There are many traditions around the holidays, but plants and vegetation seem to be high on the list! Trees, wreathes, poinsettia, amaryllis, Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti, holly, mistletoe — are there more? Why are so many green and growing things part of the holiday tradition?
Church records as far back as the Middle Ages include entries for the purchase of holly and ivy in the winter. In the Christian tradition, evergreens symbolized eternal life and the promise of the return of life in the spring and the wreath symbolizes the never-ending life of Christ. In the Jewish faith, the lily is considered a traditional Hanukkah flower because of the flower’s symbolism of new beginnings and new life. During Muslim Eid, white roses mean purity, innocence and spirituality and pink roses signal gratitude. Plants are a promise of life.
Let’s look at how to take care of some of those promises. Did you know there were three different “holiday cacti”? The shape of the leaves will tell you which one you have. The Thanksgiving cactus has very pointed and sharp-toothed edges on the side of the leaf. The Christmas cactus has leaf projections that are more teardrop-shaped and the Easter cactus has rounded edges centralized on the leaf.
Read more at kpcnews.com