Poinsettia Legend: The Festive Story of a Christmas Plant
Before we examine the story behind poinsettias as a traditional Christmas plant, let me pose this question: How much do you know about the plants associated with Christmas? Perhaps you are thinking about holly, mistletoe, or even a Christmas tree. It’s best to first explore the world of Christmas plants .
“To fully appreciate why poinsettias are a holiday favorite, one must first understand the realm of Christmas plants, their history, traditions, and symbolism. Only after reading my previous article on “Christmas plants” will you truly be able to cherish the festive spirit we celebrate.”Learning this broader context gives new meaning to the rest and green decorations disguised as flowers, for they tell the tale of love, faith, and holiday magic.
Now, let us reveal the history beneath the evergreen Poinsettia, known as the Christmas plant, and its relevance to today’s Christmas celebration.
The Legend of the Poinsettia
There is an ancient Mexican legend that tells how Poinsettias and Christmas merged.
Once lived a poor Mexican girl named Pepita. Like any other child, she wanted to present something unique to the blessed baby Jesus during the Christmas Eve Services. While longing for goodies that she could offer, she came along with nothing tangible to offer. As she made her way to the chapel, she was approached by a friend who could lift snow.
“Pepita,” he declared. “I reckon that, unlike your perception, an intention to give something, however, a gift might be in your head, can brighten the face of Jesus.”
Unsure, she had little to offer, so she snatched some weeds off the roadside and wrapped them in a bouquet. She considered throwing in some rocks to debase the wretched artefact she was forced to present. She had always been pessimistic, especially while walking through the chapel to the altar.
Nevertheless, intensely haunted by regret of what Jesus had ever made in his lifetime to deserve this, blessed her to be given to reach the very bottom of the nativity. Out of nowhere, the bouquet of weeds changed her life and burst into flames. The onlookers around Pepita felt astonished at the work of magic they had witnessed. Henceforth, it became Flores de Noche Buena or Flowers of the Holy Night.
The red bracts, often mistaken for the poinsettia flower, and the white bracts that serve as leaves are sometimes considered to represent the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the Wise Men to Christ. The red leaves represent God’s love and suffering for us, while the white leaves indicate the hope of purity.
History of How the Poinsettia Became a Symbol of the Holidays
How did a tropical plant become an unlikely symbol of the Christmas holiday? The history of the poinsettia, as it relates to Christmas, begins with an old Mexican legend and, later, a prominent American business venture. Discover the legend of the poinsettia!
Is it poin-set-ee-uh or poin-set-uh? Either way, that name can easily be forgotten as the plant synonymous with Christmas can be pronounced differently.
Poinsettias: America’s Favorite Holiday Flower
Beyond the Christmas tree, the Poinsettia is arguably the most popular flower in Christmas celebrations. Approximately two million will be sold this year, making it America’s single most-sold potted flower.
Poinsettias come in varied solid and streaked colours, including red, pink, white, and yellow. There are over a hundred different types, so choosing one to purchase is quite a challenge.
I was once offered the chance to view an open house at a local wholesale grower’s greenhouse. With about 40 thousand Plants he had ready to ship to stores in my area, it was quite the opportunity.
Why Are Poinsettias the Christmas Flower?
Poinsettias bloom during the winter season in their original habitat in Southern Mexico. They are perennial shrubs that were once classified as weeds, capable of growing between 10 and 15 feet in height left uncultivated. What is commonly considered the “coloured flowers” are the modified leaves known as Bracts, while the true flowers of the plant are minute beads located within the bracts.
- In their pre-European colonization, the Aztecs used the Nahuatl language to refer to the plant as cuetlaxochitl (pronounced as kwe-tla-so-cheetl or kwet-la-sho-she). They used the bracts to create a reddish-purple dye for fabrics and employed the sap in medicines to curb fevers, skin conditions, and other disorders. Cuetlaxochitl was grown in the gardens of Aztec rulers and offered as an offering in ceremonial rituals.
- Spanish missionaries later referred to it as Flor de la Noche Buena (Flower of the Holy Night) owing to its resemblance to the stars of Bethlehem.
- According to Mexican legend, a little girl named Pepita didn’t owe a gift to the baby Jesus on the Christmas Eve service. She had no money, so all she could do was pick a bouquet of weeds as an offering. The angels showed compassion for her sorrowful condition. So, after Pepita placed the flowers at the nativity’s crèche on Christmas Eve, the angels turned the weeds into stunning red flowers. This is the reasoning behind the use of red and green as the festive colours of Christmas.
How Were Poinsettias Named?
Blazing red, pink, white, orange and even multi-colored variations of the poinsettia are why it is considered the Christmas flower in the United States. All of this is the result of an accidental discovery made by an American Politician and the first US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, during the mid-1800s.
- Poinsett, who displayed an interest in botany, came across these red flowers while travelling to the Mexican town of Taxco, located in Guerrero. It was not long before the Mexicans kicked him out of their country for attempting to purchase the state of Texas from them for a million dollars.
- His admiration for this flower was so great that he decided to send some of the cuttings to his plantation located near Georgetown in South Carolina. It was there that these flowers were propagated and named the Mexican Fire Plant. From there, the plant was sent and cultivated in botanical gardens across the United States.
- With time, people across the United States had more access to the plants, so their popularity skyrocketed. In turn, they were also renamed after Poinsett, which further drove their popularity.
- But even with all that, the person who truly popularized the plant was Paul Ecke, who had the most unique and inventive ideas. For example, he was the first to develop the unique concept of growing the plant in the offseason, when other flower botanists and farmers, especially at Christmas, would produce the poinsettia. He also was the first one to take advantage of his location in California and manufactured methods that allowed him to manipulate seedlings so that they branched and added more volume to the stem.
- To encourage the use of poinsettias as Christmas plants, he dispatched the red-leaved flowers to television studios across the country, including The Tonight Show and Bob Hope’s holiday specials.
- The rest is history. Currently, poinsettias have asserted themselves as the most famous Christmas plant and the most purchased pot flower in the USA and Canada, where they contribute more than $250 million to the economy on the retail side. California is still the primary US state that produces poinsettias.
- For more than 150 years, December 12 was celebrated as National Poinsettia Day, commemorating the day of Poinsett’s death in 1851. In 2002, an Act of Congress made it official.
How to Care for Poinsettias
To ensure a good start, shield your new plant from low temperatures and chilling winds on your way home from the store. Bear in mind that this is a tropical plant, so do not leave it in a cold car while you run other errands.
At home, place it next to a sunny window where it can receive bright indirect light for up to 6 hours a day. Keep it out of direct sunlight that can bleach the leaves, and avoid drafts at this stage with temperatures at 65° and 70°F. Overwatering is a classic cause of death, so be sure to water it only when the soil is arid and do not allow the plant to sit in water. No fertilizer is required whilst the plant is blooming.
Quick Tip: Keep poinsettias in bright, indirect light and water only when the soil feels dry to keep them fresh and vibrant throughout the holiday season.
