Kissing under sprigs of mistletoe is a well-known holiday tradition, but the plant’s history as a symbolic herb dates back thousands of years. The first week of December, the North Carolina Estuarium will host a series of River Roving tours with the goal of locating mistletoe and educating participants about the plant and its history.

Mistletoe River Roving tours will be hosted Dec. 2-4, and two trips will be hosted each day — one at 10:30 a.m. and one at 1:30 p.m., according to Jennifer Watkins, administrative coordinator at the Estuarium in Washington,

“It’s a local tradition, and we’re just trying to pass that tradition on,” Watkins said. “It’s a good way to get people out on the river and see what it looks like out on the river this time of year. We cut (the mistletoe) out of trees and each person takes some home.”

Watkins said during the trips, a staff member will give an oral history of the mistletoe tradition, as well as the toxicology behind it. The tour boat is equipped to host about 10 people per tour, and each tour will last an hour to an hour and a half.

“Normally, we get really great feedback,” Watkins said. “People come year after year and are really excited to do it.”

The tours are held to allow local residents a chance to gather mistletoe for Christmas decorations and parties, according to Linda Boyer, former environmental education coordinator at the Estuarium. The old English tradition, which Boyer believes came over with settlers in the 1600s and 1700s, became a traditional holiday greenery in this area, facilitating a lot of kissing around the holiday season.

Mistletoe was held sacred by the Norse, the Celtic Druids and the North American Indians. The Druid priests would cut mistletoe from an oak tree with a golden sickle, and the branches had to be caught before they touched the ground. It was then divided into many sprigs and distributed to the people, who hung them over doorways as protection against thunder, lightning and other evils.

It was believed that a sprig placed in a baby’s cradle would protect the child from goblins, and giving a sprig to the first cow calving after the New Year would protect the entire herd, the site said.

Mistletoe is a also symbol for joy and peace: whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. From this, comes the custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship and goodwill.

The Estuarium’s Mistletoe River Roving tours are free, but seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Call the Estuarium at 252-948-0000 for reservations.