Christmas
is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.
This is a plant that originates in Central America and
the sap was once a medicine for fevers used by the Aztecs. Of course, Christianity came and claimed the
plant a holy plant for its star-shaped leaves and red, that symbolized to them,
Jesus' blood. It was called Poinsettia
because an US Ambassador, in the 1800s, to Mexico brought some back and grew
them, and, of course, the real meanings of the plant and its medicine were soon
lost to Christmas big business.
Once
the Aztec used this winter-flowering plant , called 'cuetlaxochitl" use
the red leaves for dye for textiles and face makeup. The sap is actually what
we know as latex.
Once
Christianity clutched the plants, legends became passed around. One is about a poor girl who had no gift to
give baby Jesus nativity scene. She only
had a clutch of the weeds she picked to give and her little friend told her
that even the smallest give was a gift of love.
When she placed the weeds in the nativity scene manger, the weeds burst
into bright red leaves and all thought it was a miracle.
Many
Christmas symbols come from ancient times and were absconded by religions to
become part of the Christmas Story. The
early peoples decorated their houses with greenery to freshen up the air in the
house, to add color and very often symbolized eternal life because they do not
die out. Since the Poinsettia grows in
Madagascar, as well, the plant became brought around the world, for its beauty, no
longer for its medicines. At first the
Catholic Church banned the use but in the 600 AD, Pope Gregory gave in as long
as they could use it in Christian symbolisms.
Thus
do we have the Christmas Flower and the National US Poinsettia Day on December
12.
There
are several Youtube tutorials on painting the poinsettia and I watched several
and then tied in to paint one. Having a
dark background to start with, helps. I
then put out every red acrylic, ink, pen, I had and I set out to paint it, I used turquoise for light and used a white
painter's pen to do the berries. I did
not have a yellow pen that would add to the berries so I used a yellow highlighter. I did lots of dry brushing and scrubbing to
get textures and shades and lights to the leaves.
It
is quite easy once you watch the tutorials. Go to YouTube and search for poinsettia tutorials.
©Carol
Desjarlais 12.6.19
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