Pagan echoes: Saturnalia and topsy-turvy customs

Danny and Derek welcome back to the podcast Eleanor Janega, medieval historian, author, and broadcaster, to get down to brass tacks: What is Christmas? They discuss its practice in early and medieval Christian societies, mummers’ plays and gambling, Saint Nicholas providing dowries and resurrecting boys killed for their meat, the post-Reformation treatment of Christmas, and more.

Grab a copy of Eleanor’s book The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society.