Activities That Can Be Traced Back to Pagan Culture
Activities That Can Be Traced Back to Pagan Culture
Links between holiday traditions and pagan culture are well established - and occasionally celebrated - but there are also a lot of misconceptions about paganism that make the word itself a bit taboo.
Paganism isn’t something to be feared or shunned. In Latin, “pagan” was simply the word for villager or civilian. Religious connotations that developed during the Middle Ages made pagans into heathens rather than outsiders. With all that in mind, there continues to be a pervasive presence of paganism in the modern world.
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Content
0 -> Pagan was originally a term
used by early Christians
4.019 -> to describe citizens
of the Roman Empire
6.24 -> who practiced polytheism or
any other local religions
9.39 -> not rooted in Judaism.
11.55 -> Over time we've
started using the word
13.77 -> to refer to
basically any beliefs
15.27 -> that predate the major
contemporary religions, also
18.84 -> as an acronym for people
against goodness and normalcy,
21.66 -> but only when referring to
the 1987 movie comedy Dragnet.
25.65 -> So maybe not
super-relevant here.
29.01 -> Today we're taking a look at
everyday activities that can be
32.159 -> traced back to pagan culture.
34.23 -> But before we do that, be
sure to subscribe to the Weird
36.6 -> History Channel and let us
in the comments below what
39.48 -> other old or new god topics
you'd like to hear about.
43.15 -> Now, time to take
the pagan challenge.
47.686 -> [DRUMBEAT]
49.98 -> Until the 20th century,
no one would have really
52.59 -> described themselves as pagan.
54.63 -> It was used by
Christians initially
56.55 -> as a kind of put-down,
referring to people they viewed
59.04 -> as believers in false gods.
61.14 -> The term derives
from the Latin word
63.15 -> "pagus," which refers to
a rural region inhabited
66.39 -> by country-dwellers.
67.92 -> So right there it's sort
of implying that you're
70.92 -> an uncivilized bumpkin.
72.93 -> In modern times,
various polytheists,
75.39 -> those who practice
nature worship,
77.13 -> and others who embrace
spirituality but reject
79.56 -> the world's largest religions,
have reclaimed paganism
82.5 -> as a concept and made
the word their own.
85.18 -> So when we refer
to paganism here,
87.24 -> we're not talking about a
single coherent set of beliefs
90.21 -> that any one group in one
part of the world held.
92.58 -> But we're referring to generally
all the collective things
95.01 -> people believed in
ancient times, that
97.14 -> didn't involve Abraham, Isaac,
the Torah, or Jesus, and stuff
101.49 -> like that.
102.03 -> Most famously, these
cultures and faiths
104.25 -> started celebrating many
of the same holidays
106.56 -> that we still take
off work today.
108.63 -> Halloween, for
example, dates back
110.58 -> to the Celtic festival of Sawan.
112.83 -> Wait, who's taking
Halloween off work?
115.17 -> In Sawan, the veil
separating the worlds
117.9 -> of the living and the dead
was believed to break down,
120.52 -> allowing souls to cross over.
122.25 -> It was probably also
influenced by festival
124.62 -> of the dead celebrated
in ancient Rome,
126.69 -> during which people would
bring offerings of food
128.759 -> to their loved ones' graves
to keep their memories alive.
131.61 -> Valentine's Day also started
as a Roman fertility festival
135.72 -> celebrating the god
Lupercus, who protected
138.57 -> farmers and shepherds.
139.98 -> Lupercalia, as it was called,
was held in mid-February
143.49 -> to ensure a fruitful
and fertile year,
145.65 -> and found celebrants feasting,
making ritual sacrifices
148.68 -> of goats and dogs--
150.33 -> oh, man, not dogs--
151.77 -> and even running
naked through town
153.33 -> while being flogged with
strips of flayed goat skin.
156.3 -> Oh, the things we do for love.
158.88 -> Commemorating birthdays
was fairly uncommon
161.76 -> in early Christian culture.
163.27 -> So a lot of our modern-day
traditions around the event
165.69 -> derive from earlier practices.
167.82 -> In some Germanic
cultures, evil spirits
169.98 -> were believed to cross over into
our world and attack children
172.74 -> on the anniversaries
of their births.
