Raising the Christmas tree 2
Left: the original Egyptian (3100BC) version of the raising of the Djed pillar, a tree-like rendition of the backbone of the reborn Osiris, raised annually, generally on Dec 21, as a tamarisk tree (evergreen), a few days before Dec 25 (Winter Solstice) and the birth of Horus (by Isis). Middle: Dionysus, the Greek version of Osiris, being raised like Orion, or Osiris as the re-born evergreen tree. Right: the modern Christian version of this, the annual raising of a pine tree (Christmas tree), decorated with a star at the top.
In religio-mythology, Christmas Tree, the symbolic decoration tree of modern Christmas, is an act symbolic of the "raising of Osiris" (aka Raising of Lazarus or Orion rising), in the form of the tamarisk evergreen green, a holiday performed annually in ancient Egypt on about Dec 21, which is representative of the rebirth of Osiris, as told in the Passion of Osiris, which itself is symbolic, in the original astro-theology formulation, of the "raising of Orion" constellation, a mythological ritual that dates back over 5,000-years.

Persea tree | Christmas tree
The origin of the evergreen tree raised during the holidays, is a syncretism of the myth of Ra the sun god, in the form of the bennu bird (or phoenix) born out of the tip of an evergreen tree, as promulgated by the Priests of Ra, in Heliopolis, united with the Osiris cult model of Osiris reborn in the form of a tamarisk evergreen tree, aka Djed pillar, as told in the famous myth of the death and resurrection of Osiris.

In 1897, Alfred Wiedemann, in his Religion of the Ancient Egyptians, devoted a chapter section to the bennu, the mythical bird thought to be the form of the new born sun, born out the tip of an evergreen tree, called by the Greeks the Persea tree, about which he said the following: [17]

“The phoenix, Egyptian bennu, which classic and Christian artists often represented as an eagle, was imagined by the Egyptians rather as a heron, and was depicted with two long feathers growing out at the back of its head, and sometimes also with a tuft hanging from its breast. The name bennu signifies ‘that which revolves’ or ‘turns back’.
Osiris-Ra 5
A depiction of the sun or Ra being born out of Osiris as a evergreen tree, a general rendition of the 1250-1150 second Thebian recension joint supreme god Osiris-Ra.

Myths told how the bird was born from the midst of flames which arose from out of the summit of a tree in Heliopolis, and that it was known to men by the beauty of its song, to which even the sun himself love to listen. The phoenix symbolized the morning sun arising out of that fiery glow of dawn which dies away as the new born luminary ascends the sky, and hence was regarded as the bird of Ra. But since the dead sun was held to become an Osiris and the new sun to arise from the embalmed body of the old which had been duly brought to Heliopolis, in like manner also the phoenix was supposed to be a form of Osiris in which the god returned to his own country.

Further, as on the death of the sun it was from the Osiris sun that the phoenix sun arose, so it was taught in the case of humanity also that it was from his ‘own Osiris’ that there sprang the new man of the resurrection, and of this resurrection the phoenix became a symbol from a very early date. Hence, even in funerary texts of the Old Kingdom [c.2500BC] the deceased was likened to the phoenix: later it continued to serve as a symbol of the resurrection, and as such it is mentioned in patristic literature and figures in earliest Christian art.”

In 1904, Wallis Budge, citing Wiedemann, summarizes this bennu bird Persea tree sun birth belief as follows: [18]

“On a hypocephalus quoted by Wiedemann, the deceased is made to say, "I am in the form "of the Bennu, which cometh forth from Het-Benbenet in Annu," and from many passages we learn that the Bennu, the Soul of Ra, which appeared each morning under the form of the rising sun, was supposed to shine upon the world from the top of the famous Persea tree wherein he renewed himself.”

The following, relief #18 from the Dendera Temple, subtitled by Wallis Budge (1904), shows the sacred Persea tree growing out of the head of the bier of the mummified Osiris, shown with the soul (or ba) of Osiris at the top of the tree: [14]

Osiris Christmas tree (Dendera) 3
In 1977, William Darby, et al, in their Food: the Gift of Osiris, giver various interpretations concerning the significance of the "sacred" tree in Egyptian, called “Ished tree or S’w’b tree (Egyptian), or the “Persia tree” (Greek), named after the god Greek Perseus, which often depicted kings protected by its foliage or emerging from it. The high esteem which was afforded this tree is indicated by a law passed under Emperor Arcadius forbidding the uprooting or sale of any persea tree in Egypt. [15]

The “fruit” (i.e. Egyptian avocados) of the persea symbolized, supposedly, the “sacred heart” of Horus, and eating it gave eternal life and knowledge of the divine plan. [16] This, supposedly, is the origin or an aspect of the origin of the “tree of life” and or the “tree of knowledge”.

