Poinsettias are a very popular Christmas tradition that, in the U.S., stems back to the 1800s. They were originally brought to the U.S. from Mexico by the State's Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett (hence the eventual name for the plant, Poinesettia!). However, Poinsettias have an ancient tie to Christmas. Here's how the legend goes:
There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give the the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. But Pepita wanted to give something to the baby Jesus, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. At the chapel, she knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.
Who can imagine Christmas being any other colors than RED and GREEN? Those are the colors of the Holidays, and we love this tradition! But where did it come from?
Red represents the robes that St. Nicholas (now Santa) would wear.
Evergreen plants have been historically used in the winter months to brighten up the cold, dark atmosphere. The Romans, the Greek, and other cultures would exchange evergreen branches during the winter months for good luck. And, of course, the most popular Green today is the Christmas tree.
These are just two of the hundreds of traditions that are celebrated world-wide.
We want to know what YOUR favorite traditions are!
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