NATURALLY OURS: MISTLETOE

One of the plants most associated with Christmas is Mistletoe. It’s association dates back to the Saturnalia festival held by the ancient Romans in honour of the god Saturn held on the 17th of December and later expanded with festivities through to the 23rd.The festival involved feasting, role reversals, gift-giving and gambling. The hanging of Mistletoe became commonplace throughout ancient Rome.

The Romans associated mistletoe with peace, love and understanding and hung it over doorways to protect the household. Mistletoe is relevant to several cultures. Pre-Christian cultures regarded the white berries as symbols of male fertility, with the seeds resembling semen The Celts, particularly, saw mistletoe as the semen of Taranis, while the Ancient Greeks referred to mistletoe as “oak spermIn the Christian era, mistletoe in the Western world became associated with Christmas as a decoration under which lovers are expected to kiss, as well as with protection from witches and demons Mistletoe continued to be associated with fertility and vitality through the Middle Ages, and by the 18th century it had also become incorporated into Christmas celebrations around the world.

The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is referred to as popular among servants in late 18th century England. the serving class of Victorian England is credited with perpetuating the tradition. The tradition dictated that a man was allowed to kiss any woman standing underneath mistletoe, and that bad luck would befall any woman who refused the kiss. One variation on the tradition stated that with each kiss a berry was to be plucked from the mistletoe, and the kissing must stop after all the berries had been removedIn Germany, the Christmas tradition is that people who kiss under mistletoe will have an enduring love or are bound to marry one anotherMistletoe is an evergreen plant that is smothered in white berries from winter to spring. It grows in the branches of trees, such as hawthorn, apple, poplar, lime and conifers.Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that lives off the nutrients and water from a host tree. Although it is parasitic, it will not kill the host tree but can weaken it. The berries are often spread by birds from one tree to another, and this is how the large rounded clumps of mistletoe form in tree branches.  The most common host tree in the UK is apple, but poplar and lime are also frequent hosts.