The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-20
CHRISTMAS HOLLY.
History Of the Presiding Plant
Of a Joyful Season.
Its Use In Decoration Of Great Antiquity.
Why Holly Berries Are Red.

which hnteudtes tDe glacial perlOu III
this northern hemisphere. !. is a plant
which possesses vigor enough to stand
by it's ancestral habits, rather than con-
form TO the deciduous customs of new
er generation which owes sls prosperity
to its time serving propensity. Ii is one
Of the genus lick, some OF which, like
members Of the "ancient regime" Of
France, have adopted plebeian habits
and have begun to shed their leaves an
nually No less than 100 species make
up the genus, and only minority now
inhabit what is at present called the
temperate zone. The majority are found
in the tropical regions Of Asia and
America. Europe possesses one sole sur
vivor Of that miocene fora which re-
sembled the forms now met with in
Asiatic and South American forests.
This is the well known European holly.
The United States of America has aS
least ten representatives, six Of which
have conforined 10 the deciduous habits
Of recent times. Only one of these, how
ever, concerns US now, and that one is
called the American holly. The Eu-
ropean holly is Hex aquifolium; the
American holly is Hex opaca. Doubt
less it was the former Of these which
was invested with the right to preside
over the decorations of the Christmas
feast. but that honor has rightfully been
transferred OH this side Of the Atlantic
to the latter form, although the leaves
Of opaca are not SO glossy, nor its ber-
ries so brilliantly scarlet, as those # its
sister plant.
The use of holly in Christmas decora-
tiop is of great antiquity, and probably
is merely continuation Of the Roman
customs Of pref Christmas times, for it
was held by Rome in such esteem that
wreaths Of holly were used as symbols
of congratulation at weddings. The an
.cient Teutons also hung up branches of
evergreens-of which holly was the com
monest-in their houses, as places Of
shelter for the sylvan spirits during the
cold weather. 1t was natural, therefore,
that when Christians began TO decorate
home and church for their religious fes-
tivals they should use the plants they
had been accustomed to in other days.
1t was in this way doubtless that certain
plants became associated with certain
seasons Holly and ivy apparently were
accepted without reservation, and their
use became universal, and now ceie-
braticn of Christmas without one or
both of these would be an anomaly.
Some plants do not seem to have been
accepted with equal favor. There is the
"baleful" mistletoe, provocative Of the
dangerous habit Of kissing, which the
doctors are trying to break up by disclos-
ing what terrible microbes are com
muni cable in the operation. To quote
the historian Of ChrisSnas at Brace
bridge Hall "On reaci.SIg the church
porch we found the parson rebuking the
gray headed sexton for having used mis-
tletoe among the green's with which the
church was decorated. 1t was, he OBJ
served an unholy plant, profane by
having been used by the Druids in their
mystic ceremonies, and though it might
be innocently employed in the festive
ornamenting Of halls and kitchens, yet
it had been deemed by the fathers of the
church as unhallowed and totally unfit
for sacred purposes. So tenacious was
he on this point that the poor sexton
was obliged to strip down great part
of the humble trophies of his taste be-
fore the parson would consent to enter
upon the service Of the day" So the
mistletoe, sacred among the Druids, is
rejected, bet ivy, sacred to Bacchus, is
accepted.
Holly which has been used for the
decoration Of churches is highly valued
in Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and
a small piece with its scarlet berries is
treasured because it is supposed to bring
good luck for the ensuing year In Rut-
land, another English county, they say
it is unlucky to bring any holly at all
into the house before Christmas eve.
Some varieties Of European holly are
much mere prickly than others. The
smooth arc called "she holly" and the
prickty he holly. According as cne or
other predominated in the decoration,
say the wise in such matters, so the
wife or husband will rule the house
during the year. A careful selection by
the husband might be beneficial, but
then again he might be circumvented as
the man was at the well of ST. Keyne
in Cornwall.
The evergreen habit Of the holly has
given point TO Scotch proverb which
defines an inveterate liar as one "who
only tells lees when the hollin is green. +"
And why are the berries red? All,
thereby hangs beautiful tale Of adapta-
ton. They are red to entice the birds,
so that dispersion and distribution
may be attained. But we have said
enough about our "sprig of holly" and
trust that its efficacy at 'merrie Christ
mas" will bo mono the less because we
have frightened up the knowledge of its
history. New York Post