Common heather is not a good gift. It may be dangerous

Does heather bring good luck or bad luck? It depends on which tradition you follow because there are a many superstations and they vary a lot. In the north for example, people believe that this plant symbolizes a bad luck and my even bring death. But the ancient Celts on the other hand, saw it as a symbol of love and happiness.

The common heather is probably one of the most popular plants of all autumn plants. It starts blooming already in August and can stay nice even until Christmas. It is cheap and rather undemanding, and it lives happily in gardens, boxes or inside our homes. You can get it in many supermarkets or gardening stores.

Heather inside you house – yes or no?

However, growing heather indoors is a rather controversial topic. According to Nordic legends, there are many bad superstitions and none of them is good but, as mention earlier, in the Celtic culture it symbolized happiness and prosperity, so go figure…

No heather in Scandinavia

Nope. You will not see it here as it has been associated with poverty for centuries. That is indoors. Housewives still believe that heather inside a house brings a bad luck so they don’t take it inside. Not even for a while (e.g. as part of a holiday decoration or something). Heather brings illnesses and death to your house. Simple as that.

In Scandinavia, heather is mainly used to to decorate gravestones – similar as chrysanthemums in Eastern Europe. This belief is commonly shared even in our county as we know that it is not appropriate to give these flowers as a gift. Some people may consider it as an act of tactlessness or even a bad luck wish.

Photo: Pixabay

The Celts used to have heather at home as a symbol of good luck

A completely different approach. The Celts saw heather as a very positive thing and believed that heather can evoke very optimistic associations. Where this belief comes from nobody knows…. but the Celts literally saw heather as a magical flower. It symbolized love, happiness and never-ending passion. A sprig of heather underneath your pillow was supposed give you prophetic dreams.

The Celts also made a incense out of it, which was very popular in Ireland. During the midsummer night, shepherds walked around their cattle to ward off diseases. And in Scotland for example, heather has literally been the king of wedding decorations since the ancient times. It was believed that heather helped to keep the wedding oath and to ensured a happy marriage. To this day, local brides often add heather to their bouquets or use it as a dress or hair decoration.

The Scots also believed that white heather flowers only grow on a land where no human blood was shed, so it is a bit of a paradox that warriors took a sprig of white heater to the battle and believed that it will bring them victory.

Preview photo: Pixabay