196 THE HOLLY. 



festivities of Christmas, render the tree doubly conspi- 

 cuous. In one respect, what may be said of the Hawthorn 

 is true also of the Holly ; both these trees are emblem- 

 atical of the season in which they are most beautiful, 

 for it is quite as common to hear the Holly called 

 " Christmas," as the Hawthorn " May." Indeed, its ordi- 

 nary name appears to point to the use to which, from a 

 very early period, it was applied, namely, the decoration of 

 sacred places at the holy season of Christmas ; for Dr. 

 Turner, our earliest writer on plants, calls it " Holy" and 

 " Holy-tree," and the same mode of spelling is observed in 

 a MS. ballad of yet older date, in the British Museum. 1 



The origin of this beautiful custom is uncertain. Some 

 have supposed it to be derived from a custom observed by 

 the Romans, of sending boughs, accompanied by other 

 gifts, to their friends during the festival of the Saturnalia. 

 This method of showing goodwill being at least harmless, 

 it lias been conjectured that the early Christians adopted 

 it in order to conciliate their Pagan neighbours. In 

 confirmation of this opinion, Bourne cites a subsequent 

 edict of the Church of Bracara, 2 forbidding Christians to 

 decorate their houses at Christmas with green boughs at 

 the same time with the Pagans ; the Saturnalia com- 

 mencing about a week before Christmas. Dr. Chandler 

 supposes the custom to have been derived from the 

 Druids, who, he says, decorated dwelling-places with ever- 

 greens during winter, " that the sylvan spirits might repair 

 to them, and remain unnipped with frost and cold winds, 

 until a milder season had renewed the foliage of their 

 darling abodes." Certainly the custom, whencesoever it 

 was derived, was sanctioned by the Church ; for in old 

 church calendars Christmas-eve is marked, "Templa ex- 

 ornantur," " Churches are decked." Now, when we recol- 



1 " Holy hath berys as red as any rose." 



2 " Non liceat iniquas observantias agere Kalendarum et otiis 

 vacare Gentilibus, neque lanro, neque viriditate arborum cingere 

 domos. Omnis enim hsec observatio Paganism! est." Brae. Can. 

 Ixxiii. 



