A brief history of the mistletoe

Many aspects we have come to associate with Christmas are mostly all from western traditions.

Many of us are yet to experience the sort of Christmas that is depicted in the movies. You know, the sort of Christmas that has you drinking a cup of hot chocolate filled with a handful of marshmallows as you sit staring at your fireplace, all the while as the snow falls as you listen to carollers sing at your door.

Least we forget the grand old mistletoe that people hang up and if they find themselves standing under one with someone, they must kiss that person. As if February was not enough to remind single people they were indeed single, so too you must be reminded of your singledom at Christmas? Is there ever reprieve?

Anyway, I think it is fitting we get educated on all things mistletoe. According to Ambius, the consensus among experts is that the use of mistletoe in ritual form started with the Celtic Druids. The mistletoe became a sacred symbol of vivacity and fertility to the Druids after they saw it blooming in the trees during the harsh winters.

Another aspect of the mistletoe is that in the Norse culture, the mistletoe plant was a sign of love and peace. The website said the story goes that the goddess, Figg, lost her son, the god Baldur, to an arrow made of mistletoe. After his death, she was said to have vowed that the mistletoe would kiss anyone who passed beneath, as long as it was never again used as a weapon.

It has also been told the kissing tradition started in 18th Century England where it was said mistletoe became widely used as a Christmas decoration. The tradition spread quickly throughout the world.