Christmas is a sexy time of year. Having said that, I admit, watching aged relatives lapse into a post-turkey stupor, roused only by intermittent bursts of sprout-fuelled flatulence, is a less-than-erotic scene. But, there is something undeniably sensual about the long winter nights, warm fires, mulled wine, and Die Hard repeats on TV. And what’s more, science can back me up on this one.
The scientists believe all this festive frolicking is down to the simple fact that we are generally in a better mood at this time of year. No other holiday in our calendar was found to have quite the rousing effect that Christmas does – not even Valentine’s Day."You could try the Belarusian method of lining single women up on Christmas Day, placing piles of corn at their feet, and then let a cockerel loose"
The post-turkey stupor, as described by the author. Photo: Gareth Williams, via Flickr
The characteristic white berries of mistletoe. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Evidence of Czech shoe-tossing in Prague (more public than a gentle shoe toss in the comfort of one's own home). Photo via Libreshot
A particularly hearty serving of risgrynsgröt. Photo: underthesun, via Flickr
Boas doesn’t give anymore detail than this, so sex is only implied, but it certainly sounds more fun than midnight mass and game of charades. As the Christian missionaries put the nutcrackers on the more carnal aspects of Quviasukvik celebrations, the tradition of swapping partners was the first thing to go. Today, Christmas in the Arctic looks a great deal like it does everywhere else, but with less swinging and more snow.I could go on – believe me, I really could. Christmas fertility rites and love magic can be found in almost every culture that celebrates the winter solstice (which is most of them). The longest night of the year marks the return to spring, and the renewal of life. It’s no wonder we all start to feel a little frisky. Although most of our more overt fertility Christmas rituals have now been watered down into cute games, decorations, and festive food, make no mistake – Christmas is the sexiest time of the year. Now where’s that cockerel?Dr. Kate Lister is a sex historian, author and lecturer at Leeds Trinity University. She also runs the blog Whores of Yore. Keep up with her on Twitter.‘The [shaman] solemnly leads the men to a suitable spot and set them in a row, and the women in another opposite them. They match the men and women in pairs… where for the following day and night they live as man and wife (nulianititijung). Having performed this duty, the [shaman] stride down to the shore and invoke the good north wind, which brings fair weather, while they warn off the unfavourable south wind’.