How Psychedelic Mushrooms From Shamanistic Rituals Evolved Into Modern Santa Claus Mythology
In the truly fascinating short film "Santa Is a Psychedelic Mushroom", with animation by James Bascara and Ben Silberstein, filmmaker Matthew Salton for The New York Times dug deep into a valided theory positing that psychedelic mushrooms that were used in ancient shamanistic rituals of Lapland tribes can explain much of the modern mythology that surrounds Christmas, particularly the idea of Santa Claus and his flying reindeer.
As it turns out, the shamanic rituals of the Sami people of Lapland, a region in northern Finland known for its wintry climate and conifer forests, bear an uncanny semblance to the familiar narratives of Santa and Christmas that we have come to know.
A post shared by MATTHEW SALTON (@matthewrsalton) on Dec 19, 2017 at 7:01pm PST