A Christmas ham, pork meat or Yule ham is a traditional ham dish associated with modern Christmas, Yule tide and Fennoscandian Jul. 

The tradition is suggested to have begun among the Germanic peoples as a tribute to god Freyr, a god in Germanic Paganism associated with boars (wild pigs) harvest and fertility. The eating of pork meat on Yule tide (Christmas) was considered to be a way to imbue people with the traits of a pig, liken unto the characteristics of god Freyr. 


It was later popularized by the Catholic Church as a test of truthful conversion from Judaism. Christians were forced to renounce the Jewish Jesus, to symbolize their faithfulness to this conversion, they had to show it through the eating of a Yule boar (pig ham) prepared for Christmas. 

Backsliding Marranos would decline to eat the Christmas ham, while authentic converts could enjoy the pig meat. 

In ancient Norse tradition] sacrifice carried the intent of imploring Freyr to show favor to the new year. The boar’s head with apple in mouth was carried into the banquet hall on a gold or silver dish to the sounds of trumpets and the songs of minstrels.”