圣誕植物

Mistletoe 槲寄生

Mistletoe, a woody plant with leathery green leaves and white berries, is hung above doorways during the Christmas season. Tradition says that a person caught standing underneath the hanging mistletoe can not refuse to give a kiss to anyone who might ask. Needless to say this has resulted in many a kiss being given both in friendship and in passion. You may well be wondering where this warm Christmastime tradition came from and I think you will be surprised to learn that this custom was actually inspired by a very ancient Norse legend. This legend tells of Balder， the god of peace， who was killed by the evil god Loki with an arrow made of mistletoe - mistletoe was the only thing that could hurt Balder. When Balder's mother， Frigga - the goddess of love， found out about her son's death she was grief-stricken. She and the other gods worked desperately to restore Balder's life and when they had at last succeeded Frigga was so grateful that she promised to bestow a kiss upon anyone who stood beneath the mistletoe. Thus， this ancient legend not only created the "kissing tradition" that we know today but also enshrined forever the mistletoe as a symbol of love， peace and forgiveness - three qualities which are an essential part of the Christmas spirit

 檞寄生葉子綠而堅(jiān)韌，結(jié)白色小漿果，人們在圣誕佳節(jié)時(shí)分將其懸掛在門口。有個習(xí)俗是若你站在檞寄生下方時(shí)，有人要求親吻你，你可不能拒絕對方喔。不消說很多時(shí)候人們會因友情、愛慕之情而要求親吻。你或許會納悶這個溫馨的圣誕習(xí)俗打哪兒來的？你可能會驚訝它的由來是古挪威民間傳說。傳說和平之神伯德，被邪惡之神羅其以世上唯一可致其死地的武器，也就是檞寄生所制的箭刺死。伯德的母親-愛神費(fèi)迦得知此事時(shí)悲痛萬分，于是和眾神拼命地挽救伯德的生命，最后終于成功地將他救活。費(fèi)迦實(shí)在太感激了，便允諾只要有誰站在檞寄生下，便賜給那人一個親吻。因此這個傳說不但造就了一個至今我們所熟悉的親 吻習(xí)俗，也永遠(yuǎn)將檞寄生象征的含意，也就是愛、和平、寬恕保存下來，而這三者也正是圣誕節(jié)重要的精神所在。