Nature and Christian Festivals

INTRODUCTION

In this extended feature article we’ll be reflecting on the connections between the natural world, on the one hand, and Christian festivals, on the other. We’ll be weaving social history into natural history; tracing cultural traditions and exploring key aspects of the flora and fauna that are used in religious festivities. Before we embark, we need to be clear about three things.

Firstly, the aspects of the natural world that we will looking at in this article are largely peripheral to the tenets and texts of Christianity. To my knowledge, the Bible has nothing to say about Holly and Mistletoe at the birth of Christ, nor about bunnies and eggs at his resurrection. Nevertheless, there is an association. At Christmas time you will find Holly decorations in churches and church halls; and prior to Easter church services there may be Easter egg hunts for children in the church grounds.

Secondly, we need to be clear that identifying apparent continuities between pagan festivities and the peripheral aspects of Christian festivities is not necessarily to claim that Christianity usurped pagan traditions. Rather than unveiling hidden animistic traits and symbols in the contemporary festive use of plants, we might simply be seeing and noting unsurprising historic similarities. If you want to make a wreath, decoration or adornment in mid-winter, Holly – with its bright green, sturdy leaves and red berries – is most likely to be the tree of choice, whether you are a pagan or a Christian.

Thirdly, though this article focuses upon Christian festivities, it should be remembered that the connections between the natural world and the festivals associated with other religions are equally interesting. Hinduism, for example, is extremely rich in its fundamental and symbolic connections with the natural world. Unfortunately, we do not have the space to explore other religious festivals and rituals in this article.

CHRISTMAS

“Oh, by gosh, by golly, it’s time for Mistletoe and Holly!” As Frank Sinatra crooned, Christmas wouldn’t be festive without decorations of evergreens and winter berries. At a time of year when there’s a lack of leaves on the trees and few if any bright flowers available to pick, some plants take on a cultural significance. Chief amongst these are fir trees, Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe. Christmas is the time to bring these into our houses: decking the halls; putting wreaths on the door; placing presents under the tree; and sneaking a kiss under the Mistletoe berries.

In this Christmas Nature Notes, we’re going to look at fir trees, Ivy, Holly and Mistletoe (especially the latter two). First, we’ll trace their cultural symbolism, and then examine aspects of their natural history.

The Christmas tree is probably the most salient feature in a festive household, but its place is relatively modern. For the first millennium AD, conifer trees did not exist in any great numbers in England. The Christmas tree tradition started in Germany in the Middle Ages. Later, German migrants brought the tradition to Britain and subsequently to America, where it underwent a boom in popularity. Placing a Christmas tree in your home is a secular, imported and relatively recent ritual. Lovely though! By contrast, Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe appear to have a longer, home-grown history.

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Mistletoe forms a central part of a Nordic myth, where the Norse god Baldr is killed by a spear made of Mistletoe. His mother, Frigg – the goddess of love and beauty – makes the Mistletoe plant recompense by doing good works. By way of a complex and perhaps ironic twist in the tale, Mistletoe then becomes associated with Frigg’s kisses. The ritual use of holly can also be traced back to pagan festivities and rites. Typically, Holly was associated with masculinity and Ivy with femininity. Subsequently, these plants took on symbolic worth in Christianity. Holly became associated with Christ (consider the ‘crown of thorns’, with red berries represented the blood of Christ), whilst Ivy (continuing the feminine connection) became associate with the Virgin Mary. The Christmas carol ‘The Holly and The Ivy’ is interesting in that, after the first verse (and its repetition in the final verse), Ivy is not mentioned at all. It is a song about Holly and, where we might expect lines about Ivy, there are lines about the Virgin Mary. It is suspected that Mistletoe also has a long tradition stretching back to pagan times, but this is unclear. Records of its use a kissing Christmas decoration, date back to the 17th century.

Let’s turn to look at the natural history of these plants. Though Ivy has a crucial role in sustaining wildlife in winter, we have examined this plant before in an earlier feature article, so here we’re going to focus on Holly and Mistletoe.

Holly is infamous for its spiky leaves. However, you may have noticed that some leaves are less spiky than other. All Holly trees share the same DNA, but these genes can be expressed in different ways according to the environment. Where Holly trees are prone to regular nibbling by browsing animals, they will develop much spiker leaves than when these ‘nibblers’ are absent. The spikiness of Holly leaves also varies with age. Holly trees have white flowers with four petals, that come into bloom in Spring.

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The nectar and pollen from Holly flowers are collected by bees and other insects. The young leaves are eaten by various species of Lepidoptera: the beautiful and aptly named Holly Blue butterfly; the Yellow-barred Brindle moth; and more. The larva of one small species of fly (Phytomyza ilicis) actually develops within the leaf. Once pollinated, the flowers on female trees develop into bright red berries, which (as festive foragers know) can remain on the tree through the winter. These berries are a vital source of food for birds (especially thrushes) and small mammals (such as Wood Mice). Holly trees provide cover and nesting opportunities for birds. Beneath the tree, the deep leaf litter may be used by hedgehogs and other small mammals for hibernation.

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Mistletoe is a parasitic growth found on a range of hosts trees, including Apple, Lime and Poplar. When the deciduous hosts lose their leaves, Mistletoe is seen as large clumps of light greenery. White berries appear in winter and if you’ve ever squished these between your fingers, you’ll know how ‘gooey’ they can be. Gooey or not, these berries provide a good source of food for birds, mainly thrushes; including, not surprisingly, the Mistle Thrush. If you go out to collect Mistletoe for Christmas decoration and kissing opportunities, try to leave some on the trees for the birds.

