The Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe, like all traditions, stems from places and cultures we might not associate with the custom as it is known today.

Mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant. It usually grows on trees and even sinks roots into the trees to get nutrients but it is capable of photosynthesis so it is not a full parasite.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe may have its roots in Norse legend. Frigga, goddess of love had a son named Balder and because of a dream he had, she became alarmed and sought to protect him from harm from every living creature and plant, that he could not be harmed by anything on or under the earth. Mistletoe did not grow on or under the earth, but on trees. The evil god Loki knew this and prepared a poison arrow with it with which Balder was killed. After three days Frigga was able to restore her son to life and from then on, it is said she kissed everyone who passed under the mistletoe and decreed that it stood for life and love from then on.

In England the tradition of mistletoe goes back before the birth of Christ. Mistletoe was revered by the Druids, and mistletoe that grew on an oak was considered to have magical qualities. The plant was also considered a symbol of fertility, as it remained green even as the deciduous trees it grew on appeared to be in winter’s grip of death.

The plant continued to be endowed by superstition with mystical and healing properties throughout medieval times. The tradition of hanging the plant in doorways began in England and it was considered good luck as well as a love charm. Over time this tradition included kissing under the mistletoe with the superstition that a girl who wasn’t kissed would not be married within the coming year.

Man has always invented superstitions regarding those things that were essential to survival but shrouded in mystery. The weather was a key factor in growing food, but completely beyond his control and understanding. So what he didn’t understand, he concocted stories about and when things went well, it meant that he had performed those actions and rituals pleasing to the unseen power that held his destiny.

Securing a mate as well as producing progeny was of high importance to both men and women. Superstitions about love and marriage have been around for centuries. Some survive today and some have been forgotten. Some are fanciful, others are comical. Here are a few of the more interesting superstitions I found, and you can see how some persist in modern times.

Love and Wedding Superstitions:

If the groom drops the wedding ring during the ceremony, the marriage will be doomed.

Seeing a nun or a monk on your wedding day means you will be childless.

The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.

If a single girl sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband.

For luck a bride must wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky sixpence in her shoe”.

If a girl finds a four-leaf clover and puts it in her right shoe then the next bachelor she meets will become her husband.

If a woman eats a salted herring before going to bed, she will dream of her future husband who will appear carrying a glass of water to quench her thirst.

The bride must be carried over the threshold. If the bride stumbles when entering the newlywed’s home for the first time, it will bring bad luck and harm to their marriage. So carrying the bride across the threshold prevents this from happening.

Tying shoes to the back of the couple’s car began back in Tudor times when guests threw shoes at the couple’s carriage. If it was hit then it was good luck.