Winter Solstice

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Winter Solstice Christmas Plants

• Andrea Layfield

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Outline

• Background on Winter Solstice
• Winter Solstice Plants
• History, representation and importance
• Current cultural significance
• Mistletoe
• Holly
• Christmas Tree

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Winter Solstice

• December
• Religious celebrations
• Northern Hemisphere
• Originated by Romans
• Decorated with flowers, garlands, evergreens
• Ancient festivities still with us today

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Winter Solstice Plants

• Evergreens eternal life
• Holly friendship
• Mistletoe peace and love
• Poinsettia flower of holy night
• Mountain Laurel victory
• Christmas Cactus life
• Cyclamen sincerity

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Mistletoe

• Phoradedron flavescens
• Translation thief tree
• Parasite that grows on branches of trees
• Hung from ceiling to ward off evil spirits
• Render poisons harmless
• Today it represents peace between enemies and
  love between friends

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Kiss under the Mistletoe?
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Holly

• Ilex aquifolium
• Berries are prized
• Requires female and male plants
• Symbol of friendship and good will
• Hung at doors to shelter woodland spirits from
  cold wind and to ensure good luck
• Met under holly tree to adjust differences

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Holly v.s. Ivy

• Holly
• good luck charm of men
• Ivy
• good luck charm of women

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Christmas Trees

• Spruce (Picea), Fir (Abies) or Pine (Pinus) tree
• Fir most popular, symbolises Tree of Light
• Mans union with nature
• Possibly multiple sources of origin
• Romans, Egyptians, Germany
• Gradually spread to France, England and America

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Decorating the Christmas Tree

• Candles Lights
• Originally decorated with
• Gold coloured ornaments
• Foil
• Cards
• Flags
• Fruit
• Sweets

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Current Cultural Importance

• Lots of information found
• Use of Christmas Tree has increased
• Use of other Winter Solstice plants has decreased
• Plants less often used for religious symbols
• Christmas tree ? Holiday Tree

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References

• Barnett, J. The American Christmas. Arno Press,
  New York, 1976. pp. 31-37.
• Dumas, A. Book of Plants Symbols. Hachette,
  France 2000. pp. 44-47.
• Grippen, T. Christmas and Christmas Lore.
  Blackie Publishing, Toronto, 1935, pp. 12-24.
• Hageneder, F. The Meaning of Trees. Duncan Baird
  Publishers. California, 2005, pp.142-150.
• Thiselton-Dyer, T. The Folk Lore of Plants.
  Kessinger Publishing, US, 1990, pp. 99-104.

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• Andrea Layfield
• layf0950_at_wlu.ca