CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS FLOWER

Research done by Patricia Bissessar
There's no Christmas plant more iconic than the Poinsettia . Almost every plant lover would purchase one or more of these plants to add to their home décor during the Christmas Holidays. I remembered growing up as a child many homes in the countryside had a large Poinsettia Plant growing in their front yard. But have you ever wondered about the symbolism behind the poinsettia flower and its connection to Christmas?
There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettias and its connection to Christmas. According to the legend there was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita who had no present to give the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked to the chapel, sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.
'Pepita', he said "I'm sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus Happy."
Pepita didn't know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.
Ever since the poinsettia has been a symbol of The Christmas Miracle.
Reference : Ranch, Paul Ecke. ("The Legend of the Poinsettia." 11/14/07). http://www.ecke.com/HTML/h_corp/corp_legend.html
(Source:  Angelo Bissessarsingh Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago,  Nov 17, 2024)