174.63 -> That's not a cool
birthday surprise.
176.52 -> Believers placed lit candles
on a birthday cake, one
179.46 -> for each year of life, to keep
these angry demons at bay.
183 -> Wedding celebrations also owe
a debt to pagan traditions.
187.05 -> Some historians
and anthropologists
189.06 -> think that the practice of
wearing wedding rings or bands
192 -> dates back to the Third
Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom,
194.97 -> when the exchange of rings more
generally indicated a binding
197.88 -> agreement between two parties.
199.77 -> Greeks and Romans also
believed that the fourth finger
202.5 -> was special and contained a vein
that ran directly to the heart.
206.13 -> It was sometimes known
in these cultures
207.87 -> as the medicated finger, used
to stir up mixtures and potions,
211.56 -> as its special
connection to the heart
213.15 -> would immediately warn the
apothecary of the presence
215.64 -> of a toxic ingredient.
217.255 -> Hey, why don't you just keep
your finger out of my drink.
219.63 -> Wearing a wedding ring
on the medicated finger,
221.94 -> therefore, indicates an added
layer of commitment, love,
225.18 -> and sentimentality.
226.71 -> The pagans also
gave us bridesmaids
228.87 -> and other traditions associated
with the wedding party,
231.285 -> though they actually
had a role to play aside
233.16 -> from taking the bride to
Vegas and getting her wasted.
235.62 -> Some cultures
believe that it was
237.215 -> helpful to have other women
around during a wedding
239.34 -> ceremony, all dressed
alike, in order
241.65 -> to trick evil spirits
into attacking them
243.72 -> instead of the bride herself.
245.31 -> Those are pretty
gullible spirits.
247.8 -> Even some contemporary
Christian holidays
250.17 -> had their origins
in pagan culture.
252.42 -> Easter was originally named for
Eostre, a West Germanic spring
256.44 -> goddess who was feted for
bringing longer, brighter days,
259.86 -> when food started to grow
once more in abundance.
262.8 -> Eostre was frequently
symbolized by a hare, which
265.98 -> remained closely connected
to the Easter holiday
268.23 -> even after the
event was repurposed
270.03 -> to commemorate the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
272.67 -> Christmas, as well, originated
as the pagan festival
275.46 -> of Yule, a nature
ritual celebrating
277.8 -> the continuation
of life on earth
279.63 -> even during the darkest and
coldest months of the year.
282.54 -> Many yule traditions,
like lighting a yule log,
285.3 -> giving gifts to
family and friends,
287.04 -> and decorating your home
with wintry green plants
289.53 -> like mistletoe,
holly, and ivy are now
291.84 -> baked into our annual
Christmas celebrations.
294.6 -> [BELL RINGING]
298.3 -> Whether you like them or not.
299.82 -> Still we promised
everyday activities
302.64 -> that can be traced back to pagan
culture, not annual events.
306 -> And it doesn't
get more every day
307.62 -> than the actual names for the
days of the week, nearly all
310.5 -> of which have pagan origins.
312.54 -> Monday derives from the
Anglo-Saxon word Monandeg,
316.38 -> meaning moon's day.
317.88 -> It was set aside for
rituals giving homage
320.34 -> to the goddess of the moon.
321.93 -> Tuesday is associated
with both the Germanic God
325.11 -> Tiu and the Norse God Tyr.
327.63 -> Wednesday is derived from
Woden's day, a celebration
331.53 -> of the old Norse God Odin.
334.17 -> Thursday was named
for Odin's son,
336.48 -> Thor, the old Norse god
of thunder and Hemsworths,
340.44 -> also lightning.
342.51 -> Friday is associated with
another Norse god, Freya,
345.75 -> the wife of Odin, and mother
of Thor, while Saturday
348.84 -> takes its name from Saturn, the
Roman god of wealth and plenty.
352.74 -> The pagan versions
of the seven-day week
354.69 -> were first established
in ancient Babylon
356.82 -> sometime before 600 BC, and
was adopted by early Christians
361.05 -> hundreds of years later under
the Roman Emperor Constantine.
