Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on the branches of trees. Druids used mistletoe as a symbol of fertility. Victorians bound the mistletoe to a frame to make a "kissing ring." Each time a gentleman caught a lady under the mistletoe, he was allowed to claim a kiss. When the branches were bare, the kissing had to stop! A traditional rhyme about mistletoe is:

'Pick a berry off the mistletoe
For every kiss that's given.
When the berries have all gone
There's an end to kissing.'

It is still customary to kiss someone under the mistletoe.

In the Middle-Ages, aware of mistletoe's pagan origins, the church banned mistletoe and suggested that holly should be used as an alternative evergreen. However, the tradition refused to die out and mistletoe and holly can still be found side by side in most houses today during the Christmas period.

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