The Christmas Eve flower It is undoubtedly one of the greatest Christmas icons, and this is that this Mexican origin has cheered with its colors the homes of the world during the Christmas season for decades.
His name in Nahuatl is Cuetlaxochitl what does it mean «Fire flower». In 1834, he received his scientific name Euphorbia Pulcherrima where Euphorbia Identify it as part of the family of plants containing Latex in their wise and Pulcherrima means «the most beautiful.»
The Cuetlaxochitl has gained great popularity outside the borders of Mexico. Latin America has other names such as Federal Star, Christmas Flor, Pastora, among others; while in the United States it is known as Poisettia in honor of its disseminator.
Moctezuma found this flower to the south of the country.ANNA KUPMAN / UNSPLASH.
History of Christmas Eve
It is believed that Moctezuma the great Mexican tlatoani, found the flower of Christmas Eve in southern Mexico and took her to the gardens of her palace in Tenochtitlán.
Mexican priests used Christmas Eve flower to practice rites or for medicinal uses. Subsequently, with the arrival of the Spaniards, the Franciscan monks used it to decorate the altars and renamed it as Christmas Eve flower, for flourishing during Christmas festivities.
Joel Roberts Poinsett and the arrival of Christmas Eve in the United States
In the United States Christmas Eve is known as Poinsettia due to Joel Roberts Poinsettthe first diplomatic representative of that country in Mexico.
During a trip to Taxco, Poinsett – a fan of botany – was amazed with the beauty of the flower for which he bought several specimens and sending them to the United States where he first presented as a commercial plant in 1929 during an exhibition in Philadelphia.