Celebrating Easter, Christmas and their associated alien fauna
Lauritsen, M; Allen, R; Alves, JM; et al.Ameen, C; Fowler, T; Irving-Pease, E; Larson, G; Murphey, LJ; Outram, AK; Pilgrim, E; Shaw, PA; Sykes, N
Date: 1 October 2018
Article
Journal
World Archaeology
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Easter and Christmas are the most important events in the Christian calendar. Despite their global
reach and cultural significance astonishingly little is known about the festivals’ genesis. Equally
obscure is our understanding of the animals that have come to be associated with these celebrations
– notably the Christmas Turkey and ...
Easter and Christmas are the most important events in the Christian calendar. Despite their global
reach and cultural significance astonishingly little is known about the festivals’ genesis. Equally
obscure is our understanding of the animals that have come to be associated with these celebrations
– notably the Christmas Turkey and the Easter ‘Bunny’ (brown hare and the European rabbit). Like
Christianity, none of these animals are native to Britain and the timing and circumstances of their
arrivals are poorly understood, often obfuscated by received wisdom. This paper firstly refines the
bio-cultural histories of the species that, in contemporary Britain, form integral parts of Easter and
Christmas festivities. Secondly, we celebrate the non-native species which have played such an
important role in the creation of Britain’s cultural heritage.
Archaeology and History
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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