Legend
of the Holly
.
In ancient times,
holly was considered
magical and sacred
because of its shiny leaves
and ability to
bear fruit in winter.
~
The Druids believed
that holly,
with its shiny
leaves and red berries
stayed green
to keep the earth beautiful
when the sacred
oak lost it leaves.
~
It was believed
that if you hung holly
over your bed,
you would have good dreams.
~
At one time,
holly was connected to the
mythical Holly
King - patron king of the winter
solstice.
As the Winter Solstice Festivals
evolved, holly
remained a part of the
holiday celebrations.
~
Holly was the
sacred plant of Saturn
and was used
at the Roman Saturnalia festival to
honor him.
Romans
gave one another holly wreaths and carried
them about decorating
images of Saturn with it.
~
Centuries later,
in December,
while other
Romans continued their pagan worship,
Christians celebrated
the birth of Jesus.
To avoid
persecution, they decked their homes with
Saturnalia holly.
~
As Christian
numbers increased and their customs
prevailed, holly
lost its pagan association
and became a
symbol of Christmas.
~
And, along with
ivy and mistletoe,
holly remains
a popular form of decorative
Christmas greenery
today.
~~~
Christian
tradition assigns significance to Holly:
.
According to
tradition the pointy leaves
represent the
thorns of Christ's Crown.
~
The perennial
green leaves represent eternal life.
~
The red berries
represent the blood shed for our salvation.
~
There is even
a tradition that holly was used to make
the crown of
thorns.
At that time,
the berries were yellow.
In honor to the
blood shed by Christ,
the berries turned
red.
~
While holy
is most often pictured as having
red berries,
the berries come in other colors too.
~
One tradition
say that white berries
represent Jesus'
purity...
green berries
the cross of wood...
and black berries
his death.
~~~
The
Legend Of Holly
The
holly berry that burns so red
(Raise high the
holly!)
Once was whiter
than wheaten bread
(As love is better
than folly.)
Whiter than
shells along the shore
It blooms on
its tree by a stable door.
Villagers come
there, half afraid,
Gifts in their
hands for Child and Maid.
And one has nothing
of note, so he
Fetches a branch
of the holly tree.
Alas, alas, the
little Newborn
Has pricked His
finger upon a thorn,
Has left His blood
on the spiny leaves.
Heavy of heart
the holly grieves,
Sees in a terrible
vision how
A crown of holly
shall bind His brow
When Child is
man.
For sorrow
and shame
The berries have
blushed as red as flame.
Says Mary the
Mother,
"Take no blame.
"But be of good
cheer as ever you can.
Both foul and
fair are the works of man,
"Yet unto man
has My Son been lent.
And you, dear
tree, are the innocent
"Who weeps for
pity what man might do.
So all your thorns
are forgiven you."
Now red,
rejoicing, the berries shine
On jubilant doors
as a Christmas sign
That desolation
to joy makes way.
(Hang high the
holly!)
Holly is the
symbol of Christ's Birthday.
(When love
shall vanquish folly.)
~~~
.
.
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