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Everyone associates Christmas as a religious holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. However, what if I told you that there is a theory that the traditions behind the holiday, could possibly be originated from a psychedelic mushroom. The amanita muscaria is the classic red mushroom with white spots. Although they are poisonous and can be deadly, it is believed that the shamans went through a parboiling process in order to remove the toxins. These mushrooms typically grow in the Southern Hemisphere in the thicker forested areas. Because of its hallucinogenic properties, the mushroom was used by the Siberian locals as an intoxicant for religious purposes.
The theory shared by @carlosjuico on TikTok states that the reason we adopted the tradition of putting presents under our Christmas tree is because these mushrooms, that are considered a present to the shamans, grow directly under pine trees. This theory also explains that before partaking in the psychedelic experience, the shamans (from Kamchatka, Russia) would hang the mushrooms on the pine trees in order to let them dry out, which simulates us hanging ornaments on our trees. During the heavy winter storms that would lock everybody in their house because of snow covering the doors of everybody’s house in Siberia, shamans wearing red and white clothes would drop mushrooms through the chimneys. Someone we know that is very much associated with Christmas and partakes in similar activities just so happens to be Santa.
(Disclaimer: This is JUST a theory and the information provided may or may NOT be completely accurate and true)
The Harrison Pawprint 