Mistletoe is one of the essential elements of any holiday decor, and a lot of people associate it with Christmas. The “classic place” for mistletoe is, of course, the front door, welcoming the guests with that unforgettable holiday atmosphere. Now, you might think of mistletoe as a beautiful, cheerful and peaceful plant, but the ugly truth is, it’s pretty poisonous to humans! I bet you never knew that if you, God forbid, try to eat it, you might get seizures, drowsiness and even start vomiting. Ok, you’re right – nobody in his/her right mind would ever think about eating it, but come on, isn’t this one of the most amazing facts about mistletoe? Or one of the most creepy ones – I can’t really tell!
– By the way, when put to good use, mistletoe can cure a lot of diseases. Over the years this plant has been used by the Europeans as a medicine. It’s good for curing infertility, arthritis and leprosy. Even today you can still buy injections of mistletoe in certain European countries as a cure for cancer. So, as you can see, it can either kill you or cure you – depending on what you do with it.
– Definitely one of the most amazing facts about mistletoe: despite the popular belief, there isn’t just one type of this plant. Say what? Aha, on planet Earth you can find 1.3K varieties of mistletoe! You might’ve heard about the dwarf mistletoe – it has orange/yellow leaves.
– Remember: twenty mistletoe varieties are endangered, so, next time you go picking an armful, make sure you’re not decorating your Christmas party with a “dying breed”.
– Interesting fact about mistletoe: this plant is mainly spread through birds’ droppings, and that’s where the name comes from. It’s made up of two Anglo-Saxon words – mist and tan – which can be translated as “dung twig”. Nothing romantic about that, huh?
Amazing Facts About Mistletoe – Why Do We Kiss Under It And Hang It In The House?
– Do you know why we have a tradition of kissing under the mistletoe? Well, according to a legend, Balder, the son of Frigga, a goddess, was killed by an arrow made from mistletoe. However, her tears brought him back, and she then promised that any person who passed under the mistletoe should be kissed. This is certainly one of the most amazing facts about mistletoe, don’t you agree?
– Alright, now let’s figure out why we hang it in our homes. Blame it on the Druids! They believed that mistletoe brings good luck and keeps the scary ghosts away. Crazy fact about mistletoe: the Western European Christians never had any love for this custom and even tried to ban it, but, as we know today, they failed.
– Awesome fact about mistletoe: Back in the day there was this tradition of picking off one berry after each kiss. So, what did that mean, exactly? It meant that if all the berries had been picked off, nobody else would receive a kiss under the mistletoe anymore. But, thankfully, that tradition is long forgotten and we don’t even care about the berries nowadays.
– Amazing facts about mistletoe: it’s a symbol of peace and they used to picture it on postcards for soldiers who were fighting the Great War; have you ever seen candles with the scent of mistletoe? Well, that’s a lie, because the plant has no smell! See, people are willing to lie even about the Christmas symbol to make a profit :(.
