The mistletoe commonly used as a Christmas decoration
(Phoradendron flavescens) is native to North America. There is also a European
mistletoe (Viscum album) which is a
green shrub with small, yellow flowers and white, sticky berries considered
poisonous.
Commonly seen on apple, the rarer oak mistletoe was venerated
by the ancient Celts and Germans and used as a ceremonial plant by early
Europeans. The Greeks and earlier peoples thought that it had mystical powers
and down through the centuries it became associated with many folklore customs.
It was considered to bestow life and fertility; a protection against poison;
and an aphrodisiac.
The mistletoe of the sacred oak was especially sacred to the
ancient Celtic Druids. The custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses at
Christmas is a survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions. In the
Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward
off evil spirits. In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to
prevent the entrance of witches.
Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with
the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. One belief was that it has power to bestow
fertility.
In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace,
under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up.
Later, the eighteenth-century English credited mistletoe with a certain magical
appeal and created a kissing ball.
Tradition decreed that when a young lady stood under a ball
of mistletoe at Christmas time, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and
ornaments, she could not refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep
romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. Thus if a couple in love exchanges
a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to marry, as well as
a prediction of happiness and long life.
If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect to
marry the following year.
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