English Heritage is reviving a well-known Christmas tradition this festive season and bringing it into the digital age, with an online challenge to capture one thousand kisses under the mistletoe at four attractions in the North of England.
Visitors can combine the age old tradition of sharing a simple kiss with a loved one with the popular 21st century trend of taking a ‘selfie’ at special kissing booths which have been set up at Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens and Housesteads Roman Fort, Whitby Abbey and Brodsworth Hall and Gardens. The cheeky challenge is to capture 1000 Christmas kisses by the 3 January 2016.

All kiss pictures tagged #EH1000KISSES and shared on social media will enter a prize draw to win an English Heritage membership and a hamper. More information and competition terms and conditions can be found here.

Catching a kiss under the Mistletoe goes back to Nordic times, according to custom, if a woman was caught standing under the mistletoe a man could kiss her. For centuries, mistletoe has been considered a plant that increases life and fertility. The earliest documented case of kissing under the mistletoe in England dates from the 16th century, a custom that was very popular at that time. The plant then became a decorative item in the home, followed by Christmas trees and door wreaths in the Victorian era.

For centuries, mistletoe has been considered a plant that increases life and fertility. Norse legends tell the tale of Balder, son of the goddess Frigga. As the legend goes, Balder was killed with an arrow made of mistletoe. Saddened by her son’s death, Frigga wept tears of white berries which brought Balder back to life. Frigga was so overjoyed that she blessed the plant and promised a kiss to all who passed beneath it. This is the most probable explanation for the current widespread custom of kissing under the mistletoe during the Christmas season.
Julie Ozbek, Marketing Manager North at English Heritage said: “Christmas time is full of traditions including advent calendars, pulling crackers, Christmas trees and decking the halls. All of the things we know and love to do at this time of year have their origins rooted in different periods of history and we want to bring these traditions to life at our sites by inviting visitors to share some Christmas love. Today’s popular trend or custom seems to be to take a ‘selfie picture’ so we thought, what better way to remind people of this tradition than to combine the two!”

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