The global landscape has begun to shift towards a greater social acceptance of cannabis. With state legalization spreading nationwide, this once-taboo plant is becoming more pronounced in the holiday traditions. Cannabis can be a fun experience to share with like-minded friends and family, and it’s a great way to ease end-of-year tensions and relax with some of your closest loved ones.
We’ve explored the rich history of cannabis in various cultures, as looking into its historical significance teaches us about how we have evolved. Archaeologists speculate that cannabis has been included in various celebrations for thousands of years, some of which may have been related to holidays like Christmas or New Years.
Let’s look back at the past and get inspired on how we can incorporate cannabis into our modern holiday festivities.
From rituals of yore to vibrant ceremonies, cannabis has long held a sacred place in pagan traditions. The plant has served as a bridge between natural and supernatural spiritual connections in witchcraft and religious practices for over 5000 years.
Within the practices of witchcraft, the use of cannabis provided a range of medicinal and spiritual healing benefits. Cannabis was seen as a powerful tool for exploring oneself, and using it to connect with the spirits within the natural world allowed people to feel more heightened. It was believed to enhance one’s intuition and was commonly part of divination rituals.
Plants are important to Pagan beliefs — evergreens, holly, and even cannabis carry over from old traditions. For example, the story of a battle between light and darkness called the Wild Hunt contains spiritual and purposeful uses of plants.
A pre-Christian god, known as Wotan, and his army traveled across the sky to surprise people and pluck them off the ground, but demons were also said to rise on these cold winter nights. As a way to calm the gods, pagans would smear their homes with a number of different herbs. Christian Rästch’s Pagan Christmas writes that these herbs ranged from evergreen resin to mugwort, milk thistle, and likely cannabis.
Some speculate that the Wild Hunt is one story that created the basis for Santa and his reindeer.
Weed was pivotal in Mesopotamian cultural and religious spaces, and the people had profound ways of utilizing the plant for their holiday traditions. Back in those days, it was difficult to decipher medicine from magic — their uses often intertwined. A 3800-year-old clay tablet from the Babylonian times suggests that cannabis was used as a healing method for epilepsy and grief. Within religious ceremonies, it was believed that cannabis enhanced singing and dancing during celebrations.
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Over 5000 years ago, the Yamnaya people swept through the land in Central Asia and appeared to have traveled with cannabis throughout Europe and the Middle East. A team at the German Archaeological Institute and Free University, both located in Berlin, discovered botanical remains of cannabis across the Yamnaya sites in Eurasia.
Cannabis may have been used to create hemp rope, but these remains are also some of the earliest known indicators of inhalation. Digs in the Caucasus discovered seeds and ash remains of weed dating to about 3000 B.E. It is likely that cannabis was used in celebrations such as New Year’s feasts, praising the gods, sowing and reaping from harvest, or rejoicing in military victories.
In today’s world, cannabis holiday traditions are beginning to reoccur year after year. The famous Thanksgiving “cousin walks” are a popular internet meme, and many people relate to connecting with adult-aged cousins and taking a short walk before dinner to have some time to toke up and chat.
One Redditor shared their unique high Thanksgiving tradition: “My favorite thing about hosting is that the Friday after is Thanksgiving 2.0, or 4.20 if you will, and it’s amazing. I don’t smoke much the morning of because not all of my guests would find the aroma appetizing, but the next day, I get to get stoned out of my gourd and stuff my face with amazing leftovers all day long.”
In modern holiday traditions, it’s up to the individual to create something that brings them joy around Christmas time. One Redditor shares how they spend their high holiday: “Christmas smoke outs, starting on Christmas Eve, have been a tradition with my boyfriend and I for 3 years running. We usually kick it off with a gravity bong hit. It’s the only way to roll on Christmas. Then we sit around and watch Christmas cartoons like the Garfield Christmas special, Claymation Christmas, Opus and Bill’s: A Wish For Wings That Work, and most importantly, Bad Santa.”
This once-taboo plant is now embraced across the county for more casual moments of smoking or eating edibles while gathering with the family. It’s the perfect way to find joy and relax with one another.
Cannabis plays a big role in cultural, spiritual, and physical wellness, and it has been used for these purposes for thousands of years. From ancient pagan rituals to new, modern-day holiday traditions, cannabis brings out joy, relaxation, and connection when shared.
Whether it is a Thanksgiving “cousin walk” or a Christmas smoke sesh, the modern take on cannabis reflects a shift in social acceptance for sharing the moment.
However, understanding its past and historical roots allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the presence that cannabis has held throughout human culture. As legalization and conversations around the plant begin to evolve, we can explore new ways to relax and find joy in our holiday traditions with friends and family.
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