What is “mistletoe” and why do we kiss under it?
Why Kiss Under The Mistletoe? The origins of kissing under the mistletoe, a plant that often bears white berries, are often traced to a tale in Norse mythology about the god Baldur. … In many tellings, Frigg declares the mistletoe to be a symbol of love after her son’s death and promises to kiss anyone who passed underneath it .
Do people actually kiss underneath the mistletoe?
The basis of the mistletoe tradition was that men were allowed to kiss any woman seen underneath mistletoe -- and refusal to accept was considered bad luck. Some are not entirely confident in the story that lies within Norse mythology, and believe that the sticky seeds that cling to the tree branches are symbolic of a kiss, never falling.
Does kissing under the mistletoe count as cheating?
Does Kissing Under the Mistletoe Count as Cheating? Does kissing under the mistletoe count as cheating? According to a new survey, 12% of men and 10% of women say it's NOT cheating to kiss someone under the mistletoe . . . but if you kissed them in any other situation, it would be.
What does it mean to kiss under the mistletoe?
Thus if a couple in love exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life. In France, the custom linked to mistletoe was reserved for New Year's Day: "Au gui l'An neuf" (Mistletoe for the New Year).
What does a kiss under the mistletoe symbolize?
According to one sunnier version of the myth, the gods were able to resurrect Baldur from the dead. Delighted, Frigg then declared mistletoe a symbol of love and vowed to plant a kiss on all those who passed beneath it.
What happens if you don't kiss under the mistletoe?
According to the tradition, it's bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe. After the kiss, the couple is to pluck one of the berries from the plant. Once all the berries are gone, the bough no longer has the power to command kisses.
Is it good luck to kiss under the mistletoe?
Mistletoe Myths & Beliefs Popular belief suggests that, in order to have good luck, happiness and a long married life, you must kiss your love under the mistletoe. In olden days, it was also considered as a promise to marry. In case you avoid this, bad luck will follow you forever.
Why do we kiss with tongue?
Open mouth and tongue kissing are especially effective in upping the level of sexual arousal, because they increase the amount of saliva produced and exchanged. The more spit you swap, the more turned on you'll get.
Why do people kiss with their eyes closed?
Most people can't focus on anything as close as a face at kissing distance so closing your eyes saves them from looking at a distracting blur or the strain of trying to focus. Kissing can also make us feel vulnerable or self-conscious and closing your eyes is a way of making yourself more relaxed.
Why is mistletoe A Christmas tradition?
The original custom was that a berry was picked from the sprig of Mistletoe before the person could be kissed and when all the berries had gone, there could be no more kissing!
What is the story behind the mistletoe?
Ancient Greece is the earliest known culture to venerate mistletoe. The Greeks referred to its white berries as “oak sperm” and considered it a symbol of male fertility. In Greek mythology, Aeneas carried mistletoe to protect himself on his journey to the underworld and ensure his return.
What are the mistletoe rules?
Under a sprig of mistletoe, a man must kiss the nearest lady only on the cheek. Once the kissing is done, a berry must be removed from the mistletoe. When all of the berries are gone, the mistletoe has lost its kiss-compelling powers!
What does mistletoe symbolize?
But at Christmas, mistletoe isn’t just a sign of motherly love, but a symbol of romance. According to Fox News, that started sometime in the 18th century. British servants, perhaps inspired by Druid lore, decided that stealing a kiss beneath the mistletoe was appropriate. It soon spread to others eager for an opportunity to steal a kiss. It eventually earned mentions in literature, a sure sign of something becoming a common practice. Washington Irving wrote about mistletoe at Christmas in an 1820 story, and Charles Dickens mentioned the practice of smooching under the plant in his 1836 book, The Pickwick Papers.
What is the tradition of hanging mistletoe?
After picking out a tree, hanging all the keepsake ornaments, stringing up the lights, and remembering how to hang a wreath on the door, some families have one more Christmas tradition— hanging the mistletoe. That pesky little plant dangles from doorways and arches and anyone who finds themselves under it may find themselves puckering up for a Christmas kiss.
Is it bad luck to kiss beneath mistletoe?
According to the tradition, it’s bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe, but it’s a worse idea to eat the berries as many varieties are poisonous. That said, it’s a sweet tradition with roots, so, will you be hanging mistletoe this year?
Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?
