To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival of
Saturnalis, the early Christians decked their homes with
Saturnalia holly. As Christian numbers increased and
their customs prevailed, holly and mistletoe lost their
pagan associations and became symbols of Christmas.
Holly
was the sacred plant of Saturn and was used at the Roman
Saturnalia festival to honor him. Romans gave one
another holly wreaths and carried them about decorating
images of Saturn with it. Centuries later, in December,
while other Romans continued their pagan worship,
Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus . To avoid
persecution, they decked their homes with Saturnalia
holly. As
Christian numbers increased and their customs
prevailed, holly lost its pagan association and became a
symbol of Christmas.
***
The Druids believed that holly, with its shiny leaves
and red berries stayed green to keep the earth beautiful
when the sacred oak lost it leaves. They wore sprigs of
holly in their hair when they went into the forest to
watch their priests cut the sacred mistletoe.
The
plant has come to stand for peace and joy, people often
settle arguments under a holly tree. Holly is believed
to frighten off witches and protect the home from
thunder and lightning. In West England it is said sprigs
of holly around a young girl's bed on Christmas Eve are
suppose to keep away mischievous little goblins. In
Germany, a piece that has been used in church
decorations is regarded as a charm against lightning. In
England, British farmers put sprigs of holly on their
beehives. On the first Christmas, they believed, the
bees hummed in honor of the Christ Child. The English
also mention the "he holly and the she holly" as being
the determining factor in who will rule the household in
the following year, the "she holly" having smooth leaves
and the "he holly" having prickly ones. Other beliefs
included putting a sprig of holly on the bedpost to
bring sweet dreams and making a tonic from holly to cure
a cough. All of these references give light to "decking
the halls with boughs of holly."
