Symbolism of the Holly & the Ivy The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown Of all the trees that are in the wood The holly bears the crown O the rising of the sun And the running of the deer The playing of the merry organ Sweet singing of the choir ..." ~ Traditional Carol
Yule log in the hearth and a fir in the hall? The primitive Teutonic tribes of Germany did it first. Caught under the mistletoe by your least-favorite uncle? Blame it on the Celts, who associated mistletoe with fertility -- in polite company, we'd say romance. Holly and ivy, as celebrated in the centuries-old English carol? Well, there's a tale there, too. For holly's role, we can start with the Romans, who used it liberally in their year-end festival of Saturnalia. This was a holiday co-opted by the early Christians as the birth of Christ (the true date being a mystery) and was known as the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, referring to lengthening days that follow the winter solstice. The Romans decked their halls with boughs of holly long before anyone gave a fa-la-la and exchanged holly wreaths, a practice adopted by the early Christians. http://forums.delphiforums.com/herbalmusings/messages?msg=15893.1 Assembled By Colleen @ Diamond Girls |