Historically, mistletoe represents romance, fertility, and vitality. Because nothing says love like bird feces and poison.
Where did kissing under the mistletoe originate?
The origin of kissing under the mistletoe is shrouded in uncertainty, but it is believed the ancient Greeks celebrated the winter holiday of Kronia—a lively festival and one of the biggest of the year—with mistletoe and may have started the tradition of kissing under it.
What is mistletoe in a tree?
Mistletoe is a plant that grows parasitically on trees. Mistletoe can cause Witches’-broom, a symptom of a disease that results in clusters of weak shoots, in the host tree. One way to harvest mistletoe is to climb high in the tree to get the clusters; another way is to blast them out with a shotgun. How’s that for festive?
What is the dark side of mistletoe?
The dark side of the mistletoe. In Norse mythology, the plant plays a key part in a story with a violent conclusion; the god Balder is killed by his blind brother, Hoor , with, of all things, a mistletoe projectile. Some versions claim he came back to life, and his mother, Frigg, cried tears that turned into mistletoe berries and then declared ...
Where does the word "mistletoe" come from?
The word mistletoe comes from the Old English misteltan, with tan meaning “twig” and mistel meaning, well, “mistletoe.” (Middle English speakers apparently confused tan as the plural of ta, “toe,” which is how we ultimately get mistletoe ). As for the roots of mistel, that etymology is obscure, though the word has cousins in Germanic languages.
What does mistel mean?
Because mistletoe can be spread through birds’ feces, it is possible that mistel derives from an obsolete, Germanic-derived noun mix, meaning “dung, filth.”. So we can safely say this has nothing whatsoever to do with your toes. That plant you’re kissing under could be a … “dung-twig.”.
Why is mistletoe used for kissing?
Known as “the healing plant,” mistletoe was also used by the ancient Celts and 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.
Why can't a girl kiss under the mistletoe?
According to ancient custom, after each kiss, one berry is removed until they are all gone.
Is Mistletoe Poisonous?
One caution—raw mistletoe berries are very poisonous and tend to fall off the plant easily. They have been known to cause seizures or death when ingested and can be especially lethal to children and pets. See more about plants that are poisono us to pets.
Why do people wear mistletoe charms?
Worshippers caught the pieces in their long white robes or on a white cloth spread under the tree because it was bad luck to let even the smallest piece touch the ground. The faithful would wear mistletoe charms for good luck and protection from witches and evil spirits.
What tree did the High Priest cut with a sickle?
The high priest would climb the tree on the 6th night of the new Moon after the winter solstice and cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle.
What is the mistletoe plant?
Although it has a strong association with Christmastime kissing, in reality, the mistletoe plant is not very romantic: the plant is a parasite, attaching to its host tree of choice and siphoning off water and nutrients for itself. (In other words, it’s a bit clingy.)
What hand did they catch mistletoe in?
The Swiss traditionally shot mistletoe out of the trees with an arrow and for good luck they had to catch it in the left hand before it hit the ground. It was also associated with lightning and fire, and subsequently called “thunder-besom.”.
When did kissing under the mistletoe become common?
Fast-forward a few centuries and the history of kissing under the mistletoe continued to thrive. By the 18th century , it became ubiquitous with Christmas cheer. The mistletoe tradition blossomed, first among English servants and eventually expanding to the middle class. The basis of the mistletoe tradition was that men were allowed to kiss any woman seen underneath mistletoe -- and refusal to accept was considered bad luck.
What does the mistletoe symbolize?
The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder viewed the mistletoe as a treatment for poison, epilepsy and more. The Druids regarded the mistletoe as a symbol of vivacity, awed at how the plant blossomed in the coldest of winters. How do these beliefs correlate to romance?
What is a mistletoe?
According to Ryan Guillou, a Curator at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, a mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant that originated primarily from the British isle in Northern Europe.
Why is mistletoe on tree branches?
One or two mistletoe on a tree branch may not be an issue, but when trees become infested, the invasive plant often drains the host, snapping and breaking the tree branches with it's weight. Destroyer of trees and other plants, the mistletoe survives, germinating berry seeds to birds' delight and human harm. Poisonous for humans, these seeds would be picked up by birds and often land firmly on tree branches with their sticky nature. The relocation of the seeds to new tree branches is pivotal to the life cycle and survival of the mistletoe plant.
What did Baldur's mother do?