The following is a picture of Osiris transforming into the djed pillar (Christmas tree) along with some of his powers going into the the newly conceived baby Horus, where from the idea of the birth of the baby Jesus and Christmas trees originated:

Osiris transforming into the djed pillar (Christmas tree)

The following is a corrected (Ѻ)(Ѻ) Christmas tree:

Osiris is the reason for the season

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Osiris | Tamarisk tree
In Egyptian mythology, the Osiris cult, which was well-established by 3100BC in Egypt, as told in one version (see also: version two) of the Passion of Osiris, Osiris, gets into a heated conflict with his brother Set, after he mistakenly sleeps with Nephthys, his brother’s wife. Set, to get back at his brother, tricks Osiris, during a dinner party, into getting into a trunk, fit precisely to Osiris’ body size. Plutarch, in his On Isis and Osiris (100AD), summarizes this as follows: [3]

“When Osiris came again Typhon [Set] plotted with seventy two comrades, and with Aso, the queen of Ethiopia, to slay him; and secretly got the measure of the body of Osiris, and made ready a fair chest, which was brought into his banqueting hall when Osiris was present together with other guests. By a ruse, Osiris was induced to lie down in the chest, which was immediately closed by Typhon and his fellow conspirators, who conveyed it to the Titanic mouth of the Nile. These things happened on the seventeenth day of the month of Hathor, when Osiris was in the twenty-eighth year either of his reign or of his age.”

Set then threw the chest, similar to that shown below (left) (Ѻ), containing the body of Osiris into Nile, as shown below right: (Ѻ)

Osiris on river

Plutarch, in his On Isis and Osiris (100AD), summarizes this as follows: [4]

“Soon after she learned that the chest had been carried out by the sea to Byblos, where it had been gently laid by the waves among the branches of a tamarisk tree (Ѻ) , which I a very short time had grown to a magnificent size and had enclosed the chest within it’s trunk.”

The following is an artistic rendition, by Hoda Hefzy (Ѻ), of Isis on boat finding the tree of Osiris at Byblos:

Isis finding Osiris (trunk)

The following is an original Egyptian visual of this chest-turned-tree: [4]
Osiris treeOsiris tomb colored

The following, below left, is a modern rendition (Ѻ) of the so-called Osiris evergreen tree; below right is a real (Ѻ) tamarind tree, such as Plutarch might have had in mind when he told (or heard) the Osiris and Isis tale:

Osiris tree (labeled)
Osiris tree (labeled)

The Egyptians, as summarized by Budge (Ѻ), often referred to the divine food of the gods called “tchefau”; this is speculated to have been mushrooms (Ѻ), and or resin-based “manna” (Ѻ), that grew under the evergreen trees, e.g. tamarisk tree (Egypt) or pine tree (Europe).

Djed | Pillar
This chest, containing the body of Osiris, within a tree, according to the Plutarch version (100AD), was found by the king of that country and made into a pillar for the roof of his house; this is summarizes this as follows: [3]

“The King of the country, admiring the tree, cut it down and made a pillar for the roof of his house of that part which contained the body of Osiris.”

This is the origin of the so-called "djed pillar", the four ringed shaped amulet, examples (Ѻ)(Ѻ) of which are shown below (right), which is said to be symbolic of the back bone of the reborn Osiris, as shown below below (left), said to be symbolic of stability:

Djed pillar (backbone)
Djed
The flower-shape of each ring, seams to be symbolic of lotus plant sun god birth origin theory.

Koiak | Month
See main: Khoiak festival
In Egypt, annually, the 30-day period of Dec 10 to Jan 8, the fourth month of the Season of Akhet (Inundation), just as the waters receded to expose silt-covered fields fresh for sowing, was a festival month called the “month of Khoiak (or Koiak)”, the forerunner to the modern Christmas season, each day of which a special holiday event or ritual occurred. [9] The festival of Khoiak was a seed-planting festival of sorts; the gist of which is summarized as follows: [10]

“The festivals of Khoiak are among the best attested from ancient Egypt. They revolve around the myth of the god Osiris, murdered by his brother Seth, and revived by his sister-wife Isis to the point where she could conceive their son Horus. Osiris withdrew to rule the underworld, while Isis protected Horus until he was old enough to avenge his father in battle with Seth, and win the throne.”

Osiris Bed
An example of an "Osiris Bed", aka corn mummy, a mold-shaped container, that was filled with mud and grain (typically barley; or millet or wheat), ranging in size from a few inches to body-sized, that beginning in the New Kingdom (1550BC) began to be put into the tombs of pharaohs. An Osiris Bed found in the tomb of Egyptian courtier Tuya (c.1390BC) (Ѻ) had 8-inch sprouts growing out of it. [11] These Osiris Beds were precursors to the Christmas tree.
In 1550BC, the Osiris rebirth myth became a month-long festival, which involved the making of pottery-like Osiris mold planting beds, examples of which are shown adjacent, that were planted each year; the gist of which is summarized as follows: [10]

“The death and revival of Osiris provide the mythic echo of the annual rebirth of crops. In the ceremony, seeds [barley, millet, wheat (Ѻ)] were sown in earth, which was from the New Kingdom [1550BC] shaped in [corn mummy] moulds to the form of Osiris; the sown earth was watered until the seeds germinated, and then this guarantor of a successful crop was buried.

