{"product_id":"clegg-sarah-the-dead-of-winter","title":"Clegg, Sarah - The Dead of Winter","description":"Discover the\ndark side of Christmas in this fascinating exploration of\nthe strange folk tales and arcane traditions still haunt\nwinter and the festive season to this day.\nA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK\nAs winter comes and the hours of darkness overtake the light, we seek out\nwarmth, good food, and good company. But beneath the jollity and bright enchantment\nof the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found\nexpression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions and\nlore.\nHere, Sarah Clegg takes us on a journey through midwinter to explore the\nlesser-known Christmas traditions, from English mummers plays and Austrian\nKrampus runs, to modern pagan rituals at Stonehenge and the night in\nFinland when a young girl is crowned with candles as St Lucy - a martyred\nChristian girl who also appears as a witch leading a procession of the dead. At\nwassails and hoodenings and winter gatherings, attended by ghastly, grinning\nhorses, snatching monsters and mysterious visitors, we discover how these\ntraditions originated and how they changed through the centuries, and we ask\nourselves: if we can't keep the darkness entirely at bay, might it be fun to\nlet a little in?","brand":"Granta Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback Book","offer_id":50585966674198,"sku":"RMX-56937","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0839\/7750\/2998\/files\/167b22aaa6d9c1b76fac1b0506b1c949.jpg?v=1759933317","url":"https:\/\/resident-music-uk.myshopify.com\/products\/clegg-sarah-the-dead-of-winter","provider":"Resident Music UK","version":"1.0","type":"link"}