Flowers and Festivals 



and summer, signify and put us in mind of His 

 Deity ; that the child who now was bom was God and 

 man, who should spring up like a tender plant, should 

 always be green and flourishing, and live for ever- 

 more ^" ^ 



The custom of decorating places of worship and 

 private dwellings with garlands of leaves or flowers, at 

 certain seasons of the year, may be traced to a very 

 remote period. 



An account of the origin of this ancient custom is 

 given in Phillips's " Sylva Florifera : the Shrubbery 

 Historically and Botanically Treated," vol. i. page 

 281, edit. 1823. 



'^We revere," says the author, "the holly branch, 

 with its spiny and highly varnished foliage, which 

 reflects its coral berries, as an emblem that foretells 

 the festival of Christmas, and the season when 

 Enghsh hospitality shines in roast beef, turkeys, and 

 the national pudding." 



1 "Book of Days." 



