Some Christmas traditions mirror pre-Christian festivities, but some pagan influences may have been overstated.

of religiosity and paganism, and Levi-Strauss returns to the news underlining how the Dijon clergy, wanting to destroy Santa Claus, "did nothing other than restore to its entirety, after an ...

Santa Claus is a name derived from Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas. Along with pagan elves and gnomes, another element in the long and very complex history of Santa is the Christian bishop St ...

"This story in particular, it really kind of humanised him for me and made him a far more interesting character than I think he's normally portrayed," says University of Winchester's Brian Thornton.

In the UK, Santa Claus is known as Father Christmas, a figure with deep roots in pre-Christian pagan traditions, where he symbolized the spirit of winter festivals, joy, and abundance. In the 16th and ...

They decided to substitute Santa Claus with Father Frost. It is also curious here: the latter has pagan roots. For this reason, the Russian Orthodox Church has always been sceptical about Father Frost ...

Santa Claus, the iconic figure who brings holiday ... ivy, or mistletoe. This pagan symbol of nature and renewal brought joy to the public during the dark winter months. Over time, this character ...

The pagan Yuletide was associated with gift-giving ... It's been suggested that the seasonal character of "Santa Claus" or "Father Christmas" was influenced by the Norse god Odin.