The Glastonbury Thorn
The Glastonbury Thorn
The Glastonbury Thorn
There is a tradition that Joseph of Arimathea (the Holy Grail chappie) visited Glastonbury Abbey on one of his business trips to England. Whilst there he stuck his hawthorn stick into the ground and walked away without it. According to legend, the stick had magical properties as it was part of the cross upon which Jesus had been crucified.
This is something of a biological stumbling block as giant hawthorns are pretty rare especially in the Middle East – however, I digress: The stick had magical properties and, almost as soon as Joseph of Arimathea had vanished over the hill, it began to grow.
The staff soon became a full sized tree and, in memory of its association with Jesus, it always flowered at Christmas time. Over the years a tradition was established where a sprig of the tree's blossom was given to the monarch at Christmas time.
The tradition ended during the reign of Charles I but was revived in 1922 when a sprig of blossom from the tree was presented to Queen Mary.
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.
Joseph of Aramathea (stained glass)
Sadly the ancient tree died in 1991 and despite successful attempts to grow another from its seeds there has not been a plant that has miraculously flowered at Christmas. Fortunately, a number of cuttings had been taken from the original and grafted onto new root stock and some of these do occasionally flower in time for Christmas. When this happens a sprig is sent to decorate the table for the Queen's Christmas dinner.
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