Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1917-12-20

mistletoe In order that any standing
beneath 1t might be kissed by the
first person who caught her there.
Few If any growing things are the
subject of as many ancient Legends,
customs and beliefs as the mistletoe.
The fact that the ancient Celts In their
druidical religion had two great festi-
walls, one in June and the other In De-
cember, the latter being equivalent to
our Christmas. In both of these great
festivals the gathering of the mistle-
toe was a sacred rite.
pliny in his Natural History de-
scribes the ceremony. Speaking OF
the Druids' worship of the oak, ne
says: "TAey believe that whatever
grows on these trees is sent from
heaven and is a sign that the tree has
been chosen by the God himself. The
mistletoe is very rarely to be met
with but when 1t is found they gather
1t with solemn ceremony. This they
do especially on the sixth day of the
moon, because by the sixth day the
moon has plenty of vigor and has not
run half its course.
After the preparations have been
made for sacrifice and feast under
the tree they hail it as the universal
healer and bring to the spot two white
bulls whose horns have never been
bound before. A priest, clad in
white robe, climbs the tree and with
golden sickle cuts the mistletoe,
which is caught in white cloth. Then
they sacrifice the victims, praying that
God may make his own gift to prosper
with those upon whom he has
bestowed it.
''They believe that a potion pre-
pared from mistletoe will Increase
their flocks and that the plant Is a
remedy against all poison"
1t was believed to be remedy for
many ills and this belief Is still to be
found In many remote places In Eu-
rope. In Holstein, for example, the
mistletoe is regarded as healing rem
edy for wounds and in Lacaune,
France, 1t is always administered by
the native people as an antidote for
poison. They apply the plant to the
stomach of the patient and give him
a solution of 1t to drink as well. The
Gaelic WORD for mistletOe is IAN tnil
ioc," which means "all healer" and
this is probably what the Druids
called 1t in ancient times.
In the northeast of Scotland people
used to cut withes of mistletoe at the
March full moon; these they bent II
circles and kept for year to cure hec
tic fevers and other troubles. II
some parts of Germany the mistletot
is especially esteemed as remedy fol
the ailments of children, who some
times wear 1t hung around the necl
as an amulet.
t In Sweden on midsummer eve mis-
t tletoe Is diligently sought after, tn
: people believing it to be possessed o
t many mystic qualities, and that If
5 sprig of 1t is attached to the ceiling o
t the dwelling house, the horses .stal
or cows crib, the trolls" or evil spirit
r will then be powerless to injure eithe
0 man or beast. Branches Of the plan
!, are commonly seen in farmhouse
: hanging from the ceiling to protec
v the dwellings from all harm, but e:
i pecially from fire, and persons affiic
s ed with the falling sickness think the
can ward off all attacks Of the malad
by carrying about with them knit
J. which has. handle Of mistletoe.
It A Swedish remedy for other con
IS plants Is to hang sprig of mistletc
IS round the sufferers neck or to max
d him wear on his finger a ring mad
e from the plant. Moreover they fasl
Is ion divining rods Of mistletOe or
10 four different kinds Of wood, one I
IN which must be mistletoe. The trea
Or ure seeker places the rod on til
in ground after shutdown and when
h rests directly over the treasure Il
rod begins to move as If 1t were aliy
at Like their Swedish neighbors, mar
at German peasants consider the mistl
at toe q powerful charm against evil spi
he its.
: &.