The timing of the festival in the official year placed it in the fourth month of flood, just as the waters receded to expose silt-covered fields fresh for sowing. The name of the festival was ka-her-ka 'ka upon ka' (or 'sustenance upon sustenance'); it survived into Christian times as the name of the fourth month of the season of flood, rendered in Coptic as Khoiak.”

The following is relate quote:

“The deceased wears an onion necklace to prepare for the solarization of the Sokar-Osiris. A luminous rebirth occurs on the morning of the 26-th day in the month of Khoiak in the hnw-barge, which is protected by the five geese, daughters of Ra, and their barges. The transport of the hnw was organized by the high priest of Ptah in Memphis.”
— Donald Redford (2001), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 3 (Ѻ)

The following shows the timeline “events”, based on known sources, that occurred each day of the month of the Koiak festival; in the Hathor temple (100AD) column, to note, we see Osiris being identified with Sokar (Sekar), the underworld god of Memphis, which, according to Budge (pg.130), occurred sometime after the Pyramid Texts, at an unknown time:

DayModernMedinet Habu
[1150BC]
Koptos Basin
[850BC]
Jumilhac Papyrus
[100BC]
Hathor temple
[100AD]
Budge Summary
[1904]
Christianity
[400AD]

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1
Dec 10[make new Osiris god mould case][make new Osiris god mould case][make new Osiris god mould case][make new Osiris god mould case]

2-11
Dec 11-20





12
Dec 21
watering the moulds
watering the Osiris/relic mouldsthe Festival of the Ploughing of the Earth and the Festival of the Tena were celebrated.
13
Dec 22
watering the moulds
watering the moulds

14
Dec 23
watering the moulds
watering the moulds; new Sokar [Osiris] figure madethe great Festival of Pert
15
Dec 24
watering the moulds
watering the moulds

16
Dec 25
watering the moulds
watering the moulds; anointing the Sokar figure, placed on bierthe Festival of Osiris Khent AmentiChristmas, aka Birth of Jesus, i.e. a new Jesus is born.
17
Dec 26
watering the moulds
watering the moulds

18
Dec 27
watering the moulds
watering the moulds

19
Dec 28
watering the mouldsfinding the head of Osiriswatering the moulds; censing the Sokar figure

20
Dec 29
watering the mouldsfinding the eyes of Osiriswatering the moulds; weaving the shroud

21
Dec 30opening window in Shetayt shrinewatering the mouldsfinding the jaws of OsirisOsiris and relic figures taken out of moulds; cloth woven

22
Dec 31hoeing the earthwatering the mouldsfinding the neck/arm of Osirissearch on the Sacred Lake

23
Jan 1making way in Shetayt shrinewatering the mouldsfinding the innards of Osirisburial preparations

24
Jan 2placing Sokar in their midstprocession of figuresfinding the intestines of Osirisremoval of figures of last yearthe model of the god of the preceding year was taken out from its place and buried suitably, and the new Osiris [corn mummy] was embalmed in the sanctuary
25
Jan 3Netjeryt (tying onion strings in evening)final rites on roof (or 26?)finding the lungs/phallus of Osiris
The new Osiris remained without burial for seven days because of the tradition which declared that the god had remained for seven days in the womb of his mother Nut when she was with child.
26
Jan 4Sokar festival - circling the wallsinal rites on roof (or 25?)finding the thighs/legs of Osiris

27
Jan 5

finding the leg/fingers of Osiris

28
Jan 6

finding the phallus/arm of Osiris

29
Jan 7

finding the heart of Osiris
Eastern Orthodox Christmas, i.e. a new Jesus is made.
30
Jan 8raising the Djed pillar
finding arm/Horus sons; raising the Djed pillarburial of figures; raising the Djed pillar the TetTetwas set up in Tettu [Busiris], because on this day the divine members of OsirisMembers of Osiriswere brought.”

The following is a visual the so-called "raising of Osiris" or raising of Djed pillar ceremony:
Raising of the Djed Ceremony

This thirty-day festival ending in the raising of the djed pillar eventually morphed into the Christmas tree celebration.

Dorothy Murdock (2010) comments how at some point in the Khoiak festival, the Egyptian baby son god Sokar was carried out of the temple on an ark (Ѻ); also that Epiphanius (c.350AD) had his comments about how the Egyptians brought forth a “baby sun born of a virgin at winter solstice” censored.

