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Numerous Christmas customs have origins that predate the holiday itself. The Celts and Gaels celebrated the winter solstice by burning 'Yule logs,' and the tradition of adorning homes with evergreens for winter predates Christianity. While ham at Christmas may seem unquestionable, even this tradition has ties to pagan practices.
Although ham may not be as intrinsically linked to Christmas as turkey is to Thanksgiving, it remains the quintessential holiday meat (especially since peacock and goose fell out of favor). The honey-baked and spiral-sliced ham is a modern addition to the feast, but pork has been a fixture in wintertime banquets for centuries.
According to Wane.com, wild boar might have been the predecessor to the Christmas ham. The Norse associated the boar with Freyr—the god of fertility and good fortune—and offered it as a sacrifice to earn his favor. Germanic pagans incorporated hunting wild game and feasting into their Yuletide celebrations, marking the sun’s return.
In the 4th century CE, early Christians sought a way to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the winter solstice proved to be the perfect occasion. It was already a time for feasting in much of Europe. Rather than completely replacing the Germanic Yuletide with Roman Saturnalia, Christians adapted these existing celebrations to suit their new faith.
While the boar survived the shift to Christmas traditions, it was no longer a sacrifice to Freyr. Instead, it became linked to St. Stephen, whose feast day falls on December 26. The boar’s head was a prominent feature of Christmas feasts during the Middle Ages. Some traditional recipes even called for rubbing the pig with lard and ash to mimic the animal’s dark fur.
Don’t be misled by the addition of canned fruit—ham remains a classic dish at winter feasts. When you sit down to your Christmas dinner, take a moment to appreciate that you didn’t have to make the sacrifice yourself (and that you’re enjoying its leg rather than its head).