Fearing for Baldur's life, his mother Frigg, the goddess of love, pleaded with all the plants and animals of the world to promise not to harm her son.
Who wrote Kissing Under Mistletoe?
How the Tradition of Kissing Under Mistletoe Started. Written by. David Beaulieu. David Beaulieu is a garden writer with nearly 20 years experience writing about landscaping and over 10 years experience working in nurseries. Learn about The Spruce's Editorial Process.
What does mistletoe mean?
According to Sara Williams at the University of Saskatchewan Extension, "mistel" is the Anglo-Saxon word for dung, while "tan" is the word for twig—so the name mistletoe literally means "dung-on-a-twig.". Belief in mistletoe's spontaneous generation has long been discredited—in fact, the plant is spread by seeds as they pass through birds' ...
What is the myth about Baldur and the Mistletoe?
For example, some relate it was agreed, after the death of Baldur, that from then on mistletoe would bring love rather than death into the world, and that any two people passing under mistletoe would exchange a kiss in memory of Baldur.
Why do mistletoe leaves look golden?
The perception of goldenness in the dried leaves of mistletoe plants was probably influenced by the fact that, in the folklore of Europe, it was thought that mistletoe plants are brought to earth when lightning strikes a tree in a blaze of gold.
What is the Norse custom of mistletoe?
As it turns out, a custom that developed in Norway led to our modern-day mistletoe tradition. According to anthropologists, the Norse myth dictated that if, while out in the woods, you happened to find yourself standing under a mistletoe upon encountering a foe, you both had to lay down your arms until the following day.
Where did mistletoe come from?
The name originated from the perception in pre-scientific Europe that mistletoe plants burst forth, as if by magic, from the excrement of the "mistel" (or "missel") thrush.
Is mistletoe a plant or a tree?
The unusual botanical history of mistletoe goes a long way towards explaining the awe in which it was held by ancient peoples. In spite of not being rooted in soil, mistletoe remains green throughout the winter, while the trees upon which it grows and feeds do not (European mistletoe often grows on apple trees; more rarely on oaks ).
What does mistletoe stand for?
In our homes at Christmastime today, mistletoe does not just stand for motherly love but rather, for romance. Fox News said that this may have got its start during the 18th century. Druid lore may have inspired British servants who thought that it was appropriate to steal a kiss under the mistletoe. That tradition soon spread elsewhere and it continues to be found in practice in many parts of the world. In a story written by Charles Dickens in 1836, the practice of kissing under the mistletoe is mentioned.
Why can't you eat mistletoe berries?
That being said, make sure that you don’t eat the berries because they may be poisonous. It’s an interesting tradition that has its roots in ancient history.
Is mistletoe a parasite?
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that feeds off of other plants in the wild. Some may consider it to be almost a romantic relationship but that isn’t why mistletoe involves kissing. Slate said that the Druids were aware of the romantic powers of mistletoe during the first century. They thought that “mistletoe, taken in drink, will impart fecundity (fertility) to all animals that are barren.” They considered it to be good luck when they hung mistletoe over the door. Pliny the Elder, a first-century Roman may also have something to do with the romantic reputation of mistletoe. Although he considered the belief of the Druids to be folly, it did stick as a part of Norse mythology.
Why do people kiss mistletoes?
In North America and Europe, when two people stand beneath a mistletoe they kiss. The kiss signifies romance and friendship. A girl that is not kissed while standing under the mistletoe will not marry the following year. So, when couples kiss beneath it, it signifies their commitment to marry.
What is mistletoe?
Before we dive right in, let’s quickly take a look at what mistletoe actually is. Mistletoe is a type of plant that remains green even during winter. It’s a partial parasite that attaches onto tree branches and trunks and feeds off the nutrients from the host tree. However, it can generate its own nutrients via photosynthesis. It’s mostly found on tree species like apple, sycamore, ash and hawthorn. Over time, mistletoe can damage the tree if not managed.
Where does mistletoe come from?
The mistletoe that is used for Christmas decoration is native to North America and Europe. Growth of the plant is spread from tree to tree by birds that eat the mistletoe berries. When the bird squishes the fruit with its beak some of the sticky syrup will cling to its beak. As the animal wipes its beak against another tree branch, the seeds are spread. While birds can safely consume mistletoe berries, they’re not safe for human consumption.
