Each country has its own familiar flowers and birds that are reminders of Christmas time. We often see these on cards or featured in stories of Christmas. Holly and Ivy, Christmas Rose, Poinsettia, Mistletoe, pine cones and little Robin Red Breast all play their part in decorating homes and warming hearts during long, cold winters in northern countries.
Things to do
- Fill some vases with flowers to decorate the dining table or your bedroom. Don't forget to use leaves in your floral decoration as well
- Sing a song...
The Holly and the Ivy - Traditional English
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...
The rising of the sun
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears the blossom
As white as any flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour...
the holly bears a berry
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good...
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn...
- Read a story about Mistletoe...
Mistletoe was sacred to the early people of Europe. the Celtic Druids gathered mistletoe amidst prescribed rituals which included a white-robed priest, a golden sickle and a white mantle in which to collect the mistletoe. Oxen were sacrificed under the tree where it was cut and prayers were offered in thanks. The Druids used mistletoe as a medicine and for religious rites and hung it from the ceiling to ward off evil spirits from their homes. Kissing under the mistletoe has been a popular custom since the Middle Ages.
Mistletoe has also been in the folklore of Scandinavian countries for many centuries. In their stories the god Baldur was killed by an arrow of mistletoe.
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant which takes its nourishment from the host plant on which it lives.
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