This special smoking blend, included special herbs mugwort, juniper and hemp seeds which crackled and popped.
In Germany, where our St Nicholas or Santa Claus traditions started, cannabis was one of the sacred herbs that this mythical figure smoked in his pipe. In modern day Poland a hemp seed soup, Semieniatka, is served on Christmas Eve and offered to the family ancestors who are invited into the home that night. In other places cannabis has maintained its significance. Ethnologists believe this ritual formed the basis of our Christian caroling tradition, though the part played by cannabis fell by the wayside. The householders would pay for this cleansing with hemp fiber which the Bride would spin into thread which would become clothing for the newborn in the community. The ritual singing brought blessings to each home and chased out any evil spirits lurking within. Koleda celebrated the return of the Winter Sun God young men would dress up as magical creatures, halfman, half animal, they proceeded from house to house singing, they were led by an Elder and they carried a ‘Bride’ on a woven hemp seat as she sat spinning hemp on a spindle. Many of our Christmas rituals and traditions have absorbed our forebears’ Solstice festivities the use of Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe in our holiday decorations hark back to ancient times and if we delve deep enough we find cannabis has also held a place in our winter holidays for centuries.Ĭhristmas Carolling, the tradition where folks go house to house singing Christmas Carols on the nights before Christmas is purported to have roots in the old Northern European festival of Koleda. The Winter Solstice celebrates the release from the coldest darkest days and nights of the year and it is easy to see why ancient people, so completely bound to their environment, celebrated the return of the Sun. Neolithic monuments like Stonehenge and Bru na Boinne are aligned to capture the first rays of the rising sun on the Solstice, bringing the hope of the returning sun in the days and months ahead. The Winter Solstice has been the focus of midwinter celebrations in the Northern hemisphere for thousands of years. Tinctures can be dropped directly into your elixir, or you can make an infused canna-sugar or salt if you’re wanting to add a special rim to a glass for a festive mocktail. Stir the drops into sugar at the desired ratio and bake at low heat in the oven until golden. Canna-salt can be made without an oven, as simple as can be, just mixing the tincture into salt in a bowl, covering with breathable fabric, and leaving to dry, stirring occasionally, about 48 - 72 hours. Canna-sugar or salt can be infused with other flavors such as ginger, lemon, or lime at the same time to add complexity. Extra bonus if you match your additional ingredient to bring out the flavor and aroma of the strain of cannabis you’re using (which is dependent on its particular blend of terpenes, or phytochemical compounds).The Winter Holidays have been celebrated for thousands of years, changing form as human culture shifts through time. Tinctures, on the other hand, are alcohol-based and mix more easily into your beverage, often compared to bitters with their flavor profile that adds astringency and balances sweetness or other flavors.