More Christmas Traditions | Why hang Mistletoe?

There is so much history about mistletoe, that I will never be able to cover it all here but I will try to skim the surface then give you a reference in the end if you are interested in reading more.

Hanging mistletoe over a doorway during the Christmas holidays is a tradition most of us Americans are familiar with. But have you ever thought that much about where the tradition came from why we kiss just because we are standing underneath a plant or piece of shrubbery?

The most common belief, at least in America is that mistletoe is said to be a sexual symbol because of the consistency and color of the berry juice. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe could have come from either the Viking association of the plant with Frigga (the goddess of love) or from the ancient belief that mistletoe was related to fertility.

The correct mistletoe etiquette is for the man re remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there is to be no more kissing under that particular plant. It is believed that an unmarried woman not kissed under the mistletoe will remain single for another year.

For more information on mistletoe included its use in alternative medicine, among many ancient beliefs and myths about healing, performing miracles, fertility, raising humans from the dead, etc. check out the complete here.