All about Mistletoe

European mistletoe attached to a silver birch 

Before I begin, I must give credit for this blog to a friend of mine. She gave me an interesting tidbit of mistletoe information, and I was hooked. She suggested this article, and it is dedicated to her. Thanks, Leslie.

Everyone knows that mistletoe is hung at Christmas time. It is easy to recognize its shiny leaves and small white berries. Can you recognise mistletoe in nature? Mistletoe is that clump of green leaves left in a tree in wintertime. Although it is not attached to any soil, the mistletoe stays green year around. It is actually a hemi-parasitic plant that feeds off the water and mineral nutrients of the various host trees. It is considered semi parasitic because it is capable of photosynthesis.

The name mistletoe is believed to have it’s roots in the terms mistel tan. These are Anglo Saxon for dung (mistel) and twig (tan), literally “dung on a twig”. This, actually, makes perfect sense, because mistletoe is spread from tree to tree by bird droppings. Oh, it is also quite poisonous. So how did something that grows out of bird poop become the symbol of kissing and young love at Christmas time?

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is believed to have its roots in a Norse myth. The Norse goddess, Frigga, had a son named Baldur. When Baldur was born, she had all living and nonliving things swear an oath not to harm Baldur. Frigga overlooked the small mistletoe plant. Years later, one of the other Norse gods, Loki, used the mistletoe plant to kill Baldur. When Baldur died, all vegetation died with him bringing winter into the world. Frigga, declared the mistletoe would no longer be used for death, but for love. She ordered that anyone meeting under the mistletoe would celebrate love and rebirth by kissing.

In Scandinavia, it was custom for two enemies to call a truce until the next day if they met under the mistletoe. At this point, kissing under the mistletoe is lost in the mist of time.  That is until 1820, when Washington Irving described it in “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon”, as part of the 12 days of Christmas festivities.

So that is my story of the mistletoe. If you have a different one, please share in the comments section. Thanks for reading.