Television personality and AZfoothills.com columnist Nadine Toren is scouring the area, finding savvy Valley features, bringing readers “on the scene.” Every day she’ll introduce you to celebrities, athletes, and give you an inside look into local events and hot spots. She'll touch on topical issues, and keep AZ fans posted on all the big talkers around town.

You know it's there for a good reason--to smooch--but do you know where that tempting tradition came from?  Check out why mistletoe is known to bring you extra luck this holiday season. 

‘Tis the season to smooch.  Really, it is.

Think about it—there’s nothing like holiday romance…it’s just an extra affectionate time of year, especially when mistletoe’s involved.  Yes, it’s the Christmas kissing custom prompting a peck—but do you know where that tradition even came from? 

Thanks to the fabulous World Wide Web, I found some background information on the history of mistletoe.  In fact, some say the origin of the custom dates back to ancient Norse mythology.  The story goes that a goddess made all plants unable to hurt her newborn son, but overlooked mistletoe by mistake.  The god of mischief then came along, and tricked the goddess’s son into eating the plant.  He then died.  Luckily some other gods brought the baby back to life, and so the goddess then declared mistletoe a plant that would bring love (rather than death) into the world.

And then there’s another theory that comes from the Babylonian-Assyrian Empire.  Single ladies apparently stood under mistletoe that hung outside the temple for the goddess of love and beauty.  (FYI, mistletoe was commonly known as a healing, supernatural plant; in fact, it was once part of marriage ceremonies, and placed under couples’ beds for good luck.)  And speaking of luck, these Babylonian-Assyrian ladies hoped the mistletoe would bring them some eligible bachelors.

As for kissing under the plant, that tradition was later found in England when men would kiss women standing under the mistletoe.  After the peck, they’d pluck a berry from the bush, and once the berries were gone, it was bad luck to continue kissing under that particular bush.  Truth be told, at that time, a kiss was taken quite serious—it usually meant a promise of marriage.

The mistletoe has been known to be one of the most magical, sacred plants in European history.  It’s considered an aphrodisiac, bestowing life, love, and fertility.  In fact, the ancient Celtic Druids thought it was a protection against poison.  It was gathered at seasonal solstices, often used as Christmas décor.  And the Greeks thought it had mystical powers too. 

Speaking of the Greeks, some websites say kissing under the mistletoe started with the Greek Festival of Saturnalia.  They smooched under the plant for a couple reasons; one: it triggered fertility, and two: it possessed a “life-giving” power.  Later, 18^th-centurty English created a mistletoe “kissing ball,” and when Christmas rolled around, any young gal standing under the decorated plant couldn’t refuse to be kissed.  (And that kiss could mean anything from a sincere romance to a simple friendship.) 

So now that you’ve had your mini history lesson of the day, kiss away.  A little bit of magical mistletoe can only do your lips some good. 

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