Have you kissed or been kissed under sprigs of mistletoe? Have you ever wondered where this tradition came from?
Kissing under the mistletoe is a tradition which goes beyond the borders of Ireland and into different parts of the world. It is associated with romance, love and all things rosy. But, did you know that the origins of this tradition are far from romantic?

Where Did ‘Kissing Under The Mistletoe’ Begin?

You might not believe it but the craze for the mistletoe began thousands of years back in ancient Druid history.
During this time, the mistletoe was prized for its healing properties. Whether it be menstrual cramps or spleen disorders, the mistletoe with its white berries was believed to be a cure for all.
Who wouldn’t be impressed to find it flourishing and blossoming? Especially during harsh and frozen winters.
It was for this reason that it was viewed as a sacred symbol of vivacity and fertility. But there wasn’t any kissing involved just yet!

Lets bring you back to the Middle Ages and to stories of the Nordic gods. Frigg was the goddess of love. Frigg's son, Baldur, was prophesied to be killed.
So Frigg went to speak with all the living things and urged them not to harm her son. She met with them all, except for the mistletoe. Loki then used the mistletoe to forge a spear and used it to kill Baldur.

Frigg’s tears over the death of her son became the white berries on the mistletoe.
From that day on, she decried that it would never be used as a weapon again but would be a symbol of love. With this, she vowed to kiss anyone who walked underneath it. So that’s when the kissing began!

So then, how did the kissing become associated with Christmas? Its earliest mention is believed to come from the work of Charles Dickens and Washington Irving in Victorian England.
During that time, people decorated their homes with kissing balls made from trimmed evergreen, ribbon ornaments and yes, mistletoe.

Mistletoe traditions have evolved through the centuries, but in ancient times, kissing the hand of a host when visitors arrived was a practice observed. It changed to more personal tones, when men were allowed to steal a kiss from any woman caught standing under the mistletoe.
Refusing a kiss would mean bad luck or not getting married. Another tradition also made plucking berries customary with each kiss that occurred underneath it. Once the berries are gone, the merrymaking stops.

What is Mistletoe?

Mistletoe is a perennial plant that roots itself in the bark of trees which may include Hawthorn, Lime, Apple, Poplar, Willow and other trees and shrubs. It is a parasite that survives by sucking the nutrients from its host tree. Birds that eat its berries squish out a sticky, coated seed in its beak.
After eating, it cleanses the sticky coating off its beak by wiping it against a nearby branch. When this coating hardens, the seed becomes firmly attached to the host tree, and the mistletoe begins to invade it. As the seed germinates it develops into a normal young plant.
As this plant grows, it produces a root-like structure which bores through the bark of the host plant and infests its sap wood. Like a leech, the mistletoe sucks sap from its host, which may lead to stunting or deformation of the host tree.

So there you have it, the mistletoe is a sensuous parasite, mystically transformed to a symbol of love and romance during Christmas.
Will you be hanging up mistletoe this Christmas?

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