Christmas Decorations

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Christmas is round the corner and you must have made plans to brighten up home. As you adorn your home with the decorations do you know their significance? Here are some…



MISTLETOE

Mistletoe is a symbol for peace and joy. During the times of Druids, whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. From this comes the custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship and goodwill.

In the ancient times, it was forbidden to fight under the mistletoe. Mistletoe was considered to be a healing plant, capable of healing everything from infertility in woman to poison ingestion. Scandinavians also thought of mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony.

CANDY CANE

Candy Cane is yet another important symbol of christmas traditions. The white color of the candy cane symbolizes the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus. The hardness of the candy symbolizes the solid rock, the foundation of churches and the firmness of the promises made by God. The candies are made in a "J" shape to represent the name of Jesus and the shape of the staff of the "Good Shepherd". And the three red stripes on the candy represents the Trinity and the blood shed by Christ to let us have the promise of the eternal life.

CHRISTMAS BELLS

Christmas Bells are an integral part of Christmas traditions as Christmas without the bells is incomplete. Bells represent Joy and Sorrow. They are a symbol of creativity and harmony; the creating Word, and the music of the spheres. [Genesis 1; John 1:1-4] High in the towers, suspended between heaven and earth, bells and especially their clappers, represent communication and suspension between heaven and earth, or humans and God.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Christmas Tree and its decoration forms an integral part of the Christmas celebrations. The Christmas tree is an evergreen coniferous tree which is decorated with sweets and lights in the spirit of Christmas. The Christmas Tree originated in Germany in the 16th century. It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper.

It is said that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter's night near Christmas, he was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century. It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 19th century.