EASTER

Easter is associated with two aspects of the natural world: bunnies and eggs. Easter is a festival marking the death and resurrection of Jesus, so a symbolic association with new life – baby rabbits and birds’ eggs – is perhaps not surprising. Easter, though a ‘moveable feast’, is set in Springtime, so the seasonal connection with new life is reinforced.
Even allowing for the caveat expressed in the introduction to this article, there seems to be a clear lineage connecting modern Easter festivities with those associated with much more ancient traditions. Though there were most probably pagan festivals marking the arrival of Spring, the name ‘Easter’ is of Saxon origin – derived from Eostre, the goddess of Spring, in whose honour sacrifices were offered. Interestingly, the symbol associated with Eostre was the Hare, not the Rabbit.

Turning to natural history, there is perhaps less to be said here than there is with other religious festivals. Certainly, it may be stretching things to associate modern day Easter eggs with the natural world; not only because most are chocolate, but also because the laying hens of real eggs have long since lost their connection to the natural world.
Rabbits, certainly belong in the natural world. They live in large groups in underground ‘warrens’. Female ‘does’ produce a litter of between 3-7 babies every month during the breeding season. What a fecundity of new life! Recent evidence appears to show that the European Rabbit was introduced into Britain by the Romans, as a source of food and fur. Certainly, the Normans introduced them as well. Since that date, wild Rabbits have flourished. The growth in Rabbit populations has been aided by human persecution of their predators: foxes and large birds of prey such as Buzzards and Red Kites. Only recently, has this persecution been stemmed. Killing their natural predictors helped swell the numbers of Rabbits to ‘pest’ proportions. So much so that in the 1950s a disease – myxomatosis- was introduced into Europe to reduce or eradicate Rabbit populations. A few facts about Rabbits: females are larger than males; they have very long whiskers; and the underside of the tail is white, which becomes prominent when running from danger (and may be an alarm signal to other nearby Rabbits).

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You will have noticed that humans have a very ambivalent attitudes to Rabbits: fluffy bunnies are adorable and suitable characters for children’s celebration of Easter. By contrast, adult Rabbits are fair game for shooting and infection with a lethal disease. The same ambivalence stretches to hens. Fluffy chicks are also adorable and have a place in the affections of children at Easter. When the chicks grow up into hens, their treatment in the mass production of eggs or chicken nuggets reveals a far different attitude. Humans seem highly capable of living with such cognitive dissonance!

HARVEST FESTIVAL

In this final section we will explore three key aspects of the relationship between the natural world and the Harvest Festival.

Let’s look at the first. The harvest festival gives thanks to God for the gift of the harvest. It also recognises and thanks farmers and farm workers (and perhaps, today: seed developers, tractor manufacturers, agronomists, etc) for their work in sowing, nurturing and reaping the harvest. However, something else has been at work to ensure a harvest: insects and other invertebrates. Nearly 90 percent of all plant species require animal pollination, which is mostly done by insects. Apples are just one of those plant species, and now is a good time of the year to enjoy the apple harvest (Russets are a particular favourite of mine). But there would be no apple harvest were it not for busy bees and hoverflies visiting the apple blossom and pollinating the trees. In addition, loads of different invertebrates are at work in the soil, helping to ensure its continued enrichment and use. At harvest time, it’s worth remembering the work of these smaller animals. Especially so, as insect populations are in decline and we could face hugely adverse consequences for harvests if we don’t reverse this trend.

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Now let’s turn to the second aspect. With the risk of quoting out of context, consider Matthew 4.4: “Man does not live by bread alone.” Humans require material sustenance, but they also have spiritual, emotional and affective needs. These needs are crucially important and nature plays its part in fulfilling these needs. It is now widely recognised that getting outdoors and engaging with nature is good for us (see: The Lancet, Volume 7, Issue 7. e542-e543 July 2023). Doctors nowadays don’t just deal out drugs, they are also as likely to prescribe getting outdoors, walking through parks and countryside, and experiencing nature. They call it ‘social prescribing’. There is a risk of over-stretching the harvest analogy here but, surely, there are many facets of nature that are worth being thankful for: the butterflies in our garden, the swallows overhead, the buzz of the busy bumblebees, the bird song in the morning. Perhaps we sometimes don’t appreciate the importance of these things until they are no longer there. I hail from south-Yorkshire and I’ve known a fair few coal miners in my time. One of those miners once said to me: “Tha knows, when you come up outta pit into the daylight, and see them trees and hear them birds, it feels like a gift from God. Well, of course, it is a gift from God!”

The third aspect of the nature-harvest relationship is perhaps the most familiar. Nature directly provides a wild harvest of fruit and vegetables: blackberries (for crumble), sloes (for sloe gin); mushrooms (for an omelette, or even a stroganoff), and more. Probably much more!  As Richard Mabey reminded us decades ago in his book ‘Food for Free’, there is a cornucopia of food from nature if we look for it. (Note: If you are foraging mushrooms, be careful and follow the available advice! Perhaps the next Nature Notes should have a look at fungi.)

Whilst we should be thankful for nature, we shouldn’t take nature for granted. A Defra spokesman has recently reminded us that: “Britain is currently one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, yet it underpins everything – the economy, food, health and society” (The Independent, 3rd Oct 2024). As well as giving thanks for nature in the past, we should also be doing something to secure nature in the future.

All photographs by the author.

Sections of this feature article have appeared in the Bredfield Lantern