Lajfstajl / Lifestyle
Božićna zvezda donosi veselje i ljubav, a treba je držati u blizini jelke The poinsettia brings joy and love, and should be kept close to the Christmas tree
why it is hung above the main en- trance on Christmas eve to ward off evil spirits. Sailors carry sprigs of mistletoe aboard ship to protect their vessels from being wrecked, while train drivers also keep mis- tletoe in their engines to protect against accidents. Mistletoe is itself unusual – it does not have roots, but rather grows on trees as a parasite. In or- der for it to even emerge, it is nec- essary for a bird to eat a ripe ber- ry, squeeze out the soft membrane with its beak, and then use its beak to wipe the sticky seeds onto the bark of the tree. The mistletoe pro- duced from germinated seeds at the bare tops of deciduous trees remains green. HOLLY Holly already existed during the time of Ancient Rome, when it served as an amulet protecting against evil spirits and was gifted among friends. It gained populari- ty across Europe with the spread of Christianity. It is mounted on front doors to protect against dark spells and is among the plants that tradi- tionally mark Christmas. Its flower symbolises Christ’s birth, while the red berries represent the blood of Jesus and the spiky leaves are sym- bolic of his crown of thorns. One popular folk belief is that plants that bear their fruit in winter are extremely powerful, as they defy the order of nature. They give birth when everything else lies dormant. Holly is also protected in na- ture, which is why it is increasing- ly cultivated in private gardens. If you decide to plant one, it is worth knowing that it doesn’t need much water and is resistant to drought, so it is well-suited to a spot that re-
ceives lots of sunlight, though it also thrives in partial shade. It should be placed in an area sheltered from the wind, as it can be damaged by bit- ter winter gusts. It grows extremely slowly, but can reach a very old age. There’s also an interesting “film” story linked to the holly. Specifi- cally, a species of Californian hol- ly grows on the hills around Hol- lywood and some claim that this mecca of moviemaking is named after the plant. That’s certainly on- ly another of many theories, but it does sound quite logical. POINSETTIA One of nature’s most beauti- ful holiday decorations is certain- ly the red poinsettia, also known as the Christmas star. Indigenous to Mexico, it is associated with the legend of a girl who was too poor to buy a Christmas present. An an- gel told her to remove weeds from the road and use them, and they blossomed into poinsettias when she placed them next to the chur- ch altar. The leaves’ star shape sym- bolises the Star of Bethlehem, whi- le the red colour is symbolic of the crucifixion. The poinsettia is said to bring joy, love and good wishes, and should be kept close to the Chris- tmas tree in order to strengthen positive energy. Nonetheless, this beautiful plant is far from easy to grow. It is classed as a short-day plant, which means that it requires at least 12 to 14 hours of darkness to bloom. It shouldn’t be watered too regularly, nor kept in an excessively warm ro- om with too much direct sunlight. Of course, nothing is impossible. With a little knowhow and a lot of love, your Christmas star will shine and bring joy for a long time.
I kod božikovine postoji inte- resantna „filmska“ priča. Naime, na brdima oko Holivuda raste vr- sta kalifornijske božikovine i neki tvrde da je filmska meka po njoj i dobila ime (Božikovina je na en- gleskom Holly). To je svakako sa- mo jedna od teorija, ali zvuči pri- lično logično. BOŽIĆNA ZVEZDA Jedan od najlepših prirodnih ukrasa praznika svakako je i crve- na božićna zvezda. Potiče iz Mek- sika, a povezivali su je sa legen- dom o devojci koja je bila previše siromašna da bi mogla da kupi po- klon za praznike. Anđeo joj je re- kao da uzme korov sa puta koji je pored crkvenog oltara procve- tao u božićne zvezde. Zvezdasti oblik lišća simbolizuje Vitlejem- sku zvezdu, a crvena boja raspe- će. Božićna zvezda, kažu, donosi veselje, ljubav i dobre želje, a tre- ba je držati u blizini jelke i tako pojačati dobru energiju. Ipak, ovu lepu biljku nije nima- lo lako gajiti. Spada u biljke krat- kog dana, što znači da joj je, da bi procvetala, potrebno najmanje 12 do 14 sati tame. Ne treba je pre- često zalivati, niti držati u preto- ploj prostoriji sa previše direktne svetlosti. Naravno, ništa nije ne- moguće. Uz malo znanja i mnogo ljubavi, vaša božićna zvezda će du- go sijati i donositi radost.
74 | Božić » Christmas
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