Busiris
The Egyptian city of Busiris (Greek) or Tettu (Egyptian) were the annual setting up of the Tet (Christmas tree) was performed on the last day of the festival of the Passion of Osiris or month of Khoiak.
Vincent Brown (2002) summarizes this as follows: [4]

“The reconstruction of the body of Osiris occurred at a place called Djedu,in the Delta region of Lower Egypt and it was here that the yearly ceremony of 'Raising the Djed Pillar' took place on the last day of the month of Khoiak, the eve of the agricultural New Year. The next day marked the beginning of the four month long season of Pert, or 'Going Forth' during which the lands rose out of the flood waters allowing the fields to be sown. Djedu was also referred to as Per-Asar-Neb-Djedu, meaning "The House of Osiris - the Lord of Djedu". The Greeks called it Busiris, after the shortened title Per-Asar - "The House of Osiris". Mythologically, the 'Raising of the Djed' symbolised the resurrection of Osiris, and with its annual re-enactment represented the death and renewal of the yearly cycle. Osiris is referred to as "Lord of the Year" in the Pyramid Texts and that he was also the god of agriculture meant that his annual resurrection ensured the stability of the abundance of the next season's crops.”

Below (left), an image (Ѻ) (Ѻ) from Gaston Maspero’s History of Egypt, Volume Six (c.1895), we see a evergreen tree (tamarisk) growing out of the tomb of Osiris, when the story was being popularized in Assyria:
Osiris Christmas tree

Above (right) we see (Ѻ) a 2015 rendition of the djed pillar, decorated Christmas style, made by someone at the TempleOfAnu.com website. Jarid Miller (2010) summarizes things as follows: [5]

“The idolatrous festival was on December 25th. This system began by Osiris and Isis and their son Horus about 3000BC; centuries before the birth of Yahshua [son of Yahweh]. When King Osiris died, his wife Isis claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Osiris. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed Osiris would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of King Osiris reborn as the son, Horus. This was the origin of the Christmas tree. Jeremiah 10:2-4 speaks on the Christmas tree.”

The Jeremiah citation is as follows:

“Learn not the way of the nations,nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavensbecause the nations are dismayed at them,for the customs of the peoples are vanity.A tree from the forest is cut downand worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.They decorate it with silver and gold;they fasten it with hammer and nailsso that it cannot move.”
— Anon (c.500BC), Bible, Jeremiah 10 (Ѻ)

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Tammuz
In 1600BC, the Osiris/Isis rebirth model was reformulated into the story of Tammuz (Osiris) and Inanna (Isis) model: (Ѻ)

“The queen (Semiramis) told the worshippers that when Tammuz (aka Nimrod) was killed … some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.”

Sheryl Karas, in her The Solstice Evergreen (1998), touches on some of this Tammuz tree variant. [20]

Dionysus | Bacchus
The following is a photo, from a c.250AD marble sarcophagus, of the Greek god Dionysus (1600BC), the Greek rescript of Osiris (2800BC), being lifted up as a pine tree, aka "Raising of Dionysus", during the spring festival of the mystery religion: [19]

Raising of Dionysus

The following shows two Greek vases, dated from 600 to 500BC, respectively, wherein Dionysus is shown raised as the Osiris form of Djed pillar:

Dionysus (raised) (labeled)
It was Herodotus (450BC), supposedly, who first equated the Greek god Dionysus with the Egyptian god Osiris. (Ѻ) The early era Romans (100AD) later called Dionysus Bacchus. The later era Romans (400AD) syncretized all of this with the namesake “Jesus”.
Staff of Ptah (labeled)
A 2800BC figure (Ѻ) of the Staff of Ptah, which combines the powers of the "Ankh" or life reviving power of Isis, the "Was Scepter" a symbol of Set tamed, and the Djed Pillar, a symbol of the re-born Osiris, and the son Horus born on Dec 25, from the union of the resurrected Osiris and Isis in act of the black rite.

Attis
In Phrygian mythology, the Attis cult (Ѻ), modeled on the Osiris cult, originating c.1250BC in Turkey, Attis, the Phrygian god of vegetation, worshipped predominately from 500BC to 400AD, who is latter found in Greek mythology (400BC) and in turn Roman mythology (200BC), was worshiped to the effect that on Mar 22 a pine tree was carried into the Temple of Cybele and decorated with flowers and models of Attis. [1]

Attis, one version of the so-called Cybele and Attis myth, returned to life in the form an evergreen tree. [2]

In the mysteries of Attis, according to Christian church father Firmicus Maternus, a youthful image of the god-man Attis was "tied to a pine tree". [19]

In the Roman era, the Christian version of the Easter festival, according to Michael Jordan (1993), took over the date of the Attis rites. [1]

Christianity
In the Roman recension, all of the former evergreen versions of the god Osiris, practiced as Dionysus (Greece), Attis (Phrygia), and Bacchus (Rome), were morphed, by circa 400AD, to the effect that Jesus was "hung on a tree", such as Peter says in the Acts of the Apostles, as does St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians. [19]

In later years, c.1500AD, Osiris, who originally was the Orion constellation, riding on his star barque, became Santa Claus, who road his sleigh around the earth in 24 hours delivering presents, the sleigh symbolic, supposedly, of the Big Dipper, which in Egypt seemed to go around the north star in 24 hours in December nights, who left presents under the Christmas tree:

Osiris Santa 2

Therein, Horus born on Dec 25, the immaculate son of Osiris, became the baby Jesus born on Dec 25 in a manger.

