Thanksgiving is just on day after tomorrow. I think everyone has finished preparations for it. I have completed my invitations and decorations. Actually there is not much to decorate on Thanksgiving day. Just the usual Autumn flowers in a vase and using the Thanksgiving special card holders and mats. There is hardly any myth associated with any flower, tree or shrub on Thanksgiving. Whereas in Christmas, I don't know how many myths and legends are there about different plants. The most famous plant associated with Christmas is perhaps the mistletoe. Hanging of a artificial mistletoe bunch at the door or at the room is a common scene in Christmas.
The most popular custom around this plant is to exchange kiss by a man and a woman that signifies their marriage in the near future and life long happiness. This event can b e traced back to the old Greek Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was believed to be the plant of peace under which the enemies made peace and the quarreling couples kissed and made up. In the eighteenth century the English started the custom of creating a mistletoe ball under which a young lady cannot refuse to be kissed. Such kiss would mean deep love and everlasting friendship.
Even before getting associated with Christmas, mistletoe has been considered as a sacred and magical tree by the Greeks and other Europeans. In the medieval age, people used to hang mistletoe on the ceiling with this believe that it would keep away the evil spirits. Even the Europeans used to put it before the doors having such belief. It is quiet clear the association of Mistletoe with Christmas has roots in the Pagan rites and rituals. The mistletoe has number of other legends and folklores, but that is to be discussed later.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Legends about Mistletoe
Mistletoe - some more facts & funny Christmas video
As I have promised I am here with some more information on mistletoe.
The plant itself is an interesting plant to the botanist for study. It is an partially parasitic as it grows on branches and trunks of other trees , but it can also make it's own food through photosynthesis. There are two types of mistletoe- while one type is the native of North America and are mainly used for Christmas decorations, the other type is European in origin with looks like green shrub with yellow, white flowers and berries that are said to be poisonous.
The Greeks and the Europeans considered mistletoe, specially those which grew on oak trees as sacred and magical. Most of us perhaps heard about the myths that the Druids in Britain believed. They considered mistletoe to be the miracle plant giving fertility and life to man and animals. After the winter solstice, on the sixth after the new moon, the Druid priest would cut the mistletoe from the oak tree with a golden sickle and would place it on a white cloth. A ceremony followed where two bulls were sacrificed and prayers were said for the well being of the mistletoe receivers.
Then there was the legend among the Viking people about Balder, the god of the summer son. Once Balder had a dream that he would die. His mother , Frigga was panic stricken and asked sky, air, water, animals and plants not to kill her son. But Balder's enemy Loki found that Mistletoe is not a plant as such as it has no root inside the ground. So he made a poisoned dart with the plant and made Balder's blind brother to shoot at Balder. When all the elements failed to bring back life to Balder, Frigga's tears changed the red mistletoe berries to white, restoring life to her son. Frigga then changed the bad reputation of the mistletoe and kissed everyone who worked underneath the mistletoe as a mark of her gratitude.
I have found a funny Christmas video about mistletoe. Here it is -
