspiration for your plant studies! I will take you on herb walks, show you how to formulate herbs and make preparations, including mini-classes about what I call the herb of the week, herb of the month, and herb of the season practice which, if practiced regularly, will give you direct hands-on experience. Join the membership program for the price of a coffee a month and let me be your guide and teacher on your learning journey! You can also ask me questions. Support the creation of the Podcast and Youtube Channel with your one-time or monthly donation! Thank you so so much! Leave a review of this podcast and get the chance to win a health consultation package of two sessions with me! Send me an email after you wrote the review, so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner! Write me through my contact form on my website www.herbalhelp.net or through messages on Instagram: herbal.help. I love to get feedback from my listeners! My Youtube Channel is called "Herbal Help by Tamara", in case you want to see the face to the voice! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/downtoearthherbalism/message