IN THE YARD: Smoochin' under the mistletoe

We are all familiar with the modern importance of mistletoe at Christmas.

Many a young person has stolen that important first kiss while standing under a discretely placed bough of this evergreen during the holidays.

How did this tradition come about? Why is it only done during the Christmas holidays? Please read on.

Mistletoe is an evergreen plant that can be found growing almost anywhere in the world. Many species are similar in appearance to the plant with the white berries we always think of. It is a parasite of other plants, mostly trees. The seeds are deposited on tree branches by birds that have eaten the berries. These seeds then germinate and take root in the bark of the host tree and start their growth process. Since they survive by stealing nutrients from their host, heavy infestations can lead to poor health and even death of the tree where mistletoe plants are growing.

The species of mistletoe that grows in this area is not as damaging to the trees as those found farther north and northern Europe. This allows for heavy infestations to persist for many years in trees around Danville without causing serious harm to the tree.

Ancient cultures in Britain and in the Scandinavian countries held this plant in high esteem. Partly because it stayed green all winter, which gave them hope of the spring to come, and partly because of the mystical healing powers the plants were believed to provide. Ancient Druids would find mistletoe growing in oak trees and harvest it in a sacred ritual with a golden sickle while wearing white robes. The plant was then used to make a potion to make livestock bear young and as an antidote to many poisons, or so the priests believed.

In Scandinavia, the mistletoe plant was a symbol of peace. When enemies met under a tree that had mistletoe in the branches they would set aside their weapons and be at peace with each other until the next day.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe probably came from an old Norse legend, namely the myth of Baldur.

Baldur’s mother was the Norse goddess, Frigga. When Baldur was born, Frigga made each and every plant, animal and inanimate object promise not to harm Baldur.

But Frigga overlooked the mistletoe plant — and the mischievous god of the Norse myths, Loki, took advantage of this oversight. Ever the prankster, Loki tricked one of the other gods into killing Baldur with a spear fashioned from mistletoe.

The demise of Baldur, a vegetation deity in the Norse myths, brought winter into the world. Not to worry though, the gods did eventually restore Baldur to life. After which Frigga pronounced the mistletoe sacred, ordering that from now on it should bring love rather than death into the world.

Happily complying with Frigga’s wishes, any two people passing under the plant from now on would celebrate Baldur’s resurrection by kissing under the mistletoe, according to About.com Landscaping.

There is really no reason to limit the use of this plant to Christmas other than to hold with tradition. Ancient Scandinavians and druids celebrated it all year around. Even the Roman mythologist, Virgil, featured mistletoe in his writings.

In his book, “Aeneid,” his hero Aeneas makes use of a “golden bough” of mistletoe given to him by the goddess Diana to protect him during his adventure into the underworld.

The origin of the name for this plant is very descriptive. The early perception of the origin of this plant was that it magically came from the excrement of a bird called the missel thrush that was deposited on tree branches. Mistel is the Anglo-Saxon word for dung. The original name for this plant was misteltan. Tan was the word for twig in that same language.

Roughly translated, mistletoe means “dung-on-a-twig.” We now know that various birds eat the berries, which are poisonous to humans, and the seeds pass through their digestive tract to be deposited on the branches. The ancients were right on target about the origin of mistletoe.

One thing we have forgotten about the kissing tradition is found in Washington Irving’s “Christmas Eve.” After each kiss under the mistletoe, one of the berries is supposed to be plucked off. Once the berries are gone there can be no more kissing. A good part to continue overlooking.

Happy Holidays!

Sutphin is a horticulture extension agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Danville Unit Office. Contact him at (434) 799-6558.