In the Bible, in Genesis 21:33 (Ѻ), Abraham, in coded speak, is described as having planted a tamarind tree, which is said to parallel the tree of life (Ѻ) in some way.

Gadalla (1997)
Moustafa Gadalla's 1997 description of the Osiris tamarind tree trunk as the original "Christmas tree". [7]
Gadalla
In 1997, Egyptian-American Egyptologist and civil engineer Moustafa Gadalla (1944-), in his The Ancient Egyptian Roots of Christianity, summarized the tamarisk tree and Christmas tree connection as follows: [7]

“The story continues that the coffin of Ausar (Osiris) was swept by the waves to the shoreline of a foreign land. A tree sprang up and grew around it, enclosing the body of Ausar in its trunk. The tree grew large, beautiful, and fragrant. [See an Ancient Egyptian temple depiction below.] News of this magnificent tree came to the king of this alien land, who ordered that the tree be cut down, and its trunk brought to him. He utilized the trunk as a pillar in his house without knowing the great secret it contained within. This is reference to the Tree of Life, and with all that that implies. It is also a reference to the Tet (Djed) pillar of Ausar (Osiris). In Christianity, this became the Christmas tree.”

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Arthur | Santa-ology
In 2000, religio-mythologist James Arthur, in his Mushrooms and Mankind, outlines the subject he defines as “Santa-ology” or “Santa-ism”, wherein he asserts the following: [8]

“Today's Santa Claus is a metamorphosis of many older mythologies, including Thor or Donner (German Donar) who wears red and rides in a Golden Flying Chariot pulled by two Goats (Cracker and Gnasher). In a sense, these goats were the ancestors to the now popular reindeer. What would the red and gold clad angel be doing with that nice basket? An Easter basket at Christmas is an interesting concept.

The icons, symbols, and relics that have managed to survive from the "Winter Solstice" celebrations of old, have a commonality that deserves some reflection, study, and perhaps even some reverence. Understanding that these traditions are borrowed ones, is central to getting at the heart of the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is commonly thought of as a Christian holiday (the birth of Jesus). Many Christian beliefs and traditions were borrowed from more ancient religions and mythologies. This is well documented by authors such as Gerald Massey, Godfrey Higgins, Robert Graves, Kersey Graves, and many others. The virgin birth, the incarnation of god, the sacrament, Christmas, Easter, etc. have all been adopted/stolen by Christianity as its own.”

Arthur, in continuation, comments on umbrella term ‘Pagan’ as follow:

“It is well documented by fundamentalists (apologists) that the Christmas traditions are Pagan in origin. This simply means that their origin comes from the traditions of the country-folk (pagan). By contrast, the Pagan origins of most of the other attributes of Christianity are vigorously denied. It is also very easy to obscure, overlook and discredit the Egyptian, Mithraic, Germanic, Norse, Celtic, Greek, Hindu and Buddhist roots by lumping all non-Christian religions together and labeling them ‘Pagan’. These are certainly not simple country-folk religions. So to just say Christmas has Pagan roots, and not go further, is glossing over what exactly those roots are, and discrediting their study as worthless. Christmas icons, traditions and stories have hidden meanings. Although not initially apparent, a more thorough investigation reveals far more symbolic content (which is decipherable) than originally suspected. At the roots of this symbolism research is information about the secrets of the mushroom, regarding its habitats, forms, uses, preparations, and effects.”

Arthur continues:

“Shaman of Siberia and the Russian icon, St. Nicholas, both play parts in the tale of Christmas, providing clues as to where Christmas came from and why there are certain symbols associated with the holiday. It is these types of clues that will help (the questors) in the deciphering of the symbols. Siberian Shaman used/use (despite governmental oppression) the Amanita muscaria as a religious sacrament. It is used for spiritual vision, out-of-body travel into the realms of the spirits, and as a plant-spirit guide in teaching and healing. The value of the inebriant is placed highly among the commodities of the native tribesmen, fetching reindeer pelts, meats, and all manner of tradable goods in payment and barter. Interesting to note: If you aren't quick enough in the hunt, you will find only the mushroom stubs, the rest greedily gobbled up by the hungry reindeer.

