Plant legends help make Christmas more memorable
Published 12:00 am Sunday, December 13, 2009
With Christmas less than two weeks away, I want to share something I heard about Christmas plant legends and symbolism from Extension Master Gardener coordinator Dr. Lelia Kelly.
Since the beginning of time, plants have not only provided sustenance and shelter, but they have developed into symbols. The religious, legendary and symbolic meaning attached to plants has been handed down and, today, we still use many special plants in accordance with their age-old symbolism.
John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442or e-mail him.
English ivy and holly have been associated with religious rites and festivals since the time of ancient Rome and Greece. Ivy was one of the plants dedicated to Bacchus by the ancient Greeks. Holly was used by the Romans during their Saturnalia festival. The use of holly and ivy was adopted by the Christian church, just as so many other features and elements of heathen worship were used because it was easier to absorb popular customs than to eradicate them by condemnation.
English churches began to use holly and ivy at Christmas during the reign of Henry VI in 1422. With the passage of centuries, holly and ivy have lost their original heathen connotations and are today welcome in the church and home as symbols of everlasting life.
There is also a Christmas story about the quaking aspen. The tree itself might be unfamiliar to some of us since its native range is farther north, but it shares a peculiar characteristic with our common bottomland cottonwood tree — the ability of the leaves to move or quake at the slightest breeze. Legend says that, as the holy family was fleeing King Herod, all the trees in the woods bent their heads in adoration — except the aspen. The infant Jesus cast a disapproving look at the tree. It was immediately seized with uncontrollable mortification and began to tremble. It has not ceased trembling since.
The herb rosemary has been associated with the Virgin Mary. Mary is said to have draped her azure cloak over a white-bloomed rosemary bush during the flight from Egypt. The plant embraced the blue of the Virgin’s garment, and the rosemary’s blooms have been a delicate shade of blue since. Rosemary has another Christmas association. It, as well as thyme, was among three or four herbs upon which Mary and the Christ child slept in Bethlehem. So, both have been included in Christmas crèches.
These are just a few of the plant legends associated with Christmas. Most of these stories are just that, legends. But understanding their significance and incorporating them into our family holiday traditions can enhance our enjoyment of the season. We can also take a cue from the Christian monks and use the symbolism of these plants to tell others, particularly children, the Christmas story.
One Christmas tradition that seems to have no significance at all is having cauliflower for dinner. There are any number of Christmas cauliflower recipes, but no one seems to know why. Perhaps it’s the closest thing to a white Christmas on which Southerners can depend.