Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Mistletoe
Holly comes from an old English word meaning “to prick,” an easy connection to make, given the pointy, prickly leaf edges. Christians adopted holly as a symbol for Christmas, with the sharp leaves symbolizing Christ’s crown of thorns and the berries representing his blood.
The origins of mistletoe and their connection to Christmas are a bit murkier. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that grows on trees and produces white berries. Birds eat the berries, which contain seeds, and spread the seeds through their droppings. The seeds are surrounded by a sticky substance that allows the seed to cling to trees and suck nutrients and water from the host branch. The name mistletoe is an Old English word derived from the Anglo-Saxon words mistel, meaning “dung,” and tan, meaning “twig.” Mistletoe was part of European winter traditions long before the first Christmas, so where did the tradition of kissing under a plant basically called dung-on-a stick come from? The short answer is: It’s not really clear.
Some credit the Celtic Druids who considered mistletoe sacred. It became a symbol of fertility because they saw it blooming in trees during harsh winters. It was the focus of a sacred ceremony known as the Ritual of Oak and Mistletoe.
In Norse culture, mistletoe was a sign of love and peace because the goddess Figg lost her son to an arrow made of mistletoe. She vowed that anyone who passed beneath mistletoe should kiss so it was never again used as a weapon. When mistletoe became widely used as a Christmas decoration in 18th century England, the kissing tradition we’re familiar with appears to have started and eventually became a universal holiday tradition. Even when it is decorated with satin ribbons, it may take some of the romance out of mistletoe to realize where the name came from.
