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"The Druids held nothing more sacred than mistletoe . . . and when it is discovered, it is gathered with great ceremony, on the sixth day of the moon, which for these Gallic tribes constitutes the beginning of the months and the years . . .A priest wearing white vestments climbs the tree and with a golden sickle cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak."
Pliny the Elder (C.E. 23 - 79)
The hanging of greenery around the house, such as holly, ivy and mistletoe, is a winter tradition with origins well before the Christian era. Greenery was brought into the house to lift sagging winter spirits and remind people that spring was not far away.
Mistletoe is thought to have miraculous powers. The Druids believed it brought good luck to the household and would ward off evil spirits.
It was said in Roman times that when enemies met under mistletoe, they discarded their arms and declared a truce - hence the custom of kissing under the mistletoe.
A Yorkshire tradition says that a berry must be removed from the mistletoe for each kiss exchanged under it - and when all the berries are gone, no more kissing!
Many private houses decorate with holly, ivy and mistletoe, but mistletoe is not used to decorate churches, because of its pagan associations.
Mistletoe is found in Britain mostly on apple and willow trees, but it is becoming scarce, so is often imported from France, and now found in Garden Centers.
"The real reason why the Druids worshipped a mistletoe-bearing oak above all other trees of the forest was a belief that every such oak had not only been struck by lightning but bore among its branches a visible emanation of the celestial fire: so that in cutting the mistletoe with mystic rites they were securing for themselves all the magical properties of a thunderbolt."
Sir James George Frazer, 'The Golden Bough.'
"In Wales, a sprig of mistletoe gathered on Midsummer Eve is placed under the pillow to induce prophetic dreams."
Welsh Folklore.
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