(9) The Holly and the Ivy–
All around the New York City area, the Christmas tree stands are stocked with little plastic-wrapped packages of holly. With its red berries and sharp, pointed green leaves, holly is another iconic symbol of the season. And one of the most lovely traditional Christmas carols is called “The Holly and the Ivy.”
But once again, it is a fair bet that there was no holly and ivy hanging in a barn in Bethlehem. So how did these plants get associated with Christmas?
It should be clear from this series that all evergreens –especially those that flower or have fruit in winter– became symbols of Christmas. Green represented life. To Christians, the red berries on the holly represented the blood of the crucified Jesus. The sharp holly leaves resembled the thorns in the crown Jesus was forced to wear. Wreaths shaped from holly were in fact symbols of Christ’s Crown of Thorns. The ivy was similarly alive in wintertime, another symbol of life out of death.
But these plants were both honored by pre-Christian, pagan cultures, especially in Greece and Rome. Ivy was associated with Bacchus, god of wine, and garlands or wreaths of ivy were hung in Roman homes in winter months. Holly was associated with Saturn and played a key role in the Saturnalia, the Roman solstice festival that culminated on December 25. In the Celtic traditions of the British Isles and Ireland, holly was also considered sacred and was used in their solstice celebrations.
From earliest Christian times, these pagan symbols of life and renewal were simply translated into Christian terms, sometimes against the wishes of Church fathers who knew their pagan associations. In England, mistletoe and holly were banned from churches for many years. But more often, the early Church leaders realized that it was easier -and better marketing– to allow former pagans to keep their traditions if they could be given a Christian meaning. As marketing, it was brilliant!
(10) Thanks Dr. Poinsett. The other ubiquitous floral symbol of Christmas is the Poinsettia plant, accounting for more than 85% of Christmas season potted plant sales. Unlike many of the other green and red plant symbols from ancient times, this is a recent addition to the Christmas season in America. Native to Mexico, the poinsettia was introduced into America by Joel Poinsett in 1825. The Minister (not Ambassador) to Mexico, he was also a physician and botanist, who also had a hand in creating what grew into the Smithsonian Institution. A politician from South Carolina, Poinsett later served as War Secretary. Now mostly forgotten, his name lives on at Christmas in the plant with its bright green and red leaves and star-like shape.
One other myth to dispel: And according to the University of Illinois, they are NOT poisonous. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/poinsettia/faq.cfm
So thanks to Bacchus, Saturn and Dr. Poinsett, we have plenty of greenery to celebrate this season of life, light and renewal.
