Advent 2024 and the Meaning of the Evergreens

 I went all over the place to find the evergreen bits to bring in for the Winter Solstice. I wanted as many different things that it's possible to have in a Mid Suffolk winter.

Bay from my own small Bay tree in a big pot in the back garden.

 Bay was used to aid healing and protected from lightening, snakebite, disease and witchcraft. Sacred to the Romans and worn by their emperors, heroes and poets. It was planted by the house door to keep away plague.

Holly with just a few berries from a back lane near where I used to live and I also snipped a couple of bits of variegated holly from the car park of a village hall on my way home from town on Thursday.

In Roman times Holly was given as a gift during Saturnalia. A Holly tree planted near the door protects from storm, fire and the Evil Eye. A holly collar protected a horse from witchcraft and coach men preferred whips with holly wood handles. Chilblains were cured by being whipped with a holly branch.

I stopped at the churchyard in the same village in the hope that some mistletoe would have been blown down from the huge churchyard trees and got lucky as there was a branch down, including mistletoe, although it must have been down a while as  most had lost it's leaves. There was one berry! 

Mistletoe - the most mysterious and magical plant, a parasitic plant suspended between earth and sky famous since the Druids. It symbolised peace and hospitality and the berries were used in love potions and kissing under it was once a fertility rite, rather than just fun!

A piece of Yew from one of the many Yew trees over the road in the Churchyard in my village.

 Yews have been planted in churchyards for many 100 years, although exactly the reason for the connection is not known, but it is thought they were sacred to pagans who had used the site before Christianity and they were often used as the spot for village meetings. They were thought to symbolise eternal life and cutting them down would bring death.

And Ivy growing on a post also in the churchyard, although it's everywhere of course.

Sacred to the Gods of wine it would hang outside a vintners premises to show that good wine could be had there (ale houses had a bush hanging outside)There is a traditional rivalry between the holly and the ivy. The holly is masculine and the ivy is feminine. Ivy leaves soaked in vinegar are said to be a cure for corns and whooping cough in children could be cured if they drank from a ivy-wood bowl.

And finally a piece of Rosemary also from the churchyard, didn't need secateurs for this as it was half broken and hanging down so not really 'stealing', just tidying!

Rosemary was both sacred and magical. Tradition says it had white flowers until the Virgin Mary spread Christ's  clothes on it to dry during the flight into Egypt. Tudor brides always carried rosemary in their bridal wreaths. Rosemary was once put into the hands of the deceased and mourners would carry rosemary to throw into the grave.

And altogether in the living room

There were some small bits left for another jar full which is on the kitchen windowsill. 

Back Tomorrow

Sue