A kiss-tory lesson

At this time of year, you hear an awful lot of jokes about kissing under the mistletoe. For years, the creeping - not creepy - plant has been part of our Christmas decor, even though it has nothing to do with the birth of Christ.

So what exactly is it? And where have the myths around mistletoe - wow, trying saying 'myths around mistletoe' fast - come from?

Mistletoe is a parasite that grows in various forms on trees across Europe, Africa, Australia and North America. Unlike many other plants, mistletoe remains alive and green during winter, so it's easy to spot on apple or oak trees.

The plant has leathery, oval leaves and red or white berries. These berries are eaten by birds who then spread their seeds from one branch to the next. This means that, again unlike other plants, mistletoe never has to touch the ground. In fact, people once thought mistletoe grew from bird poop.

Therefore it's ironic that in South Africa the berries are used to make a sort of glue to trap birds.

However, although mistletoe can be dangerous if used by people who don't know what they're doing, it has earned its nickname of 'All-heal' for a reason. Over the years, the plant has been used to cure many things by many people - most famously by the druids, priests of an ancient European religion.

Five days after the first new moon following the winter solstice - the name for the shortest day of the year - the druids would gather mistletoe. Working by moonlight, they took only the plants growing on oak trees, which they believed to be sacred. The mistletoe was placed in a special white cloth to keep it clean and untouched by the ground.