Misrule and martyrs: 10 dark midwinter traditions

This year, why not welcome the shadowy side of winter with an ancient ritual or two?

We spend much of our midwinter in joyous celebrations – of Christmas, of New Year, with friends and family, good food, good drink and bright fires blazing in our hearths, But beyond that firelight, there are lingering shadows: we might associate Christmas with parties, love and general jolliness, but for millennia it was a time when the world was turned on its head, when hideous creatures rampaged through the streets, when the dead returned, when chaos reigned. Associated with all these horrors are a host of unsettling celebrations and rituals – there’s plenty to pick from, but here are my own top 10.

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