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Because I love Christmas
Origins of Santa Claus
Frugal Articles
Recycle Those Old Christmas Decorations
Articles published elsewhere
Funky, Free and Frugal Christmas Decorations
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Retelling the Legend of the PoinsettiaThe beatiful poinsettia that turns red as blood at Christmas time gave rise to this enchanting legend.by Pat Veretto Come with me back in time to a small, dusty Mexican village. In it there lives a young girl whose family is poor; probably poorer than you have ever seen. Her name is Pepita. As Christmas approached, Pepita was excited over the Christmas Eve celebration at their church. It will be a grand affair of gifting the Church and the Holy Child and celebrating His birth. There was only one thing that stood between her and complete joy: she wanted very much to have something to give to the Holy Child like the other village children did, but she had nothing and no way to get anything for a gift. Pepita and her cousin, Pablo, walked to church together that Christmas Eve, Pepita sad and quiet. When Pablo asked her what was wrong, she told him that she had nothing to give to the Church for the Christ Child. Pablo told her that Jesus would love anything she gave if she gave it in love. Pepita's quick mind led her to a cluster of dried weeds alongside the road. She bent over and picked them, arranging them into a bouquet. Once at the church, other children made fun of her offering, but she took it to the altar anyway. As she offered the weeds on the altar, they suddenly burst into brilliant red bloom! There are minor variations of this simple story of how the poinsettia came to bes. Instead of Pepita, the little girl's name was Maria. Maria tried to weave a gift like she had seen her mother do, but the threads became impossibly tangled and she gave up. On the way to church, she hides and cries because she doesn't have a gift for the Baby Jesus. A voice comes to her from a star and tells her the same thing that Pepita's cousin Pablo said: "Jesus will love whatever you give because it comes from your heart. Love is what makes any gift special." She is embarrassed when she gets to church because she is dressed poorly and her gift is, after all, a bouquet of weeds. As she is called to the front to place her gift on the altar, they become flaming red "flowers." They all end in roadside weeds becoming the poinsettia we cherish at each Christmas season. It's a perfect parable of men, women and children, found beside the wayside of life in rough form, brought to Jesus and wonderfully transformed. It's also a parable of bringing our gifts, however humble they may be, and knowing Jesus will make them into something worthy of Himself. And now for a less charming history of the poinsettia: The plant was cultivated by the Aztecs before the "New World" was discovered by the rest of humanity. Franciscan priests in Mexico started using it in holiday processions and celebrations because of its brilliant color and size. Poinsettias were introduced to the United States by the first US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Robert Poinsett. He brought some cuttings to his plantation in South Carolina and when the plants were established, he sent them to friends and horticultural enthusiasts. National Poinsetttia Day occurs on December 12, established in honor of Joel Robert Poinsett. Back to Christmas! |
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