Christmas Decorations and tradition
Christmas Decorations and tradition
Christmas Decorations and traditions – Christian or Pagan?
Yule Logs
In early times a Viking mid-winter festival called Yule was combined with Christmas and the pagan Winter Solstice.
Converted Norsemen would still have carried out their Scandinavian traditions which were then adopted by the early Christians and are incorporated in our present day Christmas celebrations.
Perhaps the most memorable one is the bringing home of the Yule Log. Traditionally this would have been a single log that would have been kept burning on a huge fireplace for the full twelve days of Christmas.
Members of a household would have scoured the countryside looking for a suitable piece of timber which would have then been dragged home in style. Tradition says that a Yule Log should never be purchased but should come from your own land or be given to your household as a gift.
At the end of the Christmas festivities a small piece of the Yule Log would have been kept as a token that would protect the household from fire or lightning strike in the coming year. It would have been used to light the following year's Yule log and so preserve the tradition.
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Holly (the word holly originates from the Old English word Hollin) has been used as a festive decoration since earliest times and is ritually symbolic for almost all pagan religions. Unlike most other plants and trees, the Holly tree is at its most spectacular in mid-winter with brilliant red berries and glossy green leaves. It is hardly surprising that our pagan ancestors regarded it as magical.
Traditions surrounding the Holly abound. It was said that a walking stick made from Holly would protect the person who carries it from any wild animal. A holly tree on your property was believed to ward off witches and to be the place where faeries and elves lived. A Syrup made from holly allegedly cures coughs. A spring of holly on a bedpost assures one of pleasant dreams.
Early Christians adopted the Holly with enthusiasm and it became symbolic of the "crown of thorns' worn by Jesus on his way to be crucified. A very early tradition suggests that the Holly originally had yellow berries until they were stained red with Jesus's blood. Holly was traditionally seen as a "male' plant – perhaps because it is so prickly!
This tradition was not universally accepted. Because holly has both very prickly leaves and softer leaves it was believed by some people that both sexes were represented in the same plant and it all depended on which sort of leaves were used to decorate the house as to who was going to be in charge for the coming year.
Another traditional idea was that whichever sex brought the holly indoors first would be the one to rule.
Ivy (Hedera helix)
The traditions associated with Ivy date back into pre-history when it was seen as a "female' plant. When combined with Holly as a decoration it is said to represent the union between men and women.
Bacchus, the Roman god of drinking, is always depicted with a wreath of ivy as it was said to ward off drunkenness. Not a particularly good omen for the festive season perhaps.
Ivy has a number of traditions associated with it including the ability to predict the future and cause domestic strife. It was said that people should drop an ivy leaf in a glass of water on New Year's Eve and leave it until Twelfth Night. If it stays fresh and green then a good year will follow but look out if any black spots appear as these foretell bad luck.
Holly and Ivy
Since Holly and Ivy were believed to represent men and women, it was said that whichever was brought into the house first would dictate who rules the residence.
Christmas History out.
Christmas Trees out.
Christmas Cards out.
Christmas Carols out.
How to say Merry Christmas in different languages out.
The Mistletoe Bough out.
The Immaculate Conception out.
Wassailing out.
Festive Music out.
Traditional Christmas Food out.
Mistletoe (Viscum album)
The evergreen Mistletoe plant with its succulent white berries is a parasite most commonly found growing on apple trees but also on other deciduous trees such as hawthorn and rowan.
The word mistletoe comes from the Old English words mistel and tang – meaning dung and twig – because people had noticed that mistletoe grew on trees where there were plenty of bird droppings.
Mistletoe was recognized by the Druids as a magical plant. According to tradition they would only cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle and made sure it never touched the ground by placing a white cloth under the tree to catch the magic prunings.
Oak trees also featured in Druidic ceremonies and when a mistletoe plant was found growing in an oak it was thought to have especially strong magical powers. Unfortunately we now have no idea what the druids thought the mistletoe plant was capable of.
Mistletoe's traditional magical properties include the ability to drive away witches, get rid of fleas in your bed and prevent faeries from stealing your children.
Norse legends also celebrated mistletoe as a plant that brings love into a household. The story goes that the goddess Freya had a baby boy called Balder whom she loved deeply. She became obsessed by his safety and made all the plants and animals in the world swear they would never harm him. Unfortunately she forgot to ask the mistletoe. Only one god, named Loki, noticed the omission and he stored the information away for the future.
As Baldur grew older the gods were amused by the way missiles thrown at Baldur would swerve away and miss him. It became a game to throw things at the growing lad and watch them fall harmlessly to the ground.
One god was not amused by the boy's popularity. Loki was jealous and looked around for a way to do the boy harm. He carved a spear tip from the mistletoe plant and mounted it on a stout ash stave then placed the spear in the hands of Baldur's blind brother Hadr and encouraged him to throw the spear at Baldur.
Hadr at first refused to throw the spear saying that he had no wish to throw anything at Baldur whom he loved dearly. Loki wore him down with his persistence and eventually the blind lad threw the spear which struck Baldur and killed him instantly.
Freya was horrified and commanded that the world would turn to winter and stay that way for ever. She only relented when the other gods brought Baldur back to life.
The mistletoe was then banished to grow only in high places away from the meddling hands of dangerous fools like Loki. Freya then commanded that henceforth it would always bring love rather than death to the world and that people passing underneath the plant should embrace.
It became a custom in the middle ages for soldiers seeking a truce to meet under a sprig of mistletoe to discuss terms.
The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is much later in origin and has some strange quirks that need to be observed if you want to get the best from your sprig of mistletoe. It is important that the first kiss under the mistletoe is not between a man and his wife.
Traditionally the first kiss should always be between people with different hair colour and like holly and ivy, in some places it is considered unlucky to bring mistletoe into the house before Christmas Eve.
Perhaps the most important rule is that each time a kiss is taken under the mistletoe a berry should be picked from the sprig. When all the berries are gone then the kissing has to stop. Shame!
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