Háilí, Holly in Irish, rides her snow white hare through the forest, surveying the winter world.
Red and green have always been mystical colours since ancient times. These colours were symbols for the human race long before written language. Red and green were the colours of the warrior Celts who stamped across Europe into battle naked, while at home their Druidic priests plied their sacred image in prayer. In the end, colours are like names; they are carried in the mind. Their visual simplicity allows them to be retained deep in memory. The colours red and green ride the tides of civilization with instant recall…Holly is that mystical plant of green and red. In times past the deep colour represented the green of the ancient virgin forests and all of the secret powers that they held. These were considered to be holy places and for many still are. Holly achieves its forest green colour by a trick of optics. The upper layer of the leaves has a waxy film that amplifies the color and gives it an optimal depth. For the Druids the berry colour is exactly that of fresh blood. —Diana Beresford Kroeger
