Why are mistletoe, holly, and evergreen branches used at Christmas?
We know that these things were all used by the ancient Romans during their New Year’s celebrations. These plants were used during winter time because of the fact that the remained green or in the case of mistletoe and holly, even bloomed in the winter. This reminded the Romans, as it did other ancient peoples, of returning life in the dead of winter. The Roman author Pliny also claimed that the ancient Druids believed mistletoe to have healing properties. According to Francis Weiser, the mistletoe was considered so sacred that if even enemies happened to meet beneath a mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down arms and exchange a friendly greeting and keep a truce to the following day. From this, he believes, arose the custom of hanging mistletoe over a doorway as a token of peace and good will to all comers.
