Come Christmas; we fill our homes with holly flower decorations. Little do we know that holly flowers were a part of ancient and pagan traditions and legends before they became part of Christian tradition. So, what exactly is the holly flower meaning and symbolism?
Holly flowers symbolize good luck and the Christmas spirit. Historically, they served as a protection against lightning and black magic in pagan cultures. Today, holly flowers serve as one of the main decorations around Christmas time, where they signify festivity.
In this article, I’ll discuss all you need to know about the holly flower’s meaning and symbolism, including how it developed through pagan and Christian history, but also what it symbolizes for us today.
Holly Flower Meaning in Christianity and Paganism
We all recognize the holly flower as a sign of Christmas and everything that comes with it. However, long before the Christian symbolism of these trees (yes, they’re trees), they had numerous meanings for many pagan cultures across Europe.
Holly flowers were so important in European culture in their symbolism that the word “holly” comes from these plants, which eventually became an essential part of Christian belief.
Holly Flower in Christianity
As soon as you hear the name “holly flower,” you know it has deep religious origins. The bond between hollies and Christianity throughout history blended their pagan and Christian meanings and became a staple of Christmas time.
Hollies have been used as signs of Christmas since the 15th century in Western Europe. As a common tree there, they not only looked beautiful but were easy to find as well.
Additionally, the practice of decorating homes with hollies remained a tradition left by ancient pagan societies that lived in Europe.
This isn’t to say that Christianity just took these plants from Celts or Romans and included them in their religious tradition. The Bible even mentions holly flowers as a bush where Mary hid baby Jesus from evil king Herod.
The Symbolism of Holly Flowers
From that story in the Bible, hollies quickly became a symbol of safety for early Christians who were constantly persecuted everywhere they went.
Apart from that, hollies came to represent aspects of Jesus not just when he was a baby but also right at the end of his life. Therefore, they represent protection but also the sacrifice that Jesus made for the rest of humanity.
Holly As Christ’s Sacrifice
Over time, and unrelated to the Bible story, hollies started to represent Jesus, just like wine and bread.
Their look helped hollies to become the Christian symbol they are today. Their small, red berries signify Jesus’ blood spilled on the sharp thorns placed around his head. And you guessed it – hollies’ somewhat pointy and sharp leaves symbolize those thorns.
Christmas Decorations
Another good reason holly flowers represent Christmas is that they’re evergreen trees that can be found during cold December months.
So, when everything else is pretty much gone or covered in snow, no wonder those wonderful hollies, with their burning red berries, became a symbol of Christmas. So much so that they were the first “Christmas tree” in England, even before pine.
Conveniently enough, Christ’s birthday was also in December. So, what better way to celebrate that important date than with a symbol of protection and Christ’s suffering?
Holly Flower in Pagan Traditions
It seems like hollies really do possess some mysterious power because many pagan cultures believed in their protective powers and beautiful look.
These pagan societies used hollies the same way we use them today, usually hanging them around their homes. However, for them, it was a necessary object to have if they wanted to be protected and safe.
Romans’ Use of Holly Flower
Before Christmas existed, Romans had their own religious festival called Saturnalia when they celebrated the god Saturn. It was a festival filled with dance, laughter, and enjoyment.
Since Saturnalia was also celebrated in December, the use of holly flowers was quite common. Romans would decorate their homes and themselves with hollies and other plants.
On this special day, it was all about dazzling colors (especially on their togas), so red or pink hollies were the perfect decorations Romans couldn’t resist.
Therefore, holly flowers served as a symbol of festivity and joy for Romans, as well as fertility.
Celtic Legends and Hollies
Celts believed in good and bad magic, and holly flowers played an important role in this regard. Druids practiced good magic, and they’d always use hollies as symbols of protection against bad magic coming from witches and spirits.
Ordinary people would also rely on holly flowers to protect them from any misfortune that might befall them. They’d hang holly flowers outside their homes for this purpose.
However, hollies weren’t only used for protection. They were also a symbol of good luck, and people would often hang them on their walls inside.
Holly flowers are also great at resisting lightning, and pagan cultures definitely noticed it. Because of that, hollies represented the Celtic thunder god – Taranis.
