The festive season is a rich time for tradition, storytelling and folklore. A time when different belief systems and traditions clash and combine into symbolic acts, we take part in without a second thought. At a time of year when the days are shortest and the outdoors is a less inviting place to be, many of these Yule traditions involve our wildlife.

From robin redbreasts to holly, mistletoe to wreaths, it’s a time to embrace our native species and to enjoy all the stories, myths and tales us humans have woven around them. Does your local area or family have a particular tradition?

Evergreen adornment

Adorning our houses with the green of the outside, and with the bright red of berries, is so deeply embedded into our national consciousness that where it all began is largely undocumented.

The carol ‘Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly’ was originally documented in Wales in the 16^th century. There are accounts from the 1400s that describe houses being adorned in ivy, bay and other greenery at Christmas time. But these are just among the first documentations of such things and don’t speak to the true origin, which I’m certain goes much deeper.

In many traditions, greenery represents renewal and the promise of the return of the green in spring. Some species have specific meanings. Holly itself was brought indoors to ward off evil faeries from the home at winter solstice, or to represent the Holly King from the Celtic tradition, who ruled the year until the winter solstice, when the Oak King took over. For Christians, it may stand for the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified. And of course, its waxy, shiny leaves and bright red berries are just a beautiful way to bring the colours of Yuletide to your home.

“Heigh ho! sing heigh ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.”

~ from ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare

Kissing under the mistletoe

The tradition of kissing under a sprig of mistletoe at Christmas time dates to pre-Christian days, though there is no consensus on when exactly it originated. The plant features variously in Norse and Greek mythologies, where it was used, respectively, as a key to the land of the dead and also as the only thing that would kill the god Baldur the Beautiful – which also got it banished, by Baldur’s mother Frigg, to the top of the tree. For the Druids it had deep meaning, standing for immortality because it fruits in winter and was used in medicine and other rituals.

In terms of its romantic origins, this most likely came from the mystery surrounding its reproduction leading it to become a symbol of fertility, in combination with the popular Tudor tradition of kissing boughs, hung to welcome guests into the home. They were decorated with any green foliage and colourful items like oranges, berries and paper decorations, which, traditionally, gentlemen could pluck from the bough and kiss a lady on the cheek.

The plant itself has a fascinating life cycle. It grows on branches where it steals nutrients from the tree to bolster its own photosynthesis (to generate energy), earning it a reference in Shakespeare as ‘baleful’. It spreads thanks to its sticky fruits which birds eat, then move on to another tree where they wipe their sticky beaks – leaving a seed or two behind to take root on the next tree.

Wreaths

Wreaths made from greenery have been around at least since the Romans were adorning Olympic winners with them, but their use as decorative items can only be traced as far back as the Lutherans in Germany in the 16^th century, who were using them to celebrate advent.

In the UK, we have several native evergreens that all work well in a homemade wreath: holly, ivy, yew, box and gorse. All have their own native wildlife that benefits from their berries at this time of year, but most won’t mind a few springs being taken in for your own decoration. Do bear in mind that yew is poisonous, though, so don’t use in places where there is any danger of it being ingested.

Robin redbreast

One of our most prominent birds in winter, loudly singing through all the darkest days, it is easy to see why this delightful species worked its way into the heart of our festive celebrations. Both male and female birds (though not juveniles) are adorned with the bright red plumage and both sing to defend their own territories, only calling a truce during the breeding season.

There are a whole host of myths that have grown up around the robin and some, such as the association with the red uniforms of Victorian postmen who delivered Christmas cards, are distinctly festive. They can also be linked back to the Celtic mythology of the Holly King and Oak King, who were also represented, respectively, by the wren and the robin. These kings were said to do battle every year at the summer and winter solstice, with the robin taking over at the darkest time of year – which also seems to be an attempt at explaining why we see so many of these birds over winter.

And finally, truly cementing this bird as a festive stalwart, there is also a tale associated with the Christian Christmas story where the robin fans the fire for a labouring Mary to ensure the fire doesn’t go out, promptly catching an ember on its chest that turned it bright red – and earning it Mary’s praise as a kind-hearted bird.

Whether you celebrate Yuletide, the winter solstice or Christmas – or a combination of all of these things – embracing our native flora and fauna, bringing the outside in, is intrinsic to so much of what we take for granted at this time of year. Make sure you’re taking care of your local wildlife, and all it has to offer us, by feeding the robins and providing places for them to nest, growing native trees in your hedgerows and being a member of your local Wildlife Trust.