Definition of Poinsettia

Flowers are full of meaning and symbolism and are more than just a vegetable. In fact, there is the language of flowers (in this sense, each color is associated with a message; the white is purity, the black, sadness, pink is related to the feminine world, etc). On the other hand, flowers are related to very diverse social contexts: burials, weddings, declarations of love, interior decoration, floral games and a long list of cultural events.

The flower Christmas Eve (its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a flower that has become popular in the context of the Christmas holidays. Many homes around the world are decorated with Christmas motifs in order to create a weather nice and festive. In this sense, the poinsettia presents ideal characteristics for Christmas parties. In the first place because they are red, a color traditionally associated with this celebration (there are varieties of other colors but their culture is a minority) and also because in many countries the custom of decorating the home with flowers has spread and red brings warmth, intensity and a feeling of

A historical and cultural brushstroke

The poinsettia flower is native to Central America, especially Mexico. Some indigenous peoples already used this flower before colonization (for the Mexica it served to remember the warriors dead, for it was believed that warriors who had fallen in battle returned to the world as hummingbirds and tasted the honey of the flower). As for its original name, in the language In Nahuatl the flower was known by the word cuetlaxtil, which means leather flower, which refers to the intense red color of its petals. In the colonial period the flower was used by the colonizers to decorate the churches, especially the altar.

In this way, the Catholic evangelizers took advantage of the fact that the flower acquires its maximum splendor in the month of December to decorate churches and parishes during Christmas.

Is tradition it was consolidated and with the passage of time the poinsettia was introduced into Mexican homes. In recent decades, the poinsettia has crossed the borders of Mexico and today it is possible to find it in homes in the United States and Europe.

The poinsettia is a icon Mexican culture that is already heritage of all mankind. Something similar to what happens with other symbols of Mexico (mariachis, tequila or wrestling).

Photos: iStock - jmsilva / ooyoo