Christmas floral traditions from around the world

Here in the U.S., decorating a Christmas tree with colorful ornaments and glittering lights heralds the start of our festive season. But we Americans aren’t the only ones inspired by the natural world when decking their halls for December.  Let’s take a stroll through the Christmas flowers and plants that hold a special place in the heart of other nations’ traditions. Because from pomegranates to poinsettias, there’s more to celebrate than our beloved bejeweled conifers. From appleyardflowers.com we learn  about some favorite festive floral traditions from around the globe.

  In Greece, no Noel is complete without a plentiful harvest of pomegranates; often depicted on Christmas cards and made out of clay, glass or metal for gifting and display, this festive fruit is a national seasonal symbol. 

Traditionally symbolizing fertility, pomegranates were often dedicated to Hera, the goddess of motherhood. They now also represent prosperity, perhaps on account of the ‘jewels’ that spill forth once opened. 

Modern Greeks hang a single pomegranate above their front door on Christmas Day, before smashing it on the doorstep just after midnight on New Year’s Day to ensure a new year full of fortune for their family.                                                                                                                                                             

Poinsettias have become a decorative staple here in the U.S., with some 70 million plants sold every year, but these red-leaved beauties actually hail from Mexico, where they play a role in Christmas folklore. Legend has it that way back in the 16th century, a poor young girl couldn’t afford a gift to take to the baby Jesus at a Christmas service. She was encouraged by an angel to pluck a sprig of weeds from the roadside and place her humble offering at the altar. Upon doing so, it burst into a magnificent poinsettia, with the plants henceforth known as ‘Flores de Noche Buena or ‘Flowers of the Holy Night’. 

Today, poinsettias are named after the first US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who brought them back to South Carolina in the early 1800s. They have retained their religious connotations; the red color is said to symbolize the blood of Christ, and the star shape, the Star of Bethlehem that guided the wise men to Mary, Joseph and the newborn baby Jesus in the Bible story. 

The humble apple enjoys a starring role in China, where it is wrapped or stamped with a festive message and presented as a gift on Christmas Eve. Why? Because ‘Christmas Eve’ is known as the ‘Night of Peace’, which translates to ‘Ping ‘an Ye’ in Mandarin and sounds like ‘pingo’, the word for ‘apple’. 

In Croatia, it is traditional to grow wheat in the run-up to Christmas for use as table decoration on the big day, tied with ribbon in the red, white and blue of the Croatian flag. Travel to this Slavic nation in early December and you’ll find packets of grain in the shops; such is the importance of upholding this centuries-old custom. 

Most families grow their ‘božićna pšenica’, or ‘Christmas wheat’ in small saucers, with the fresh green shoots bringing a touch of spring to bleak midwinter. The taller and lusher your crop grows, the better your luck in the coming year.

Let’s return to Mexico, for an even quirkier Christmas tradition. The ‘Noche de Rábanos’ or ‘Night of the Radishes’ is an event held every December 23^rd in Oaxaca, during which oversized radishes (some are a foot long and weigh up to six pounds) are carved to create intricate sculptures in a bid to win prizes. Designs are often themed around Oaxacan history and culture but have included everything from snowmen to monsters.

So how on earth did this come about? Well, during the colonial period, when the Spanish introduced radishes, talented farmers began carving the vegetables into religious figures to attract shoppers at the city’s annual Christmas market. They proved popular, with locals buying them to use as Christmas centerpieces. 

In 1897, Oaxaca’s mayor declared an official radish-carving competition and it remains a serious matter; government-owned land is dedicated to the growing of radishes used for the contest, which is attended by thousands of visitors and sparks hours-long queues. Sorry, pumpkins-it’s not all about you.

The mistletoe also has an interesting history. The Europe-wide tradition of kissing under mistletoe harks back to Norse mythology, when it symbolized friendship and the healing of wounds. During the Christmas season of peace and goodwill to all men, enemies who met under those iconic sprigs of white berries would lay down their arms and exchange amicable, if far from romantic, greetings. 

The kissing custom began in England in the early Georgian period, when mistletoe would be hung from a popular Christmas decoration called a Kissing Bough-essentially five wooden hoops shaped into a ball. Illustrations depicting kissing under the mistletoe were later published in Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol.

I hope you have enjoyed a glance at these festive floral traditions from around the globe!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.