364.83 -> There were some attempts
around this time
366.66 -> to replace the pagan names
with Christian references,
369.49 -> such as the names
of the sacraments
371.04 -> or Christ's apostles.
373.05 -> Wonder which five
apostles got screwed.
375.36 -> But ultimately tradition won out
and we kept the pagan origins
379.23 -> in place.
380.22 -> The same thing happened again
in the months of the year.
383.68 -> Today, we follow the
Gregorian calendar,
386.5 -> which was introduced by
Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
390.3 -> But it had its own roots
in the Julian calendar
392.67 -> first proposed by Julius Caesar
in 46 BC, when he was still
396.39 -> a Roman consul.
397.56 -> So the month names mostly have
Roman origins, many of which
401.82 -> are associated with their
polytheistic religion.
404.55 -> January is named
for the Roman god
406.89 -> Janus, the protector
of gates and doorways,
410.55 -> like a superhero doorman.
412.77 -> February takes its title from
Februalia, a Roman festival
416.46 -> of purification and atonement.
418.35 -> In the ancient world,
military campaigns
420.63 -> often paused for the winter
and started back up again
423.3 -> in spring, which likely
influenced the decision to name
426.3 -> March after Mars,
the Roman god of war.
429.45 -> May refers to Maia, who
oversaw the growth of plants,
433.26 -> while June is named for
the Roman goddess Juno,
436.23 -> reflecting her connections to
the sky, marriage, and rebirth.
439.98 -> June remains associated with
getting married right up
442.59 -> to the present day.
443.4 ->
446.85 -> Beyond just names and
dates, many social practices
449.76 -> from pagan societies have
remained with us today,
452.58 -> passed down through thousands
of years of human history
455.16 -> and dozens of civilizations.
457.26 -> Wearing jewelry was common
in the ancient world,
459.85 -> and just as it does
today, was often
461.76 -> used to signal someone's
social position or status.
465.21 -> Viking men wore
elaborate jewelry
467.19 -> that denoted their overall
rank and significance
469.41 -> in their community's hierarchy,
while Egyptians, Greeks,
472.32 -> and Romans commonly
wore jewels adorned
474.18 -> with spiritual and
religious symbols.
476.37 -> Prominent ancient Egyptians were
buried alongside their jewels
479.235 -> in the hopes that they
could bring them along
481.11 -> into the afterlife.
482.34 -> Amulets featuring hearts,
scarabs, the fingers
485.16 -> of Horus, and serpent
heads, are frequently
487.29 -> found in Egyptian
burial sites, as it
489.51 -> was believed they would provide
protection in the next world.
492.39 -> In ancient Rome, gold rings
specifically indicated
495.21 -> political status and
were worn exclusively
497.55 -> by senators and nobles.
499.44 -> After his memorable defeat
of the Romans at Cannae,
502.11 -> Carthaginian general
Hannibal famously
504.15 -> sent home six dry
gallons of gold rings
506.4 -> taken from the hands of slain
Roman officers and politicians.
509.55 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]
510.39 -> Decorating one's face
and body with makeup
512.789 -> also dates way back to
some of the earliest
515.25 -> human civilizations.
516.809 -> In ancient Egypt, eye
makeup specifically
519.33 -> was seen as very important.
521.49 -> Cosmetics made from
combinations of lead, copper,
524.35 -> and other common
items, often colored
526.74 -> in dark grays and
greens, were frequently
528.93 -> used to adorn humans
with the eye of Horus,
531.66 -> a symbol of power,
protection, and wealth.
534.18 -> Both women and men in ancient
Egypt wore eye makeup.
537.36 -> But women would additionally
make their cheeks appear redder
540.21 -> and their faces whiter, along
with painting their nails
542.94 -> and even applying early
forms of lipstick.
545.545 -> These products were
made from materials
547.17 -> like animal fat,
plants, herbs, and oils,
549.57 -> and were used for
both decoration
551.34 -> and to signal a woman's
affluence and social status.
554.52 -> Keeping animals around
the house as pets
556.41 -> was also a common practice
in many pagan societies,
559.223 -> some of which believed that
certain species provided
561.39 -> their masters with spiritual
or supernatural powers.
