Mistletoe – What exactly is this iconic Christmas Symbol that is also associated with kissing during the Christmas Season? #Mistletoe
Mistletoe
Some people, especially in the country areas, tend to go out in the woods or on their farm and shoot mistletoe out of trees.
One Christmas Song comes to my mine, It Must Have Been the Mistletoe. Okay, so now let’s look more into this “Kissing Plant”.
Mistletoe is known as the “kissing plant” and it is customary for couples to kiss while standing beneath the plant, typically hung in doorways and arches. Mistletoe was once hung to drive off evil spirts and ensure fertility. Kissing under the mistletoe was first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites.
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Usually you hang up mistletoe during Christmas and if two people are standing under it, they are suppose to kiss.
Some plants, including mistletoe and holly, can be toxic to pets and young children whose smaller bodies may be more vulnerable than adults’. When decorating, consider decorating with artificial plants instead of live, potentially poisonous plants. Despite it being poisonous, this plant has been used for medical purposes.
According to NC Cooperative Extension, mistletoe can grow on more than 100 different types of trees, it is most often found on pecan, hickory, oaks, red maple and black gum.
It is believed there are around 1,300 species of mistletoe and often is grown on trees as a parasite.
Now think about this before kissing, you are kissing under a dung twig! Just saying! In Anglo-Saxon, “mistel” means “dung” and “tan” means “twig,” hence, “dung-on-a-twig.” Which the kissing tradition dates back the 1500’s.
Birds do often use it to nest in.
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