It’s time to get a-kissin’!
I’m pretty sure you won’t be surprised by this (at all), but the act of kissing under a sprig of mistletoe is one of my very favorite Christmas traditions. Yeah, that’s right. Because who doesn’t love a holiday smooch besides Senor Scrooge? Mistletoe is a reminder as to why Christmas is a holly, jolly time: the holidays are all about love, yo.
ORIGINS
Kissing under the mistletoe was implemented in Celtic, Norse and Greek wedding ceremonies because the plant was considered to have “supernatural powers.” And by supernatural, I mean that it was meant to induce some serious sexy behavior post-wedding; it has long been regarded as an aphrodisiac and a fertility herb.
MYTHOLOGY
In Scandinavian folklore, mistletoe embodied the expression ‘kiss and make up.’ If enemies met beneath it in a forest, they would have to put down their weapons and call a truce until the following day. How this morphed into playing tonsil hockey beneath a piece of greenery I don’t know.
The mythological story of Norse god Baldur also solidifies mistletoe’s place in romantic history. Baldur’s mother, the goddess Frigga, made every living and breathing thing or person promise not to hurt her son. Because she simply forgot to instruct the mistletoe, all hell broke loose. Loki, the god of mischief and trouble, tricked another god into killing Baldur with a spear made of — you guessed it — mistletoe. His death is said to be what brought winter in the world. He was, of course, brought back to life, and his mother then made the mistletoe a sacred object that would bring love into the world instead of destruction. She also enforced a rule saying that any two people passing underneath the plant should kiss in order to celebrate her son’s life. Frigga took this ‘gift of life’ thing seriously.
CUSTOMS
If no one kissed you under the mistletoe in Victorian times, you weren’t a pariah: you were just doomed to be a sad singleton for another year. Basically, any gal who couldn’t get a guy to kiss her under the mistletoe could kiss her shot at getting married the following year goodbye. Conversely, a kiss underneath the ‘toe was the old-fashioned version of a promise ring: any couple who smooched themselves silly were considered a sure thing to tie the knot.
Another custom involves picking the white berries off said sprigs of mistletoe. Each time a guy stole a smooch, he’d have to pick another berry off. No more berries, no more kisses. End of story.
RANDOM FACTS
* In France, the kissing custom linked to mistletoe was reserved for New Year’s Day: “Au gui l’An neuf” (Mistletoe for the New Year) but can be taken advantage of at any time during the holiday season nowadays.
* Mistletoe is used to treat respiratory and circulatory problems.
* It’s the state ‘floral emblem’ of Oklahoma, because they didn’t have one up until 2004. Weak!
*It’s juices were used as an adhesive to capture small birds or animals. How’s that for a honey trap?
* Mistletoe is the name of a town in Kentucky.
* Mistletoe is, essentially, a *parasite.
** So is Justin Bieber, who recently released a Christmas single called “Mistletoe.”
Question: What if you have no desire to kiss the person who happens to be accidentally standing under the mistletoe with you?
Deal with it.