Lastly, Celts saw holly flowers as part of a seasonal battle between the Holly King, who represents winter, and the Oak King, who represents summer, life, and harvest.
As the name suggests, hollies represented the Holly King precisely because they’re present during winter months.
Norse Mythology and Holly Flower
Celts weren’t the only pagan culture with these holly flower meanings and symbolisms. In the north of Europe, their Norse brother tribes shared similar symbolisms.
They also believed that hollies protect from lightning strikes; only their thunder god was called Thor. So, they decorated their homes with hollies in order to protect themselves against his wrath.
Norse mythology also contains the story about the Oak and Holly kings, but apart from that, there’s the winter solstice day – Yuletide, which was a festival when people decorated their homes with many evergreen plants, including holly flowers.
In this sense, hollies symbolized the return of warmer days and harvests. These trees carried a positive meaning for people celebrating Yuletide.
Why Holly Flowers Carry Important Meanings and Symbols
As we can see, hollies have numerous meanings and symbols that have been with us since ancient times, and this is their main importance. Namely, hollies’ symbolism has always been a combination of positive and negative aspects in many different cultures.
Therefore, they represent life and festivity, but at the same time, they signify cold days and protection against the dark magic of witches.
So, why are they at the center of all these cultural and religious symbolisms and meanings? Well, they’re the ultimate symbol of December, and that’s the main reason. Because they “bloom” when everything around them dies, hollies are a perfect symbol of life.
Moreover, because of their endurance, hollies served many cultures as a protective force – if they can survive winter, they can survive and help everyone around them survive everything else.
Holly flowers’ looks and characteristics also helped them with their symbolism and meaning. Their thorny leaves make hollies look dangerous and protective. Apart from that, although those tiny berries look extremely delicious, they’re poisonous to humans.
No wonder they symbolize mysterious yet strong protective energy in many different cultures.
Meaning and Symbolism of Holly Flower Today
We’ve come a long way since Celts and Romans relied on hollies for their protection and good fortune. However, holly flower meaning and symbolism are still present with us, even today.
Hollies nowadays are exclusively connected with Christmas. We don’t generally believe in their protective powers. Instead, we use them for their Christian symbolism, although for many of us, it’s more about tradition than religion, perhaps.
We decorate our homes around Christmas time with hollies because it’s something that has always been done. Plus, red and green colors just scream “Christmas.”
The way we use holly flowers today isn’t that different than how it was used hundreds of years ago for Christmas. Our holly flower decorations come as:
- Wreaths
- Floral arrangements
- Holly stems
- Small Christmas tree decorations
- Garlands
Of course, since we’re living in the modern age, we no longer need to go into a forest to look for hollies. For us, it’s just a few clicks away, and there are our holly flower decorations (which nowadays are mostly artificial).
Meaning of Hollies’ Different Colors
Finally, we all know holly flowers with bright red berries framed by green leaves. However, there are other color combinations of these wonderful “flowers,” and they each come with different meanings.
Red Holly
Red is the most common color of holly flowers. They symbolize happiness, bravery, and festivity. Because of the bright red color, these types of hollies are noticeable against dark green leaves.
The religious meaning of red hollies, which are exclusively used during festive Christian times, symbolizes sacrifice and security.
Red hollies can be found in North America and all across Europe – where they were popularized as decorative plants.
- Pink Holly: Although less prominent, pink hollies have their own symbolism. They’re often connected with femininity because of their color. Additionally, they symbolize spring and romance. They’re also signs of peace because of their subdued pink hue.
- Yellow Holly: Lastly, yellow hollies bear some positive meanings because of their bright and “happy” color. Therefore, they often symbolize rebirth, summer, harvest, and happiness.
Final Thoughts
Holly flowers have been with us for centuries, and all that time, they served humans as symbols of protection and new life.
Many pagan cultures incorporated red hollies into their spiritual lives, including:
- Protection against dark magic and lightning strikes
- Symbols of harvest and spring
- Representation of mythological figures, such as the Holly King.
Over time, Christianity also made use of this plant, namely as a symbol of Christ, where hollies symbolize sacrifice, security, and Jesus’ blood.
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