Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lords Of Misrule | 20241223 | 20241224 (R4) |  When we think about Christmas, we probably picture mangers, glowing fireplaces, carol singers and snow-covered hills. But behind all this, there's something much darker lurking in the shadows. In her new book, The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg peels back the wrapping paper of modern Christmas to reveal the creepy creatures and customs hiding underneath. Beyond the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions. Cambridge-trained historian Sarah delves deep into the folklore of the Christmas season in Europe, detailing the way its terrifying past continues to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st Century. She experiences many of these traditions first-hand joining wassailing celebrations in Wales and attempting a Swedish Year Walk. She also explores the tension between darkness and light that lies at the heart of winter celebrations and argues that we need both the comforting glow of the hearth and the thrilling chill of ghost stories. Today, Sarah introduces us to some of the ghastly and ghoulish creatures from ancient European Christmas folklore. Reader: Fenella Woolgar Producer: Pippa Vaughan Abridger: Elizabeth Burke Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Historian Sarah Clegg introduces the ghoulish creatures from ancient winter folklore. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Today, a custom where servants became masters for a day allowed a release of societal tensions that might otherwise have exploded. |
| 02 | Monstrous Visitors | 20241224 | When we think about Christmas, we probably picture mangers, glowing fireplaces, carol singers and snow-covered hills. But behind all this, there's something much darker lurking in the shadows. In her new book, The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg peels back the wrapping paper of modern Christmas to reveal the creepy creatures and customs hiding underneath. Beyond the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions. Cambridge-trained historian Sarah delves deep into the folklore of the Christmas season in Europe, detailing the way its terrifying past continues to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st Century. She experiences many of these traditions first-hand joining wassailing celebrations in Wales and attempting a Swedish Year Walk. She also explores the tension between darkness and light that lies at the heart of winter celebrations and argues that we need both the comforting glow of the hearth and the thrilling chill of ghost stories. Today, Sarah investigates monsters, following some dark traditions from early December, and sees how they mingle with - and sometimes clash against - more familiar Christmas customs. Reader: Fenella Woolgar Producer: Pippa Vaughan Abridger: Elizabeth Burke Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 We're taken on a hunt as dancing and revelling Christmas monsters go house-to-house. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Beyond our modern Christmas, Sarah Clegg embraces a more complex understanding of the season, describing monstrous creatures that have haunted our winters for centuries. | |
| 03 | Horse Skulls And Hoodenings | 20241225 | 20241226 (R4) | When we think about Christmas, we probably picture mangers, glowing fireplaces, carol singers and snow-covered hills. But behind all this, there's something much darker lurking in the shadows. In her new book, The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg peels back the wrapping paper of modern Christmas to reveal the creepy creatures and customs hiding underneath. Beyond the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions. Cambridge-trained historian Sarah delves deep into the folklore of the Christmas season in Europe, detailing the way its terrifying past continues to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st Century. She experiences many of these traditions first-hand joining wassailing celebrations in Wales and attempting a Swedish Year Walk. She also explores the tension between darkness and light that lies at the heart of winter celebrations and argues that we need both the comforting glow of the hearth and the thrilling chill of ghost stories. Today we're introduced to the Mari Lwyd, a ghostly, ghastly horse skull that goes door-to-door in Wales. Reader: Fenella Woolgar Producer: Pippa Vaughan Abridger: Elizabeth Burke Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Haunting 'Hoodenings' and horrible happenings with horses' heads. And people. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Sarah Clegg explains how some ancient midwinter festivals became Christmas traditions. Today wassails, hoodenings and a ghostly horse skull that goes door-to-door in Wales. |
| 04 | Punishing The Wicked | 20241226 | 20241227 (R4) | When we think about Christmas, we probably picture mangers, glowing fireplaces, carol singers and snow-covered hills. But behind all this, there's something much darker lurking in the shadows. In her new book, The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg peels back the wrapping paper of modern Christmas to reveal the creepy creatures and customs hiding underneath. Beyond the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions. Cambridge-trained historian Sarah delves deep into the folklore of the Christmas season in Europe, detailing the way its terrifying past continues to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st Century. She experiences many of these traditions first-hand joining wassailing celebrations in Wales and attempting a Swedish Year Walk. She also explores the tension between darkness and light that lies at the heart of winter celebrations and argues that we need both the comforting glow of the hearth and the thrilling chill of ghost stories. And so, lurking in the shadows of our Christmas cheer are these darker, older traditions – like the Krampus runs in Austria that we hear about in today's episode – performed by looming, terrifying super-sized revellers with curling horns and hideous masks. Reader: Fenella Woolgar Producer: Pippa Vaughan Abridger: Elizabeth Burke Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 We encounter the terrifying Krampus performers who roam the Christmas streets of Salzburg. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Lurking in the night's shadows of Sarah Clegg's whirlwind tour of Europe's weirdest winter traditions, we meet Krampus, the horned devil who punishes naughty children in Austria. |
| 05 | The Christmas Witches | 20241227 | 20241228 (R4) | When we think about Christmas, we probably picture mangers, glowing fireplaces, carol singers and snow-covered hills. But behind all this, there's something much darker lurking in the shadows. In her new book, The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg peels back the wrapping paper of modern Christmas to reveal the creepy creatures and customs hiding underneath. Beyond the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions. Cambridge-trained historian Sarah delves deep into the folklore of the Christmas season in Europe, detailing the way its terrifying past continues to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st Century. She experiences many of these traditions first-hand joining wassailing celebrations in Wales and attempting a Swedish Year Walk. She also explores the tension between darkness and light that lies at the heart of winter celebrations and argues that we need both the comforting glow of the hearth and the thrilling chill of ghost stories. In this episode, mingling with the candle-crowned young witches of Finland's St. Lucy Festival, the author captures the revelry at the heart of the winter madness. Reader: Fenella Woolgar Producer: Pippa Vaughan Abridger: Elizabeth Burke Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 We follow a procession of the candle-crowned young witches of Finland's St. Lucy Festival. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Sarah Clegg joins the December crowds in Finland when a girl is crowned with candles as St Lucy, a Christian martyr who also appears as a witch leading a procession of the dead. |