Christmas looked at in a new light: not just a Christian holiday, but a midwinter festival shaped by ancient rituals of darkness, light and rebirth. Professor Diane Purkiss, a historian of English witchcraft and fairy lore at the University of Oxford, traces the lesser-known stories behind the season, from St Lucy and the winter solstice to the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Sol Invictus.
The talk also looks at Christmas's shadowier figures, including fairies, demons and witches, and at the forgotten darker side of Father Christmas. It ends with Twelfth Night and the old tales of the Wild Hunt over Britain, for an evening where light and darkness meet.
