Recently our new neighbor gave Mary Alice a bouquet of American holly to use in decorating our home for Christmas. The American holly became known as the Christmas bush due to its history in ancient tradition as its symbolism in Christianity, and its widespread use in holiday decorations.

With the onset of autumn, and sunlight fading, the fear of darkness and the unknown troubled early humans. The darkness, cold temperatures and trees dropping their leaves gave the appearance that everything in the landscape was dying. The colorful European Holly, with its red berries and glossy evergreen leaves, gave hope to the people.

Before every winter solstice, ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a festival honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture, Abundance, and Renewal. The festivities reminded Romans that the world would not be plunged into darkness. Work was suspended and normal life relaxed. Citizens and their slaves participated in raucous behavior.

Because of this behavior, wreaths and boughs of holly appeared everywhere, indoors and outdoors to protect their homes. Gifts were also exchanged, with a little holly sprig tied to each gift. The celebration evolved to last seven days, beginning before the solstice and continuing until Dec. 25, which was the winter solstice by the Julian calendar.

Early Christians began to defy the worship of Saturn and other Roman deities. When this occurred the Christians were put on trial and executions were held. Fearing further persecution, these Christians adopted holly to be used as a kind of mask, with the symbolism altered, during Saturnalia festivities. To them, the spiny thorns along the plant’s leaf margins represented Jesus’ crown of thorns, while the red fruits signified droplets of blood. Early Christians didn’t celebrate the birth of Jesus per se but were acknowledging Christ’s sacrifice at the crucifixion.

Eventually in the fourth century, with multitudes of religious conversions, Christianity took hold throughout the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine, a Christian himself, approved Dec. 25 as the day of Jesus’ birth. What had always been a pagan holiday eventually morphed into a Christian holiday, with holly one of the many remaining remnants.

In the British Isles and other parts of Europe, both pagan and Christian traditions used holly in their celebrations. In one ancient ritual, a boy was dressed in holly branches to represent the masculine forces of nature, while a girl was decked in ivy to represent the feminine. Together, they were paraded through their villages to welcome the winter solstice.

Holly is dioecious, with separate male and female plants necessary for reproduction. Berry-like fruits only appear on the female plants. A traditional British Christmas carol traced to the fifteenth century was “The Holly and the Ivy,” which tells the story of Jesus’ birth.

In another Christian myth, a holly bush sprouted leaves with thorns to hide and protect baby Jesus from King Herod’s men. There is a myth that Jesus reciprocated this by making the holly an evergreen.

Holly has been used as a protector against evil. Branches of holly hung over doors as a safeguard against demons. The Roman Pliny the Elder promoted the idea that hollies protected dwellings from being struck by lightning. In Norse mythology, holly belonged to Thor, the God of Thunder.

While it is acceptable to prune a branch of a holly tree, cutting down an entire tree is considered bad luck. Witches allegedly avoided holly when flying over hedges; however, holly is supposedly a choice wood for crafting magic wands. The wood is alleged to possess an innate ability for control. Indeed, true or not, coachmen and plowmen preferred whips made from holly well into the nineteenth century.

When European settlers arrived in America, they found the native American holly, which resembled the English holly they had left behind. By the 19th Century, the use of holly in Christmas decorations became popular, especially after the publication of “The Night Before Christmas” in 1822, which helped to solidify its association with holly. By 1851, it was reported that hundreds of thousands of bunches of holly were sold annually for Christmas decorations.

American holly, which became a symbol of Christmas, was often referred to as the Christmas bush. Its rich history, combined with its vibrant appearance and cultural significance, has made it a beloved part of holiday celebrations across the United States and beyond.

The leaves of the American holly are stiff, yellow-green, and dull matte to sub-shiny, with a wedge-shaped base, acute apex, and curved edges into several sharp, spike-like points. The flowers are greenish-white and bloom in spring, followed by the bright red or orange fruits (drupes) that ripen in fall and persist on the tree throughout the winter.

European holly and American holly differ in leaf appearance, fruit characteristics, tree size and native range.

American holly is dioecious (separate male and female plants). The female plants produce the berries, which are an important food source for birds and small mammals. The leaves can be used as nests to provide shelter for birds and serve as larval host plants for butterflies.

The American Holly was first scientifically observed and documented in 1744, marking the beginning of its formal recognition. Soon after, this holly became a favorite of George Washington. He planted, or directed others to plant for him, dozens of hollies at Mount Vernon.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.