From the Wiki link I provided previously:
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Religious and other traditional associations
In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called
Cuitlaxochitl (from cuitlatl, residue, and xochitl, flower) meaning
"flower that grows in residues or soil." The Aztecs used the plant to
produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication.[8] Today it is known
in Mexico and Guatemala as "Noche Buena", meaning Christmas Eve.
The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico,
where legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift
for the celebration of Jesus' birthday. The tale goes that the child was
inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in
front of the church altar. Crimson "blossoms" sprouted from the weeds
and became beautiful poinsettias.[9] From the 17th century, Franciscan
friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas
celebrations.[10] The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the
Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice
through the crucifixion of Jesus.[11] In Spain it is known as "Flor de
Pascua", meaning "Easter flower". In both Chile and Peru, the plant
became known as "Crown of the Andes".
Poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations[3] in homes, churches,
offices, and elsewhere across North America. They are available in large
numbers from grocery, drug, and hardware stores. In the United States,
December 12 is National Poinsettia Day.
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Chuck Norcutt
On 12/26/2012 12:55 PM, jfwilcox wrote:
> Thanks Chuck. I gather that the answer to my question is that these
> plants are not associated with Christmas elsewhere in the world and
> my guess is that they are only associated with Xmas in the US because
> they provide the perfect colors of red and green.
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