Published by: www.almanac.com
Why do we kiss under the mistletoe? Of all the plants used in Christmas decor, few have as long and as interesting a history as mistletoe.
What Is Mistletoe?
With evergreen leaves, yellow flowers, and white berries, large clumps of mistletoe are usually observed growing high in the canopies of fruit trees, maples, and sometimes oaks. Although it has a strong association with Christmastime kissing, the mistletoe plant is not very romantic: it is a parasite, attaching to its host tree of choice and siphoning off water and nutrients for itself.
Why Do People Kiss Under Mistletoe?
In an old Norse legend, Frigga, the goddess of love, had a son named Balder, the god of innocence and light. To protect him, Frigga demanded that all creatures—and even inanimate objects—swear an oath not to harm him, but she forgot to include mistletoe. Loki, the god of evil and destruction, learned of this and made an arrow from a sprig of mistletoe. He then tricked Hoth, Balder’s blind brother, into shooting the mistletoe arrow and guided it to kill Balder. The death of Balder meant the death of sunlight—explaining the long winter nights in the north.
Frigga’s tears fell onto the mistletoe and turned into white berries. She decreed that it should never cause harm again but should promote love and peace instead. From then on, anyone standing under mistletoe would get a kiss. Even mortal enemies meeting under the mistletoe by accident had to put their weapons aside and exchange a kiss of peace, declaring a truce for the day.
Known as “the healing plant,” the ancient Celts also used mistletoe which was a big part of their winter solstice celebrations. The plant contains progesterone, the female sex hormone, and perhaps this is another why it became associated with kissing.
By the 1700s, traditional “kissing balls” made of boxwood, holly, and mistletoe were hung in windows and doorways during the holiday season. A young lady caught under the mistletoe could not refuse to give a kiss. This was supposed to increase her chances of marriage since a girl who wasn’t kissed could still be single next Christmas. According to ancient custom, one berry is removed after each kiss until they are all gone.