The ancient shamanic use of Amanita muscaria in Siberia is well documented. Despite governmental oppression against its use, there are still many who refuse to accept the authorized state religion, and continue the shamanic traditions in secret. Just as the Siberian shaman (commonly dressing in red and white) would enter through the opening in the roof of a home where a ritual was to be done, Santa Claus also arrives on the roof and enters through the chimney. Just as the shamans would gather the mushrooms in bags which they would bring with them when performing a ceremony, Santa Claus also (on the Holy Day) brings presents in a bag. The Santa Claus we see today evolved from traditions developed in Germany. It is fairly common knowledge that the Weihnachtsmann (St. Nick) was an amalgamation of older Germanic/Norse gods such as Thor, Donner, Odin and Wotan. What's missing here is just as Santa flies through the skies in his sleigh, Odin (as well as the rest) rode through the sky in his chariot, which is depicted in the stars by "The Big Dipper". The Big Dipper is the chariot of Odin & Wotan, Thor, King Arthur, and even Osiris (of Egypt). The chariot that circles the North Star in a 24-hour period is thus also known as the sleigh of Santa Claus because it circles his mythological home, the North Pole. It is no surprise that Nordic/Germanic gods have connection to mushrooms in their mythology. As Thor throws his mushroom-shaped hammer to the ground, mighty thunders and lightning cracks cause the real mushroom(s) to appear. As the horses pulling Odin through the sky in his chariot become over-exerted, their blood-mingled spit falls to the ground and causes the Amanita mushrooms to grow at those exact points.”

This “Big Dipper” equals chariot of Odin, sleight of Santa, may be off, being that the star boat (solar barque) of Osiris was the Orion constellation, as is well-established, and the “Big Dipper” has to do with the opening of the mouth. Author continues:

“The Osiris mythology has even more to add to this. To the Egyptians; South was up (North). Osiris was the lord of the underworld, the South, (South=down) which is why he circles the sky in the furthest possible lower (southern) area. Not only did Osiris ride the sky in a chariot, but after his death Isis found that an evergreen (Cedar) had grown overnight from a dead stump to full-sized (this also relates to the Djed pillar); which was understood as a sign of Osiris' rebirth and immortality. Interestingly, the traditional birth of Osiris is the 25th of December. The 25th of December was also celebrated annually by putting presents around the Cedar tree. This tradition is at least five thousand years old. The birth of Horus to the goddess-virgin-mother, Isis, is perhaps the eldest representation of the goddess/son mythology, yet it is impossible to know this or the real age of the Astro-theological-Virgo-giving-birth-to-the-child/god/star mythology for sure. However, it is the oldest source I have found; it is very old.

Drying the mushrooms was/is a necessary procedure typically accomplished by stringing them up (like popcorn) and hanging them above the hearth of the fireplace. shamans and lay people alike, would gather and dry them. They gather all they can since they are a valuable commodity. Reindeer (native to Siberia) are known to be quite fond of eating these mushrooms. The mythology of flying Reindeer reflects the supposed pharmacological effects of such a meal.

It is important to point out that this Christmas/Winter Solstice celebration, with all its various counterparts, transcends the world's religions. The reason that this celebration is held all over the planet in various forms may have something to do with this other commonality at which we are looking; it is certainly entwined in the symbolism.”

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Quotes
The following are related quotes:

“To return to ancient Egypt, there is evidence that the great Osiris was originally a tree-god. According to Egyptian mythology, after he had been murdered his coffin was discovered enclosed in a tree-trunk, and he is spoken of in the inscriptions as ‘the one in the tree’, the ‘solitary one in the acacia’. The rites, too, by which his death and burial were annually celebrated appear to couple him closely with Tammuz, Adonis, Attis, Dionysus, and other gods whose worship was associated with a similar ritual.' Frazer, following Mannhardt; contends that all these deities were tree-gods, and that the ceremonial connected with their worship was symbolic of the annual death and revival of vegetation.”
— J.H. Philpot (1897), The Sacred Tree: the Tree in Religion and Myth (pg. 11)

“The Christmas tree is traced to the Roman Saturnalia. It is distinctly described by Virgil [c.30BC] with its suspended toys and images: ‘the farmers of Ansonia, a Race sent forth from Troy, in uncouth verse and unchecked laughter play and put on hideous vizards wrought of hollowed bark, and sing thee, O Bacchus, with joyful hymns, and in thy honor hang from the tall pine waving masks to thee’.”
— Lewis Burdick (1912), “Primary Economical and Political Significance of Our Christmas Anniversary” [21]

“The fruit of Hathor's tree in its human form was Osiris, whose corpse was scattered like the seeds [see: crucifixion] after he had been persuaded to enter a chest – the cave or tomb of earth ... Perhaps it is not too fanciful to see a survival of this conception in the Fairy Queen above the lighted Christmas tree.”
— Gertrude Levy (1963), Religious Conceptions of the Stone Age: and Their Influence on European Thought (pg. 121)

“The Decorated Cedar Djed Pillar ... In 1969, while visiting a temple of Seti in Upper Egypt, we were told by the keeper that Osiris ... Today we find little spiritual enchantment in setting up a cut Christmas tree or decorating it with ribbons and lights.”
— Author (1975), “A Christmas Legend” (Ѻ), Rosicrucian Digest, 53:31.

