Fun · IN60SECONDS

Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?

Nobody knows for sure. The Norse myth often cited has no kissing in it, and the earliest known mention of kissing under mistletoe is an English poem from 1784. The custom seems to have started with servants.

Quick Answer

Nobody knows exactly why people kiss under the mistletoe. The earliest known reference to kissing beneath it is an English poem from 1784, in which three men “kiss beneath the mistletoe” the lips of a young woman. By the 18th century, mistletoe was widely used in Christmas celebrations in England, and the kissing custom appears to have caught on among servants first before spreading to the middle classes. By the early 19th century it had reached the United States, where Washington Irving described it in about 1820: each berry on a sprig stood for a kiss, and when the berries were all plucked, the privilege ended. Older stories are often given as the reason. In Norse myth, the god Baldr is killed by a dart made of mistletoe, but the kissing is no part of the original myth; it’s a later retelling. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder described Gaulish priests, the druids, cutting mistletoe from oak trees. How mistletoe made the jump from sacred plant to holiday decoration remains up for debate.

By the Numbers

1784Year of the earliest known reference to kissing under mistletoe

c. 1820When Washington Irving described the custom in the United States

Key Facts

Earliest known reference: An English poem from 1784 about kissing beneath the mistletoe
Who started it: Servants in England, according to Smithsonian Magazine, before it spread more widely
The Norse myth: Baldr is killed by a mistletoe dart; the kissing was added in later retellings
Status: The true origin is uncertain

Timeline

1st century
Pliny the Elder describes druids cutting mistletoe from an oak tree.
1200s
Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda tells how Baldr was killed by a mistletoe dart. It contains no kissing.
1784
An English poem describes men kissing beneath the mistletoe: the earliest known reference.
1700s
Mistletoe becomes a common part of Christmas in England, with the kissing custom appearing first among servants.
c. 1820
Washington Irving describes the custom in The Sketch Book: one kiss per berry.

The earliest record

The first known reference to kissing under mistletoe is a 1784 English poem. The custom then appears regularly in writing during the 18th century. Smithsonian Magazine reports that it appears to have taken off among servants in England before spreading to the middle classes. By the early 19th century, Washington Irving described it in The Sketch Book: a man could claim a kiss for each berry on the sprig, and “when the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”

What about the Norse myth?

In Norse myth, the god Baldr is killed when the blind god Hod throws a dart made of mistletoe, the one plant that hadn’t sworn an oath not to harm him. The kissing isn’t in the original story. In a later, sunnier retelling, Baldr is brought back to life and his mother, Frigg, declares the plant a symbol of love and promises a kiss to all who pass beneath it. That version is a retelling, not evidence of an ancient kissing custom.

An older reverence

The Roman writer Pliny the Elder described druids, priests of the Gauls, cutting mistletoe from oak trees with a golden sickle. Mistletoe stays green in winter, and many writers have linked it to vitality and fertility. How it jumped from sacred plant to holiday decoration is still debated.

Myth vs. Fact

MythKissing under mistletoe is an ancient Norse tradition.

FactThe Norse myth of Baldr involves a mistletoe dart, not kissing. The earliest known reference to kissing beneath mistletoe is an English poem from 1784.

MythEveryone agrees where the custom came from.

FactIt remains up for debate. The kissing custom appears to have started among servants in England in the 1700s.

The Bottom Line

Nobody knows exactly why we kiss under the mistletoe. The earliest known mention is a 1784 English poem, and the Norse myth often cited as the reason doesn’t involve kissing.