Advent day 17 ... kissing under the mistletoe 

See advent day 16 here

Mistletoe has become a big part of festive tradition, but mistletoes history as symbolic dates back thousands of years. 

From Greeks using it to cure period pains to Romans using it to stop epilepsy and poison, it most likely took it's romantic links during Celtic times in the 1st Century. The thing about mistletoe is it grows year round even in deep winter. The Celts took this as a sign of vivacity and used it to try and restore fertility to humans and animals. The Druids saw it as a sign of good luck and hanging it in the house would ward of evil spirits. 

In Norse mythology a prophecy predicted Odin's son Baldur was going to be killed. Baldur's mother Frigg (the goddess of love) went out to secure an oath from all animals and plants they would not hurt her son. But Frigg forgot about the mistletoe so Loki created a arrow from mistletoe and used this to kill Baldur. Apparently they were able to bring Baldur back from death and Frigg proclaimed mistletoe a symbol of love and that anyone who passed under mistletoe she would kiss. 

Although no one is too sure why it became a Christmas tradition, the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas (in England) apparently began in the 1700's but gained real popularity in the Victorian era. Charles Dickens probably heightened this further as people kissing under the mistletoe was illustrated in 'A Christmas Carol'. In the Victorian era mistletoe kissing was taken very seriously. If a girl refused a kiss under mistletoe she bought bad luck to herself and could expect not to get any marriage proposals for at least a year and many would taunt the girl and call her an old maid as they truly believed it bought bad luck.  

Another part of the tradition was to pluck a berry of the plant after a kiss, then if you happened to end up underneath with no berries you didn't have to kiss as all the kisses had been used. It is also believed the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe began with servants and then spread to the middle class. 

This tradition was spread to the United states when Washington Irving recorded this tradition in a book thus exposing it to a large American audience who read his work. 

So in most cultures the mistletoe represents fertility or love hence why we kiss underneath it. So next time someone tries to kiss you under the mistletoe remember it would be bad luck not too (if you're a Victorian!) 

Did you know about why we kiss under the mistletoe? 

Comment below!

Rosie x