“Christmas & Christmas tree go back to ancient times to Egyptian civilization. In Egypt, it was believed that the husband of Isis, the ‘Queen of Heaven’ – King Osiris of Egypt, was born on December 25th. After the untimely death of the king After the untimely death of the king Osiris, his wife Isis, propagated the doctrine of the survival of Osiris as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead King. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Osiris would visit the evergreen tree and leaves gifts upon it. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.”
— Author (1990), “Article” (pg. 9), Hindu Vishva, 26

“Osiris remained in the box in the tamarisk tree for three days and three nights, but on the third day he rose and ascended into heaven at the time corresponding to the feast of Christmas. The lowest point of the sun at the winter solstice was on 22 Dec was believed to coincide with the death of Osiris, his resurrection or rebirth becoming a reality three days later, on the 25 December.”
— Murry Hope (1996), The Sirius Connection: Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Egypt (pg. 72)

“The [Osiris] story continues that the coffin of Ausar [Osiris] was swept by the waves to the shoreline of a foreign land. A [tamarisk] tree sprang up and grew around it, enclosing the body of Ausar [Osiris] in its trunk. The tree grew large, beautiful, and fragrant. News of this magnificent tree came to the king of this alien land, who ordered that the tree be cut down, and its trunk brought to him. He utilized the trunk as a pillar [djed pillar] in his house without knowing the great secret it contained within. This is reference to the ‘tree of life’, and with all that that implies. It is also a reference to the Tet (Djed) pillar of Ausar (Osiris). In Christianity, this became the Christmas tree.”
— Moustafa Gadalla (1997), The Egyptian Roots of Christianity (pg. 105)

“The origin of Christmas as the festival of the Nativity dates far before our Christian era. The cult of Mithra, the unconquered Sun, celebrated the beginning of his ascension and the return of life on December 23 (the winter solstice). The custom became established little by little, among the Eastern Christians, of celebrating it on January 6. It wasn't until the fourth century that the Western Church moved the date back to December 25 to replace the pagan feast of the birth of the Sun, whose cult was formally condemned by Pope Leo the Great (ninth century). Thus, the Christian ritual of the Divine Nativity also rejoined the Egyptian ritual, the Feast of Khoiak, which on the same day celebrated the resurrection of Osiris, that is, his reanimation by the solar light. Osiris, Neter of Nature, is the principle of perpetuity—that is, of the cycles which are continually renewed. He is the vital Principle, which in all of dualized Nature is perpetually being born, vegetating, growing, dying, and being reborn. That's why we find in certain tombs of Osiris the silhouette of a conifer whose symbol makes this tree the ancestor of our Christmas tree. Its trunk is replaced by the djed of Osiris, his spinal column, to which the four physical elements give stability. The Osirian world is that of earthly existence. What links our Christmas tree to the tree of Osiris is that both are illuminated by the awakening of the new fire. This fire is manifested in the star of the Magi on January 6, Epiphany. On this date, the sun, crossing the apsis, starts to prolong the day, and the mornings and the evenings are lengthened. That's why we have the tradition of keeping the Christmas lights until this date. Christmas-Khoiak is the instant when the fire of the seed, buried at Saint-Michel, has conquered the infernal dragon and reanimated the germ of the seed of Osiris is resuscitated with the sun.”
— Sharon Seivert (2001), The Balancing Act (pg. 304)

“In the Hittite legend of the missing fertility god, Telepinu, and evergreen tree asherah was set up before him and decked with gifts and this idea of decorating the object seems to have been the convention in much of the Near East.”
Michael Jordan (2001), The Historical Mary (pg. 25)

“The idolatrous festival was on December 25th. This system began by Osiris and Isis and their son Horus about 3000BC; centuries before the birth of Yahshua [son of Yahweh]. When King Osiris died, his wife Isis claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Osiris. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed Osiris would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of King Osiris reborn as the son, Horus. This was the origin of the Christmas tree.”
— Jarid Miller (2010), Yahshua, the Man behind the Glory (pg. 24)

