This Christmas emblem is originally from Mexico. In its country of origin it's known as the Flor de Noche Buena. This striking red flower was exported in the early 1800s by Joel Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico. He promoted the flower internationally and throughout most of the world it is now known as Poinsettia.
In the United States, soon after Thanksgiving is celebrated stores and establishments put out their Christmas decorations and radios begin playing Christmas music. In Mexico the coming of the Christmas season is announced by the flowering of the Noche Buena, the Poinsettia plant.
The Nahuatl, Aztec, name for this plant is Cuetlaxochitl, which means "flower that withers" and it was believed to represent the new life that warriors attain in battle. Perhaps the best known of Mexican flowers, the Noche Buena flowers in November and December. It grows at its best in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, where it can reach up to twelve feet in height!
There is a legend surrounding the Poinsettia. A poor peasant girl was going to mass on Christmas Eve "Noche Buena" in Spanish, which literally means "good night". She was very sad because she didn't have a gift to present to baby Jesus. On her way to the church she gathered a few plants to take with her. When she arrived at the church she presented the plants she carried and they turned from green to bright red.
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