Poinsettias

I have read a couple of great posts that describe some Christmas traditions and where they came from.  Bas wrote one about Klaas and Claus and the Netherlands.  Lillie wrote one about the first Canadian Christmas Carol.  I was teasing them in the comments about giving us our Christmas educations, but then I thought...hey, why not?

I thought that I would share with you the history of the Poinsettia flower.

 

The Poinsettia plant is originally from central Mexico. The Aztecs used the plant for dye for clothes and for medicine for fevers. But they called them cuetlaxochitl.  

 

In the 1500s in Mexico on Christmas Eve, people would bring gifts to the alter at the village church to give to the baby Jesus.  Legend says there was a little girl and her brother who were too poor to bring anything and on the way to the village an angel told them to pick the green weeds from the side of the road.  When they placed them on the alter the villagers laughed at them and asked why they were placing weeds next to the baby Jesus and suddenly the green weeds bloomed into the beautiful red flowers we know as Poinsettias...the Mexicans call them Flores de Nochebuena or Flowers of the Holy Night. 

 

Their association with Christmas is due to this legend, but the name Poinsettia comes from the man who brought them to the United States.  His name was Joel Roberts Poinsett and he was the first United States Minister to Mexico.  He brought the Poinsettia to the US in 1825.  Well, in 1825 my state was still a part of Mexico:)

 

Cool things about Poinsettias:

 

It is a Christmas plant but is not cold hardy, but actual comes from deciduous tropical forests. 

 

Churches often decorate the alter with poinsettias for Christmas. And some compare the beautiful five point flower to the Star of Bethlehem that led the wise men to the Christ child.  The red represents the blood sacrifice through Jesus' crucifixion. 

 

Poinsettia is capitalized because it is named after a person.

 

If you are allergic to latex, you could be allergic to the sap of Poinsettias.

 

Poinsettias were once considered weeds.

 

December 12th is Poinsettia Day marking the death of Joel Poinsett.

 

The red parts of the Poinsettia plant that we think are flowers are actually leaves.  The flower is actually the little yellow ones in the center.

 

Ok, so there is my contribution to Christmas history:)  Do you have some Christmas history to share from your neck of the woods?