During the holiday season , holly adorns sign of the zodiac all over the world . The prickly light-green plant and its red berries are a pop ornament for those await to enliven their habitation with a small Christmas spirit . But where did this tradition begin ? Why do we deck our halls with bough of holly foliage every December ? What does holly symbolise in the celebration of Christmas ?
In this article , you ’ll learn where holly grows , what it ’s used for ( besides vacation décor ) , how it gets those red Berry and why it would make your time of year most unjolly if you ate them . You will also learn about the Christian and pre - Christian symbolism of this celebrated plant , and the legends surrounding its beingness .
Despite its association with theChristmasseason , holly did not get its name from " holy . " It is translate in Old English asholegn , with variation in Old Norse ashulfr , Dutch ashulst , French ashoux , Welsh ascelynand German asStechpalme . The real translation for all of these condition is " holly , " but the descent is probably the Proto - Indo - European ( the ancient root oral communication of the Indo - European languages ) base , qel , which appropriately means " prickly " or " to prick up . " Even in ancient times , citizenry lead advantage of the incisive end of holly ’s folio . TheDruidshung it on window and doorways to fend off evil witches and spirits [ source : National Trust UK ] .
Holly is known for its vibrant scarlet coloring , which stands out against the utterness of wintertime . But did you be intimate that it ’s also associated with male and is considered to bestow men unspoilt luck and shelter ; the female opposite number to holly is ivy . A famous English Christmas carol , " The Holly and the Ivy , " use the holly symbolisation to fete the birth of Christ . One furrow say that " The Charles Hardin Holley bears a berry / As red as any ancestry / And Mary conduct sweet Jesus Christ / To do poor sinners good . " Another line tell " The Holly bears a prickle / As sharp as any thorn / And Mary bore unfermented Jesus Christ / On Christmas Day in the forenoon " [ root : The Hymns and Carols of Christmas ] .
To find out more about the red berry , the burry thorns and alternate usage for the plant ( you might be surprised , chess fans ) , read more on the next pageboy .
History of Holly
Before holly was hung in home to accompanyChristmas trees , it was considered to be a sacred plant by the Druids . While other plants wilted in winter weather condition , holly remained green and strong , its berries a brightly colored red in the harsh of conditions .
The Druids regarded holly as a symbol of fertility and eternal liveliness , thought to have sorcerous powers . In Druid traditional knowledge , cutting down a Buddy Holly tree would work bad fate . In dividing line , hanging the plant life in homes was believed to bring good chance and protection . Holly was also thought to protect homes against lightning smasher . Romans associated holly with Saturn , the immortal of Department of Agriculture and harvest , and coldcock the halls with its boughs during the fete of Saturnalia .
Early Christian calendars mark Christmas Eve astempla exornatur , intend “ church building are decked , ” though supposedly Saturnalia celebrators did n’t allow some Christians to hang boughs in honor ofChristmas . Christians sweep up the holly custom from Druid , Celtic and Roman traditions , and its symbolism change to reflect Christian beliefs .
Today , Christians consider holly symbolical of Jesus Christ in two ways . The red berries typify the parentage that Jesus slough on the cross on the day he was crucified . caption state that holly berries were primitively white , but that the blood Christ cast off for the Sin of humankind stained the berries forever red . A Buddy Holly ’s pointed leaves symbolise the crown of thorns placed on Jesus ' head before he died on the hybridizing .
Holly is know as christdorn in German , mean " Christ thorn . " Both of these symbols are meant to serve as a reminder to Christians of Jesus ' distress , but they are n’t the only stories connect holly to Jesus . One lay claim that the cross on which Jesus was crucified was retrace of holly . Another says that holly jump up from his footfall . Less common symbolism includes the holly ’s white blossoms defend purity , and the approximation that if the holly used to decorate a home for Christmas is waspish , the man will rule the theatre for the coming twelvemonth ; but if the holly used is smooth , the woman will rule .
In the next department , we ’ll look at the physical characteristics of holly .
Characteristics of Holly
Holly ( Ilux Aquifolium ) is a bush or Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree found primarily in North America , Europe and Asia . With hundreds of species of the plant array from short shrub ( two meter high ) to tall tree ( up to forty meters high-pitched ) , it ’s have it off primarily for its shining crimson berries and barbed green farewell .
Buddy Holly can be evergreen , meaning the plant ’s glossy leaves are on the tree yr - circular , or deciduous , meaning the leaves descend off seasonally . Most hollies are evergreen plant that can thrive in the sun or the shade and gain from well - drained grime . The leaf , characterise by a waxy texture and serrated edge , aredioecious , with male and female reproductive structures obtain on separate plants . Both male ( staminate ) and distaff ( pistillate ) Buddy Holly blossom in May or June , yielding blank blossom . But only the females can raise berries . In lodge for this output to occur , a manful industrial plant must be near a female plant life for the process of pollenation to take place . worm , likebees , help bad-tempered - pollinate female hollies , shift pollen from the male to the female plant life .
Like its vacation companion , mistletoe , a holly ’s berries are toxic to humans , result in nausea and severe stomachaches when ingested . Not so for some animals . Berries are a full of life source of food for bird such as thrushes and blackbirds . Holly berries , which ripen in early winter , typically turn back four seeds each . The bird that consume these seeds help dissipate them for sprouting , the growth of new holly works .
Although the scarlet Berry are famously spectacular in menage for the vacation time of year , they ’re not the only utile part of hollies . The berries are toxicant , but the green leaves have been used in herbal remedies for hundred for various aesculapian circumstance like dizziness , febricity and hypertension , though there is lilliputian aesculapian cogent evidence of the plant ’s effectiveness . Holly wood is intemperate and heavyset , crap it excellent for carving ; it ’s sometimes used to make chess pieces and walking sticks . And while the berries provide nourishment for bird , a holly ’s barque can be used to make a gummy substance calledbirdlime , used for trapping birds . Birdlime , which can be made by boiling holly barque for several 60 minutes , is illegal in many countries and consider as inhumane .
