Legend of the poinsettia
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The poinsettia is an ornamental plant whose often-red bracts develop their color in response to short days and long nights. Its true flowers are the small structures at the center of those bracts, not the large red leaflike parts. Its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima. Common names include poinsettia, Christmas flower and cuetlaxochitl. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is native to Mexico. Its milky sap may irritate sensitive skin; do not ingest the plant, and wash your hands after pruning. Here is the traditional story associated with this Christmas flower.
The legend of the poinsettia
A beautiful Mexican legend tells that a long, long time ago, the inhabitants of a small town in Mexico, gathered in a church each year to leave gifts for the baby Jesus.
Little Pablo liked this tradition very much, because during that day, he saw many people arriving from far away with very showy and colorful gifts. Some brought the best bread, fruits, even wool or precious objects carved in wood. All these people climbed the hill that led to the church and deposited their gifts there.
Years passed and the tradition continued. But Pablo was growing sadder each year. He would like to be able to bring a gift, like all those people, but his family was so poor that they could not even afford shoes for him.
The year in which the Poinsettia was born.
That year, Pablo accompanied all the people to the church and, once there, he hid in a corner to admire all the gifts. They were beautiful, very beautiful. He was so sad to understand that he could never bring a gift to the baby Jesus that he began to cry.
But then something wonderful happened: from the tears that fell on the ground, a plant began to grow. In the tale, it looked like a beautiful plant with large red bracts resembling petals.
The other people were very surprised. Seeing that flower, which they had never seen before, they thought it was a miracle, and a sign. They decided to call that plant Flor de Pascua or Flor de Nochebuena. They cared for the plant and grew more like it.
According to this telling, families began placing a poinsettia in a prominent spot at home, to indicate that Christmas was beginning and to remember the gift that Pablo gave to the baby Jesus. This is how the folk tale explains the poinsettia’s association with Christmas.
If you want to buy that plant, here we leave you this option:
But if you don’t have the time to grow it and you already want to decorate your home, you can also consider these options:
I hope you liked this legend. If so, share it on your social networks so that your friends can also enjoy it.
Taken from
https://lavacaindependiente.com
Related article: Legend of the Ceibo Flower: The Story of Anahí
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