CHRISTMAS IS A TIME OF TRADITIONS.
We all have them. Bringing in and decorating an evergreen tree is one of them. Hanging stockings is another. The list goes on and on. Indulging in these traditions gives us comfort. Sometimes we participate in traditions that are so ancient that we no longer remember the origin.
For instance, in recent years many people have a tradition of hanging a ‘kissing ball’ in their home. Thirty years ago, kissing balls weren’t really seen much if at all. If they were seen, they were homemade. You can now get kissing balls made from the same material as an artificial Christmas tree. These also come with battery operated mini-lights on them. By now kissing balls are a well-entrenched holiday decoration.
Modern kissing balls.
So, how did kissing balls get their start?
The biggest clue is in the name. To find their origin we need to look for the original kissing ball....mistletoe. The kissing part makes sense since we all know that, for some reason, we are entitled to kiss someone standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe...but what about the ball part?
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. Rather than growing roots into the soil to get nutrients, mistletoe forces its roots into the bark of a host tree and sucks the nutrients it needs from it like a vampire. There are several trees that can fall victim to mistletoe including oak trees. A mature clump of mistletoe takes on a familiar shape, a sphere or ball.
Mistletoe growing in an oak tree.
Mistletoe is interesting for other reasons. It was never adopted by Christianity into Christmas celebrations. Not only did the church never sanction the use of mistletoe in holiday celebrations. Its use was actually banned at one time. This is, no doubt, due to the fact that it was highly revered by the ‘pagan’ Druid priests. It is central to their ancient solstice celebrations along with its host, the oak tree. During the Druid’s solstice celebration, a Druid priest would cut the parasitic mistletoe from the branch of an oak tree and distribute pieces of it to the gathered populace. While doing this, he was careful not to let it touch the earth. Part of the mystery of mistletoe to the Druids was that it grew, not from soil, but from the bark of the oak tree. To receive a sprig of mistletoe from the priest was a blessing Druids looked forward to as part of their solstice rituals.
Today, all we know about mistletoe is that we are entitled to kiss anyone who stands beneath it. That tradition has its roots in Scandinavian myth. Loki, a troublesome little god, shot Balder, another young god, with an arrow made of mistletoe, the only thing that could harm this favorite son of Freyja. The tears of sorrow Freyja shed became the white berries of the mistletoe. All the Norse gods worked together to restore Balder to life and, in gratitude, Freyja is said to bestow a kiss on anyone who passes beneath mistletoe. Now we are all entitled to kiss anyone we find standing below the mistletoe. You have to love mistletoe for that!
Hanging an entire ball of mistletoe was fairly common in Victorian England; it would be rare these days. This is partially due to a small supply but mostly out of safety concerns. Mistletoe is poisonous and can cause harm or even death if eaten. These days the only real mistletoe you can find is a heavily painted sprig with the warning on the package not to eat it.
If you want your modern kissing ball to have the same magical quality that requires strangers to kiss if they meet below it, you’ll want to attach a sprig of real mistletoe at the bottom.
THANKS FOR THE READ!
