In North America and Europe, when two people stand beneath a mistletoe they kiss. The kiss signifies romance and friendship. A girl that is not kissed while standing under the mistletoe will not marry the following year. So when couples kiss beneath it, it signifies their commitment to marry.
Many ancient cultures prized mistletoe for its healing properties—and its romantic symbolism. Kissing under sprigs of mistletoe is a well-known holiday tradition, but this little plant's history as a symbolic herb dates back thousands of years.
The origins of kissing under the mistletoe, a plant that often bears white berries, are often traced to a tale in Norse mythology about the god Baldur.
Kissing under the mistletoe is a very famous Christmas tradition that signifies love and romance. This beautiful tradition reminds us of the spontaneity in relationships, amidst the busy hustle and bustle in life. When two people with a possible romance, find themselves under the mistletoe, they ought to kiss once.
Balls of Mistletoe
A young lady caught under the mistletoe could not refuse to give a kiss. This was supposed to increase her chances of marriage, since a girl who wasn't kissed could still be single next Christmas. According to ancient custom, after each kiss, one berry is removed until they are all gone.
If you want that kiss to be effective, make it happen under mistletoe, not holly. Holly and mistletoe continue to be confused, with images of holly being used more often than you might expect to illustrate or depict mistletoe across a wide variety of media and products.
It's not a law, that someone standing under mistletoe should be kissed. No one will go to jail if you opt out. But, what if you do pucker up? According to a new survey, a surprisingly large amount of folks thing kissing under the mistletoe, doesn't count as cheating.
Mistletoe etiquette, at least, is simple. If you believe in the tradition, men can only kiss a woman on the cheek and, when he does so, he removes one berry from the mistletoe sprig – because once all the beautiful, translucent white berries are gone, the rest of the plant loses all of its romantic power.
According to custom, if you're caught standing under the mistletoe, you may get a kiss. So what is it about this little plant that gives it its power to make people pucker up? For centuries, mistletoe has been considered a plant that increases life and fertility.
The mistletoe tradition blossomed, first among English servants and eventually expanding to the middle class. The basis of the mistletoe tradition was that men were allowed to kiss any woman seen underneath mistletoe -- and refusal to accept was considered bad luck.
The Dutch Cheek Kiss
In the Netherlands it is considered quite normal for Dutch people to greet each other with three kisses on the cheek. It is also custom to do the same again when saying good bye. It's just a friendly way of saying hello and farewell. It's not limited to the Dutch either.
Puss means 'kiss' in Swedish. But it's a specific type of kiss: usually brief and with a closed mouth, equivalent to English 'peck'. It doesn't have to be romantic or sexual, and you'll hear people say it to their friends and family members as much as, if not more than, to their partners.
To kiss hands is a constitutional term used in the United Kingdom to refer to the formal installation of the prime minister or other Crown-appointed government ministers to their office.
Mermaid's Kiss (-30 Hydration): A Mermaid's Kiss grants whoever is kissed the "Aquatic Breath" moodlet, which temporarily gives Sims the ability to dive underwater for longer periods of time.
Definitions of candy kiss. any of several bite-sized candies. synonyms: kiss.
Cheek kissing is a ritual or social kissing gesture to indicate friendship, family relationship, perform a greeting, to confer congratulations, to comfort someone, to show respect.
The tradition, dating back to Norse mythology, and far later adopted into 18th century Christmas traditions, involves stealing a kiss from someone caught standing underneath it.
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While all parts of the plant are toxic, the most common mistletoe poisoning symptom in humans is gastrointestinal upset.
Mistletoe Can be Highly Toxic to Humans.
How long does mistletoe last? Mistletoe generally will keep for 2 to 3 weeks after picking if it is kept in a cool, dry place like a shed.
In St. Louis, 480 couples gathered at the Biergarten and Tour Center, held up their individual sprig of mistletoe and kissed for (at least) five seconds to break the world record for couples kissing at a single location. The previous record was 448 couples.
According to the tradition, it's bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe, but it's a worse idea to eat the berries as many varieties are poisonous. That said, it's a sweet tradition with roots, so, will you be hanging mistletoe this year?
Historically, mistletoe represents romance, fertility, and vitality. Because nothing says love like bird feces and poison. But seriously, the Celtic Druids valued mistletoe for its healing properties and likely were among the first to decorate with it.