Mistletoe
The evergreen sprig hung at Christmas, under which couples kiss.
Also: kissing bough
Mistletoe is a parasitic evergreen plant with white berries, hung in houses at Christmas in Britain, Ireland and the United States. A person standing beneath it may be kissed, and a berry is plucked after each kiss, until none remain. Its use in midwinter dates to the ancient peoples of northern Europe, with the Druids said to have cut it with a golden sickle, and in Norse myth it killed the god Baldr. The Church never accepted it in services, though it is hung in homes. It was once considered a charm against witches and fire. Oak-grown mistletoe is rare, and the common kind grows on apple trees.
Region: Europe