By Paola Velasco
Did you know that December 8 is National Christmas Eve Day?
December arrives, and everything turns red. It is a tradition in Mexico and in some other parts of the world to decorate squares, gardens, terraces, and houses with the traditional poinsettia flower that announces the Christmas holidays and the end of the year. The poinsettia plant is originally from Mexico. «Cuetlaxóchitl,» its name in Nahuatl, means «leather flower.»
Cuetlaxochitl was an ornamental plant highly appreciated by the Aztecs that occupied a very special place in the gardens of Nezahualcoyotl and Moctezuma. The Aztecs extracted a milky white juice that was used to make fever medicine, while its scarlet red color was used to dye leather goods, cloth, and cosmetics. After the Conquest, Franciscan missionaries used it as a symbol of Christmas.
It is also known as Christmas Flower, Christmas Star, Santa Catalina, Easter Flower, and Fire Flower. In the United States, this flower is known as poinsettia in honor of the first ambassador from that country to Mexico. Joel Robert Poinsett visited the city of Taxco in 1825 and was amazed by the colorful flowers. He took the plant to his country, where it became very popular.
Between the months of November and December, the greenhouses dedicated to poinsettia cultivation begin to be painted red to meet the demand of the country’s markets.
The poinsettia flower is one of the most important products in the field of ornamental plants in our country. It is a shade plant, so it beautifies all spaces inside houses and, in general, any shady place during the Christmas season.
This year, more than five thousand flowers were planted in San Miguel to decorate the city. If you want to get yours, you can find them in the different nurseries of the city or in street stalls that are specially set up for this season, such as the one located in the Aurora neighborhood.
