Today, mistletoe is inseparable from the festivities of Christmas, hanging in doorways and sparking holiday cheer. Underneath its bright green leaves and red or white berries, people gather exchange pleasantries and celebrate goodwill. But this unpresuming plant has a rich and complex history that stretches back thousands of years, found within ancient traditions, folktales, and medicine, according to ambius.com.
Mistletoe’s journey begins in the forests of Europe, where ancient civilizations revered it. The plant typically grows on the branches of trees, particularly oak and apple trees, which made it appear almost magical to ancient societies. The Celtic Druids, whose religion and worldview strongly connected to nature, considered mistletoe a sacred herb, a symbol of life and fertility, according to ambius.com.
For the Druids, the mistletoe was a powerful tool for healing. Spiritual leaders of Druid society believed that mistletoe could heal ailments, help with fertility, and even ward off evil ghosts. The plant’s characteristic to remain green throughout the harsh winters symbolized eternal life. In winter ceremonies, the mistletoe held a sacred status, and Druids carefully cut it with a golden sickle, offering it as a blessing for health, prosperity, and protection. People believed that this ritual brought good fortune and safeguarded against misfortune in the coming year, according to fwbg.org.
There are many ancient civilizations that believed in the properties of the mistletoe. The Norse, a group of Germanic tribes living in Scandinavia from the eighth to the eleventh centuries, believe story of Balder. Balder, the god of light, died when, thanks to Loki, the trickster god, an arrow made of mistletoe fatally hits his heart. After Balder’s death, his mother’s grief was so heavy that she shaped the mistletoe into a symbol of peace, vowing to kiss anyone who passed beneath it as a sign of reconciliation and goodwill. In Greek and Roman mythology, the tradition of decorating with hanging clumps of mistletoe began during the Roman winter holiday Saturnalia, and many believe this is why mistletoe became associated with Christmas time, according to fwbg.org.
As time passed, artists began writing the mistletoe into songs and films, such as in a song published in 1784, in Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers, and in an art print from 1794. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there was a global expansion of the idea of kissing under the mistletoe, according to time.com.
Today, mistletoe is a staple Christmas decoration and appears universally in many homes. From its ancient roots to its modern-day role as Christmas decor, mistletoe remains symbol of continuity and tradition. While its significance may have shifted over time, the everlasting use of mistletoe as a symbol of love, fertility, and protection continue to be as strong. Every person who uses mistletoe in the Christmas season participates in a tradition that spans over thousands of years, connecting the past and the present.
Featured Image by Casey Smith ’26
