Christmas. Yule. Kwanzaa. Why do we, as humans, insist on throwing a winter festival...whether its religious or not.

The answer is actually pretty obvious...yes, they are to cheer us up when nights are long and there is snow on the ground.

(Australia has to be weird, with the main winter festival on the beach).

So, what did our ancestors do for their winter festivals? Are they a basic fact of human existence in colder climates?

Let's look at some of the winter festivals of the past.