564.78 -> A number of pagans believed that
animals, including cats, dogs,
568.72 -> and toads were
intimately connected
570.72 -> to fairies or other
spiritual creatures,
573.09 -> making them a vital link with
the unseen world of magic.
576.15 -> Some even thought the
animals themselves
578.19 -> had supernatural powers,
particularly cats,
581.43 -> who were sometimes
associated with shapeshifting
583.92 -> or other physically
impossible forms of mischief.
586.83 -> In the popular imagination,
cats have maintained
589.2 -> some of this
mystique and continue
591.39 -> to be associated with witches,
bad omens, and the afterlife.
595.02 ->
597.97 -> A lot of superstitions
and social cues
600.1 -> from early human
history have persisted
601.96 -> into our modern world,
even after people
604.3 -> stopped believing in the root
causes of these practices.
607.48 -> For example, yawning was poorly
understood in the ancient world
611.86 -> and was thought to imperil
your health by either
614.44 -> allowing diseases to enter
the body or, even worse,
617.95 -> allowing your vitality and
life force to escape the body.
621.43 -> People started
covering their mouths
622.96 -> when they yawn to either
block admittance for illnesses
625.93 -> or ensure that their
soul remained intact
628.45 -> and on the inside.
630.07 -> Today we think of crosses as
specifically Christian imagery.
633.55 -> But many pagan societies also
had positive associations
637.12 -> with them, using them as
symbols for luck or unity.
640.508 -> So making the sign of the
cross with your fingers
642.55 -> for good luck, you
know, crossing them,
644.86 -> could theoretically date
back to the pagan culture.
648.55 -> There is disagreement among
historians and experts
651.43 -> about this, though.
652.63 -> Many believe that the practice
of crossing your fingers
655.09 -> for good luck was
specifically associated
657.34 -> with the early
Christians, and a time
659.59 -> when their religion was still
outlawed throughout the Roman
662.47 -> Empire.
663.31 -> Theoretically, Christians might
have shared crossed fingers
666.4 -> or made other
discreet hand signals
668.5 -> to identify one another in
situations when they couldn't
671.17 -> openly speak about their faith.
673.12 -> Crossing your fingers
when telling a lie
674.83 -> may have also had early
Christian origins.
678.333 -> The sign of the
cross was believed
679.75 -> to protect an individual
from God's wrath.
682.12 -> So forming a cross
with your fingers
684.25 -> before breaking one of
the Ten Commandments
686.41 -> may have been a superstitious
insurance policy.
689.74 -> Knocking on wood also has its
roots in the ancient world.
693.16 -> The Celts believed that
spirits lived within trees.
696.28 -> So it's possible that they
thought tapping or knocking
699.46 -> on the trees could invoke the
protection of these beings,
702.28 -> or that creating the noise
could keep evil spirits at bay
705.73 -> or prevent them from hearing
human thoughts and desires.
709.18 -> Traditions surrounding
the Tooth Fairy likely
711.49 -> also have origins in
pre-Christian culture
713.92 -> from Northern Europe.
715.36 -> In Viking and early
Norse societies,
717.76 -> children's teeth were a thought
to bring good luck in battle,
720.55 -> prompting warriors to
sometimes buy them from kids
723.19 -> and wear them in strings
around their necks.
725.56 -> This led to the tradition of
a tooth fee paid to a child
729.28 -> upon losing their first tooth.
731.348 -> It's also possible that
our current understanding
733.39 -> of the Tooth Fairy is an
amalgamation of traditions
735.85 -> from many different cultures,
all being mashed up together.
739.36 -> Unlike a lot of other characters
from Western folklore,
742.21 -> the Tooth Fairy varies
widely depending
744.46 -> on the region, appearing as
both male and female, a child
747.88 -> with wings, a pixie, a dragon,
a flying ballerina, two old men,
753.19 -> a bat, a bear, and a
variety of other forms.
757.1 -> So what do you think?
758.63 -> What pagan ritual do
you like the most?
761.21 -> Let us know in the
comments below.
762.83 -> And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos
765.33 -> from our Weird History.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mm6aWTip7o