During the Christmas season, we see tons of trees, lights, snowmen, Santa’s, nativity sets and so much more. But, have you thought about the poinsettia flowers that are seen during this season? As the official flower of Christmas, chances are you have one or two in your home as well. The history and legends behind why this flower is the flower of Christmas is a truly beautiful story.
The Legend
The poinsettia is actually a leafy plant…not a flower, which surprises most people. And it originates from South America. The legend of this flower is that a young girl had nothing to give to the nativity scene for the Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. Her sister told her that Jesus would love anything…no matter how small. So, she went and picked what they thought was a weed and laid these into the nativity set. These weeds then grew into the beautiful red flowers that we know today. There are variations on the legend with the sister really being an angel telling the little girl to give these to Jesus.
The Popularity
While these have always been popular, they really took off when they were introduced into North American during the 1800s and even then, it took over a hundred years for these to become mainstream. During the era of Bob Hope, poinsettias were used to decorate the stages of many talk shows and the like thanks to the Ecke family. From there, they become something that every household saw and loved.
Thus, that brings us to today when poinsettias are seen around Christmas time and are always a reminder of the good that comes with Christmas. Will you be sitting around poinsettias this Christmas? They can be an effective and cheap Christmas décor for your home!
Looking for all things Christmas? Be sure to check out Bearly Christmas for information and fun related to Christmas!
See more of our Christmas twists here