Books & Poetry

Uncover the darker side of Christmas with our ancestors’ scariest seasonal traditions

With October long gone and high streets already ablaze with Christmas tat, Halloween spooks may seem far behind us. But perhaps that’s to misunderstand the nature of the coming season: a festival of light that apparently has darkness - and a swarm of terrifying monsters - at its heart. For much of European history, writes Sarah Clegg, midwinter revelry was underpinned by menace and The Dead of Winter offers an entertaining guide to some of our ancestors’ scariest seasonal traditions.