The shrouds of time are pretty good at hiding things. This fun post seeks reasonable explanations:
The
traditional culture of those early Finns, known as the Sámi, was shamanistic.
They believed that the Amanita
muscaria that brought the reindeer its sustenance also brought
wisdom to humans. At the time of the celebration of the Winter Solstice, the
Sámi’s shamans would consume the drug and then visit prominent Sámi households
to pass along the insights that they achieved through their hallucinogenic
trips. In honor of the mushroom, they would dress in its likeness, in a red and
white costume. The Sámi lived in yurts, which, at that time of the year, were
often snowed in. So, the shamans would often pop in through the hole in the
roof that served as the yurt’s chimney, bearing the gifts of their
psychedelically inspired wisdom.
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