Why Is Holly a Christmas Decoration?

Why exactly do folks deck the halls with boughs of holly during the Christmas season? Learn about the history and legends behind holly in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,
I'm Lauren vogel Bomb. And during the Christmas season, Polly
adorn's houses all over the world. The prickly green plant
in its red berries, whether real or crafted from plastic,
are popular ornament for anyone wanting to make their space
a little more festive. But where did this tradition begin?

(00:22):
Why do we deck our halls with bows of holly
every December? What does holly represent in the celebration of Christmas?
Despite its association with the Christmas season, holly did not
get its name from holy. The name of the plant
is very similar across both Germanic and Latin languages, and
its origin is probably the Proto Indo European root word kell,
which appropriately means prickly or to prick, Proto Indo European

(00:46):
being the ancient based language of all Indo European languages.
Even in ancient times, people took advantage of the sharp
ends of holly's leaves. Druids hung it on windows and
doorways to fend off evil, which is in spirits. Before
holly was hung in houses to accompany Christmas trees, it
was considered to be a sacred plant by the Druids.
While other plants wilted in winter weather, holly remained green

(01:08):
and strong, its berries of brightly colored red and the
harshest of conditions. The Druids regarded holly as a symbol
of fertility and eternal life, thought to have magical powers.
In Dreadic lore, cutting down a holly tree would bring
bad luck. In contrast, hanging the plant in homes was
believed to bring good luck and protection. Holly was also
thought to protect homes against lightning strikes. Romans associated holly

(01:31):
was Saturn, the god of agriculture and harvest, and decked
the halls with its bows during the festival of Saturnalia.
Early Christian calendars mark Christmas Eve as template exhorditor, meaning
churches are decked, though supposedly Saturnalias celebrators didn't allow some
Christians to hang bows in honor of Christmas A. Christians
adopted the holly tradition from Druid, Celtic and Roman traditions,

(01:52):
and its symbolism changed to reflect Christian beliefs. Today, Christians
may consider holly symbolic of Jesus Christ in two ways.
The red berries represent the blood that Jesus shed on
the cross on the day he was crucified. Legend states
that holly berries were originally white, but that the blood
Christ shed for the sins of humankind stained the berries
forever read. Holly's pointed leaves symbolized the crown of Thorn's

(02:14):
placed on Jesus's head before he died on that cross.
Holly is known as Christ's thorn in German meaning christ thorn.
Both of these symbols are meant to serve as a
reminder to Christians of Jesus suffering, but they aren't the
only stories tying Holly to Jesus. One claims that the
cross on which Jesus was crucified was constructed of hollywood.
Another says that Holly sprang up from his footsteps. Less

(02:38):
common symbolism includes the holly's white blossoms representing purity, and
the idea that if the holly used decorade a home
for Christmas prickly, the man of the house will rule
for the coming year, but if the holly used is smooth,
the woman will rule. Traditionally, holly has been associated specifically
with men, for whom it was considered to bring good
luck and protection. The female counterpart to holly being ivy.

(03:00):
But let's take a closer look at the science behind
this legendary plant. Holly botanical name elux aquifolium is a
shrub or tree found primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia,
with hundreds of species of the plant, ranging from short
shrubs two meters high or about six feet, to tall
trees up to forty meters high or about a hundred
and thirty feet. It's known primarily for its bright crimson

(03:22):
berries and prickly green leaves. Hollies can be evergreen, meaning
the plant's glossy leaves are on the tree year round,
or deciduous meaning the leaves fall off seasonally. White flowers
bloom in May or June, and with help from insects
like bees, the female flowers produce those characteristic berries. Like
its holiday companion mistletoe, Holly's berries are toxic to humans,

(03:44):
resulting in nausea and severe stomach aches when ingested. Not
so for some animals, though. Berries are a vital source
of food for birds such as thrushes and blackbirds. Although
the scarlet berries are famously prominent in homes for the
holiday season, they're not the only useful part of hollyse
The berries are poisonous, but the green leaves have been
used in herbal remedies for centuries for various medical conditions

(04:06):
like dizziness, fever, and hypertension, though there's currently little medical
proof of the plan's effectiveness. Also, Hollywood is hard and compact,
making it excellent for carving. It's sometimes used to make
chess pieces and walking sticks. If you have a passion
for holly three and sixty five days of the year.
The mission of the New Jersey based Holly Society of
America is to stimulate interest, to promote research, and collect

(04:29):
and disseminate information about the genus Lex. Members can join
a local chapter, find out where to get the best
Christmas holly, and gaze upon the Holly of the year,
as voted on by the h A Board of Trustees.
Today's episode was written by Sam Abramson and produced by
Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of other

(04:51):
festive topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com.