December 2000
Did you know the Legend
of the Poinsettia?
POINSETTIA The
flower of the Holly Night
A charming story is told of Pepita, a
poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve
Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with
sadness rather than joy.
Poinsettia , Euphorbia pulcherrima
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"I am sure, Pepita, that even the
most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro
consolingly.
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt
by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small
bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed
than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the
small village chapel.
As she approached the alter, she
remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in
love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at
the foot of the nativity scene.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into
blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a
Christmas miracle right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red flowers
were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy
Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.
Today, the common name for this plant is the poinsettia!
source:
http://www.ecke.com/html/h_corp/corp_legend.html
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