Franklin County Horticulture
Holiday wreaths have long tradition, lots of meaning
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003
I often wondered where the
tradition of using holiday wreaths came from. Granted, they add visual interest
to our doors and lights this time of year, but who started this tradition?
According to some information I
found on the web, we can attribute this tradition to several other countries,
including Scandinavia.
Scandinavian wreaths feature
candles which brighten up the long winter nights. The candles also represent
hope for spring.
Wreaths have existed since the
times of the Romans; the ancient Greeks awarded wreaths of coral to winners in
sporting events as a sign of victory. Also, wreaths were hung on doors as a
symbol of winning a battle.
In some religions, since wreaths
are circular, they refer to the circle of life.
The use of evergreens in wreaths
represents strength, immortality, and victory, since evergreens live through
winter.
According to legend, wreaths
were also used to identify homes. Not all houses had house numbers, so the
specific items used on the wreath helped identify the homes and the families
living within.
Regardless of the meaning,
wreaths can certainly add flavor and color to otherwise dreary winter days.
Upcoming educational workshops
Attention all vegetable and
fruit growers: the annual meeting of the Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Growers is
scheduled for January 5 and 6 at the Holiday Inn North on Newtown Pike in
Lexington.
This event features two all day
meetings and most of the time there will be four concurrent sessions in
progress. Sessions will include commercial tree fruit production, small fruit
and vegetable production, tree fruit IPM, organic farming and gardening,
greenhouses, farmers markets, cooperative marketing, cut stem production and
value added processing, and the traditional grape and wine short course.
The Grape and Wine short course
is scheduled for all day Tuesday.
The conference is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. (EST) both days and most sessions conclude at 5 p.m.
Registration is available in
advance or onsite at the same registration fee. This is an inexpensive
conference and well worth attending. Registration is $25 per household and
includes membership in Kentucky Vegetable Grower’s Association or the Kentucky
State Horticultural Society. The fee also will cover the Grape and Wine Short
Course.
During both days of this
conference, vendors will be onsite for the trade show beginning at 8 a.m. This
is a great time to pick up those new seed, transplant, and equipment catalogs!
For more information, download
the conference agenda and registration forms on the web at: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/finalprogram03.pdf
or stop by the Franklin County Extension office.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.