Christmas is less than a week away! Let鈥檚 sit down for a moment with a cup of tea, catch our breath, and pause to think about the plants of Christmas.
Some plants go back thousands of years in the mists of time to the druids and Celts; evergreens and holly stay green through the winter, symbolic of everlasting life. Mistletoe was considered magical: because it is a parasitic plant that grows on other plants, and does not grow in the soil, yet stayed green over the winter, it was an important plant that symbolized rebirth and the hope of spring.
Poinsettias are a classic Christmas plant; legend has it that a long time ago in Mexico, a little girl wanted to take a gift for baby Jesus during the Christmas ceremony at church. The little mite was very poor, so she picked some flowers from beside the road as she walked to church.聽 By the time she arrived there, the flowers became dazzling poinsettias.
Do you know what a 鈥淐hristmas Lily鈥� is? It鈥檚 the lovely amaryllis, bringing us magnificent trumpet flowers right during the Christmas season. I saw a beautiful picture in a decorating magazine: several amaryllis bulbs plants in a large, low glass bowl, and used as a centrepiece on a large dining room table. If you have the space and want to go for an edgy new look, group several amaryllis bulbs together in one planter rather than planting one bulb in a single pot.
Next time you鈥檙e grocery shopping, head to the produce aisle for another special Christmas plant.聽 Find a bright and cheery bunch of radishes so that you can celebrate Noche de Robanos on December 23. This special celebration takes place in Oaxaca, Mexico, and began back in the time when the Spanish brought radishes to Mexico. Imagine the creativity and beauty as radishes are carved into all kinds of symbols of Christmas! It must be quite a sight to see!
Many of us will associate wheat with Christmas.聽 Wheat, the food of life, and a symbol of abundance. In Ukrainian culture a sheaf of wheat, the didukh, is brought out as evening begins and the first star appears on Christmas Eve. Kutia, wheat and poppyseed, is the first dish served on the holy night. The oldest member of the family throws some kutia to the ceiling; if many kernels stick, there will be good luck next year!
The magi brought frankincense and myrrh, but what are they?聽 Frankincense is resin from from species of the genus Boswellia, which is found in east Africa and India. From what I have read, the plants are nothing to look at, gnarled and with few leaves, but they are valued for their resin. Likewise with myrrh, the sap from the genus Commiphora that grows in the sandy soils of Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. To harvest these resins, growers make a cut in the bark, and the sap drips out and is collected.
What about fragrant rosemary? In my readings I learned that this aromatic and delicious herb has a place in the list of famous Christmas plants because rosemary bushes gave shelter to the Holy Family on their flight to Egypt.
So many wonderful traditions connected to so many wonderful Christmas plants! 聽
As we await the countdown to Christmas and the Savior鈥檚 birth, savor the joy and hope of this special season. The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!聽 Further to that, Keith and I wish you every blessing of Christmas, and a new year full of health and happiness.
Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca, and have a wonderful Christmas!
