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Christmas Legends and Ornament Stories© Virginia Marin
Like most of the United States, South Carolina has been unseasonably warm for December. I am hoping that by Christmas Eve it will be cold enough to light a fire. When we do, not many of us realize that the ritual of burning of the Christmas Log came to us from Europe. In fact, most of the legends and traditions of Christmas stem from Roman and Greek festivals, Norse pagan ceremonies and Druid rites from the British Isles. It is not unusual, therefore, that the green plants and flowers normally associated with the holiday season are from Europe - holly, ivy, misletoe, rosemary, bay and evergreens - Old World plants.
Poinsettia was introduced into North America by Joel Roberts Poinsett, Ambassador to Mexico between 1825 and 1829. When Poinsett, an amateur horticulturist, returned to his home in Greenville, South Carolina, he brought cuttings of the plant with him, which he cultivated in his greenhouse and distributed to other horticulturists. Since that time, poinsettias has been successfully grown in thirty-six states. In Hawaii, one sees not only potted poinsettia, but bushes and small trees! The lovely red, white, pink, yellow and marbled speckled "flower" is not the flower at all, but colored "leaves" known as bracts. The actual flower is the insignificant cluster of yellow berries (cyathis) centered in the middle of the bracts. Contrary to popular thinking, the poinsettia is not poisonous, but neither is it meant for human consumption. Allergic reactions to the plant are not infrequent. The Legend of the Poinsettia One Christmas Eve, long, long ago, there was a poor Mexican child named Pepita who was on her way to church. Pepita began to cry because she had no gift to leave before the altar of the Virgin and Child. Through her tears, she saw an Angel, who instructed her to gather a bunch of weeds from the roadside. When the child arrived at the altar with her wilted offering, starry crimson blossoms burst forth from every stem. Pepita was so happy she jumped up and down for joy over the transformation of her simple gift of weeds to beautiful Flores de Noche Buena, (Flowers of the Holy Night), or poinsettia. Another lovely holiday plant is the Christmas Rose. The Christmas Rose blooms in depths of winter in the mountains of Central Europe. Known also as the Snow Rose and the Winter Rose, it is a true Christmas flower. Legend links this lovely flower with the birth of the Christ Child and a little shepherdess named Madelon. |
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