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Martha Talks Back: Reader Questions Answered

by Martha Brockenbrough

Dear Martha,

It's the holiday season and people keep trying to kiss me under a mistletoe. Why? Where did this tradition come from anyway?

Thanks for your help!

Bill

Dear Bill,

While mistletoe sounds more like a foot condition than anything that would inspire romance, you should probably count your blessings that all you're getting is a kiss. Once upon a time, it was more customary to sacrifice a bull or ox under the mistletoe.

Mistletoe is an interesting plant. It's a parasite; in fact it's the only plant that is actually considered a true parasite because it sometimes kills the hardwood trees it infests. Mistletoe grows slowly in trees, and doesn't put roots in the ground.

This liberation from the earth made the ancient Druids believe mistletoe was sacred. It was even considered bad luck to let any mistletoe touch the ground. The Druids believed mistletoe could provide protection; promote fertility, love, and health; and exorcise demons. Putting it in a baby's crib would keep the fairies from whisking away your child. And some people even believed that wearing it around your neck could make you invisible. (But maybe only in the way that drinking a lot of mead could make you really good-looking.)

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe probably got its start with the Druids as well.

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According to one explanation, the Norse god Balder was killed with an arrow made of mistletoe. The rest of the gods were sad, so they decided to bring him back to life. The Goddess of Love then dedicated the mistletoe to Balder--and anyone passing under it must receive a kiss to show tribute to this symbol of love.

Others point to the Druid tradition of laying down arms and exchanging greetings under the mistletoe as the origin of the kissing tradition. They credit the English for taking peace one step further by puckering up, then plucking a berry from the bunch and discarding it. The kissing ended when the berries ran out, inspiring people to find hearty bunches.

Go to the Martha Talks Back home page.

Martha Brockenbrough lives, writes, and plays in Seattle. She is author of It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond.

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