Time for the traditional Christmas column, and just as we haul out the same old ornaments year after year, this year I’m hauling out an old column (from 1994) because, well, it’s timeless. Also, it’s almost Christmas, and I’m lazy. (Something to do with the conservation of mass and energy: at Christmas, your mass increases while your energy decreases.)
So, without further ado: scientific answers to questions arising from Christmas songs, beginning with…just what are frankincense and myrrh, anyway?
In “We Three Kings,” the kings, bearing gifts from afar bring gold, frankincense and myrrh. But…just what is frankincense? Isn’t he the guy who made the monster out of body parts?
Actually, frankincense is the hardened resin of trees of the genus Boswellia, which grow in north-eastern Africa and Arabia. When a deep incision is made in the tree’s trunk, a milky juice oozes out and hardens into semi-transparent yellowish lumps that give off a strong fragrance when burned. The ancients used it for embalming and for medical and religious purposes, which made it very valuable–and therefore a rich gift, comparable to gold. Today, frankincense is still widely used in religious services, and also in fumigants and perfumes.
The next king sings, “Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom…” This cheery phrase refers to another hardened resin, obtained from small, thorny trees of the genus Commiphora, also found in Arabia and Africa. The best myrrh comes from the species Commiphora abyssinica.
Myrrh has both a distinctive odour and a bitter, pungent taste. Like frankincense, it oozes from the cut bark of the tree as a liquid, which harden into small lumps known as “tears.” It ranges in colour from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown. Myrrh, too, was highly valuable in the ancient world; it was used in perfume and incense and also as an ointment and stimulant. The Egyptians used it in embalming, filling body cavities with powdered myrrh. Its value and production have greatly decreased in the modern world; it’s used in limited fashion as an antiseptic in mouthwashes and toothpastes, as well as in stomach remedies and as a salve for sore gums.
Holly and mistletoe also show up in Christmas songs a lot. Holly is the common name of the Aquifoliaceae family of trees and shrubs, which contains containing about 300 species. Christmas holly is usually either English holly, Ilex aquifolium, which has spiny evergreen leaves and bright-red fruit, or American holly, Ilex opaca, which is similar but has duller, less spiny leaves. These species became associated with Christmas because they thrive in cold climates; their berries ripen in October and remain through winter.
Mistletoe is a parasite. It has no roots, instead attaching itself to its host tree with sucker-like organs called haustoria, through which it draws out water and nutrients. It relies on birds to eat its berries and carry the seeds to other trees.
The type of mistletoe which we normally see recreated in plastic in our seasonal decorations is the European mistletoe, an evergreen plant (hence its use as a winter-time ornament) that grows primarily on apple and juniper trees.
Although toxic, mistletoe berries were long thought to be an antidote for poisons. In Europe, were believed to cure sterility–which could be where the custom of kissing under the mistletoe originated.
Not all of the science to be found in Christmas carols is plant-related. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is one of my favorites, and as it happens, there’s a lot of science in bells.
Bells are solid vessels that are struck by a hammer or an internal clapper. The tone of the bell depends on its proportions, shape and material. (Most bells are made of a bronze alloy called bell metal, consisting of four parts copper to one part tin.) The sound is a combination of many different tones, caused by the vibration of particular sections of the bell. The bigger the bell, the lower its pitch, because it vibrates more slowly when struck.
There. Now you can forget Christmas and start worrying about that other burning question of our time:
Just what is “auld lang syne,” anyway?
1 comments
Great post for the holidays. Besides, if you hadn’t “recycled” your post, I would’ve never seen it! Happy Holidays!
Deborah
http://www.therhythmofwrite.com