“That we celebrate Dec 25th, based on the fact that three stars of Orion’s belt, aka “three kings”, align with the star Sirius, to point out the position of the rising sun, following the winter solstice, i.e. day of least amount of sunlight hours of the year, following the apparent “death” of the sun three days earlier, on the cross, i.e. “southern crux” star constellation, which originated with the celebration of the 3100BC (4850BG) birthday of Ra in the temples on Dec 25, wherein, of note, the Egyptians put pine trees in temples (origin of Christmas tree tradition), which was remolded into the story of the birth of Osiris (2800BC), then Horus (1800BC), then Jesus (300AD), with such joyous ignorance, has us “marching backwards into 20th century”, as the saying goes, or 49th century (BG), as we would see it.”
Libb Thims (2014), “Jesus ‘Jehovah’ of Nazareth’s IQ” (Ѻ), Hmolpedia Thread (#21), Dec 25

References
1. Jordan, Michael. (1993). Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2,500 Deities of the World (pg. 33). Facts on File, Inc.
2. (a) Nash, Ronald. (2009). “Was the New Testament Influenced by Pagan Religions” (Ѻ), Creation Research Institute, Apr 7.
(b) Strobel, Lee. (2016). In Defense of Jesus: Investigating Attacks on the Identity of Crist (pg. #). Harper Collins.
3. Plutarch (100AD). “On Isis and Osiris”; Publisher; in: Wallis Budge's Papyrus of Ani (pg. xlviii) (Ѻ). Publisher, 1895.
4. Djed – PyramidOfMan.com.
5. Miller, Jarid. (2010). Yahshua, the Man behind the Glory (pg. 24). Xlibris Corporation.
6. Budge, Wallis. (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians, Volume Two (Tet set up in Busiris, pg. 129). Dover, 1969.
7. (a) Gadalla, Moustafa. (1997). The Ancient Egyptian Roots of Christianity (Tut-Ankh-Amen: the Living Image of the Lord) (Christmas Tree, pg. 105). Tehuti Research Foundation, 2007.
(b) Gadalla, Moustafa. (c.2015). “Ancient Egyptian/Christian Holy Families” (Ѻ), Egypt-tehuti.org.
8. Arthur, James. (2000). Mushrooms and Mankind: The Impact of Mushrooms on Human Consciousness and Religion (pgs. 11-13) (Ѻ). Book Tree.
9. Koiak – Wikipedia.
10. Festivals of Khoiak – University College London.
11. Osiris Bed – Encyclopedia of Egyptian Mythology Wiki.
12. Festivals of Khoiak – University College London.
13. (a) Festivals of Khoiak – University College London.
(b) Festivals of Khoiak – University College London.
(c) Budge, Wallis. (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians, Volume Two (Khoiak month, pg. 128-29). Dover, 1969.
14. (a) Budge, Wallis. (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians, Volume Two (Persea tree, pg. 136). Dover, 1969.
(b) Budge, Wallis. (1911). A Hieroglyphic Vocabulary: to the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead (ashet, pg. 65). Routledge, 2014.
15. (a) Darby, William J. Ghalioungui, Paul, and Grivetti, Louis. (1977). Food: the Gift of Osiris, Volume One. Academic Press.
(b) Darby, William J., Ghalioungui, Paul, and Grivetti, Louis. (1977). Food: the Gift of Osiris, Volume Two. Academic Press.
(c) Schroeder, C.A. (1977). “The Persia Tree of Egypt” (pdf), California Avocado Society, Yearbook, 61:59-63.
(d) Persea – Encyclopedia of Egyptian Mythology.
16. Anon. (2013). “The Tree of Life in Ancient Egypt” (Ѻ), Everything’s Connected, WordPress, Jun 15.
17. (a) Wiedemann, Alfred. (1878). “Article”, Aewg. Zeit (pg. 93).
(b) Wiedemann, Alfred. (1897). Religion of the Ancient Egyptians (bennu, pg. 193). Publisher.
18. (a) Wiedemann, Alfred. (1878). “Article”, Aewg. Zeit (pg. 93).
(b) Wiedemann, Alfred. (1897). Religion of the Ancient Egyptians (bennu, pg. 193). Publisher.
(b) Budge, Wallis. (1904). The Gods of the Egyptians, Volume Two (Persea tree, pg. 97). Dover, 1969.
19. Freke, Timothy and Gandy, Peter. (1999). The Jesus Mysteries: Was the Original Jesus a Pagan God? (Attis, pg. 50; Jesus "hung on a tree", pg. 50; Dionysus raising image, pgs. 152-53). Ten Speed, 2001.
20. Karas, Sheryl. (1998). The Solstice Evergreen: History, Folklore, and the Origins of the Christmas Tree. Author’s Choice Publishing.
21. Burdick, Lewis D. (1912). “Primary Economical and Political Significance of Our Christmas Anniversary” (Ѻ), Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette, 28:701-02.

Further reading
● Flynn, Tom. (1993). The Trouble with Christmas (Osiris, pgs. 55-57; Egypt, 6+ pgs; tree, 51+ pgs). Prometheus Books.

External links
Christmas Tree – Wikipedia.

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