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Historical The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas by John Matthews $29.95 / Quest Books / 2003 Before Christmas office parties, there was the Feast of Fools, where the populace drank excessively, sang obscene songs, and engaged in "disorderly laughter and illicit mirth." Before Christmas wreaths, there were green Saturnalia garlands decorating Roman homes; before the babe in a manger, there was Mithras born in a cave. Indeed, many of our beloved Christmas traditions have their roots in pre-Christian celebrations. In The Winter Solstice, John Matthews explores some of these ancient myths and offer ways to incorporate them into one's own holiday celebrations. Although the title speaks of Christmas, the text is non-denominational-or, rather, multi-denominational. Matthews has gathered winter traditions from around the world, drawing upon sources as diverse as the Welsh Mabon legends, the Japanese Toji bonfires that illuminate Mount Fuji every December 22, and the Armenian "Bear's Fart," which welcomes spring. This is an interactive book which includes rituals, affirmations, guided meditations, craft projects, and even recipes. The recipes for magi cake and "soul cake" cookies are quite good; the recipe for a vegetarian Boar's Head less so. (A pineapple festooned with fruit slices, alas, evokes not wassail celebrations but mid-1960s cocktail parties.) The rituals owe more to modern Neopaganism than ancient history, but they are well designed, and most could be performed by a coven or by a church's youth group with little alteration. Matthews wisely encourages readers not to follow the text slavishly but rather to make the performances their own. Matthews obviously did a great deal of research for this book, and he is at his strongest when presenting legends and customs from around the world. His work sometimes stumbles when he tries hanging these legends on a New Age/Theosophical framework. Presenting Santa Claus as a "bear-clad shaman" and claiming that his flying reindeer "take him on an archetypal shamanic journey to the heavens" is a stretch, even giving Matthews a liberal dose of Christmas charity. While the book is decorated with some gorgeous pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau paintings, the artists, unfortunately, remain anonymous. Although the sources for this copyrighted material are credited in the fine print at the back of the book, hopefully the artists will receive their due in a second edition. Despite these quibbles, this is an enjoyable read and is sure to introduce you to some legends you never heard before. If you are looking for a holiday present for your non-Christian friends, this might be an ideal gift. And if you want to find some spiritual meaning amidst the rampant holiday commercialism, this book might serve as a guide to finding the holiday spirit. —Kevin Filan

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