Part one of our history of mistletoe detailed the basic facts of the plant and our last installment looked at the holiday flower as it transitioned from ancient cultures through to folkloric tradition.

Now we’ll see just how mistletoe came to be the Christmas symbol we know it as today.

Mistletoe in Pre-Christian Europe

Many cultures in Europe, before the spread of Christian influence, saw mistletoe as a potent symbol that represented a “divine male essence”. This made it, by association, a plant that had powers related to fertility, vitality and romance. The Celts of the ancient British Isles provide one example in their use of mistletoe as an antidote to poison and as a treatment for curing barrenness in animals.

Mistletoe, the Christmas Flower

It’s not surprising that mistletoe, being so important to so many ancient cultures, carried on through centuries of tradition to ultimately find itself attached to one of the Christianity’s most essential holidays, Christmas.

Beginning in the 18th century, descriptions of mistletoe being used as a Christmas decoration began to appear in art, literature and other contemporary historical accounts. Across Europe and into North America, mistletoe became more than just another holiday plant. Special meanings were attached to the plant in the English-speaking world, including one that saw a new custom come about wherein, after being cut, mistletoe was not to touch the ground before being removed last amoung the Christmas greens used during Candlemas. Superstition made this practice important: it was said that if the mistletoe touched the ground during this period of time, lightning or fire could hit the home. This lead to mistletoe often being hung throughout an entire year, only being removed when it was replaced at the next Christmas Eve.

The most famous tradition related to mistletoe — two people meeting underneath it being made to kiss — started appearing around this time as well (and may have roots in Scandinavian customs). Each time someone kissed underneath the mistltoe, one of its berries was plucked. When the berries were all removed, kissing underneath it was no longer required.