The Poinsett Connection: Mexican Origins of Greenville’s Poinsettia Parade

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Please welcome guest author Joshua Salmans. Salmans is a quirky librarian at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. He enjoys interacting with people to highlight thought, culture, and perhaps a dash of humor on this little blueberry of a planet. 

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What may be a trite phrase for describing small towns in the South oddly enough seems fitting here to offer you a picture of Greenville in the Upstate of South Carolina: it is nestled in the foothills of what John Muir, a naturalist often bequeathed the moniker “Father of the Mountains”, called “the finest in America of its kind” and “the face of all Heaven come to earth.” Superlatives, in this instance, are naturally apropos to paint an endearing picture of the ancient, gentle range of sloping ridges, crests, valleys, and forests of the iconic Appalachian Mountains. 

The warmth of Upstate hospitality

The Upstate is nestled in the Southeastern flank of some of the most gorgeous national forests, the Nantahala and Chattahoochee. During the holiday season, however, the region’s vegetation may be shedding the grandeur of its rustic fall cloak of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. Most autumn leaves have already made their tragic journey to their final resting places along the valleys, trails, paths, roads, and streets. The trees are naked, and the skies are increasingly overcast with hues of dull white, violet, and greyish blue. 

This gloomy atmosphere may seem dismal to some, but the South Carolinians do not let that hamper their spirits. In contrast to the climate, the people of the Upstate decorate their downtowns with vibrant and festive colors and offer the warmth of hospitality and friendliness to their guests. Festivals are common throughout the small towns here, and Greenville is no exception. 

I’m an army-brat kid, so most of my childhood experience wasn’t spent in South Carolina. Yet, I vividly remember visiting my grandparents who lived in Travelers Rest, a quintessential rest stop just to the north of Greenville for Appalachian travelers. My family often spent Christmas with them. 

Poinsettias a central part of Christmas decoration here

One of the most prolific memories I have of those times was being welcomed to town with the profuse adornment of these small red and green plants. They were everywhere. Each small town featured them near or around their “Welcome to…the friendliest town in the South” welcome signs and their red-bricked churches’ columned porticos—as well as their sanctuary. Main street proudly displayed these festive plants in every store front, park, or community center. Each house throughout the town made had them as part of their central Christmas decoration. 

I don’t specifically remember going to Greenville’s Poinsettia Parade as a child, but it would become a staple festival that I would attend with friends and family after moving to the area as a teenager in the late 90s. My younger cousins’ main desire at the festival was to see Frosty and Santa Claus, yet they also cheered as floats with Poinsettia-décor passed by.

Like the ubiquitous holly plant during the holiday season, the red and green palate of the Poinsettia is prominent throughout the parade route on Main St. Its foliage is hoisted on to streetlamps, buildings, and along rails. 

What is the hubbub about the name?

For over 75 years, the festival has attracted thousands like the families of my younger cousins from the surrounding areas with its marching bands, community-group floats, and traditional holiday guests like Santa, Rudolf, and Frosty. Though the festival bears its name, the story of the Poinsettia remains lost to its attendees and to much of Southern folklore. This year, as many of these Southern festivals are interrupted by the global pandemic at hand, perhaps it is high time to reflect on our traditions and develop a deeper connection to their roots. 

Origins of the plant’s name are vaguely betrayed by some of Greenville’s local landmarks and roads like the Poinsett Bridge or the Poinsett Highway. Even along the parade route, one cannot escape an even more salient clue—the iconic Poinsett Hotel. 

So, what is the hubbub about the name? All these locations were named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, a world traveler and South Carolina stateman of the 19^th century. He served as a state legislator, US Secretary of War, and as Head of South Carolina’s Board of Public Works—which oversaw the development of bridges, dams, and ports. 

Sent clippings of the crimson flower back to South Carolina

He came into this world at the port of Charleston, SC, just three years after the United States got its start with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Poinsett was a patron of the arts, a medically trained physician, and a collector of plants from all over the world from Asia to South America. This revelation brings us to the significance of the Poinsettia plant and its connection to Greenville and the Upstate. 

The story begins with Poinsett’s appointment as America’s first diplomatic minister to Mexico in which he was charged with assessing South American republics and their struggles for independence from Spain during the early 1820s. Newspaper accounts of this time depict his encounter with the crimson flower at his post in Veracruz as his desire to commemorate a fallen family member in a short but violent skirmish there. 

According to legends in the area, the red flower grew from burials of Aztec ritual sacrifices. What Poinsett was captivated by was the hope and beauty that can come from sacrifice, especially during war or when sacrificed for one’s country. Given his value of the flower’s cultural significance, he sent clippings back to trusted friends in South Carolina to be studied and cultivated for greenhouses and gardens. 

Deeper multi-cultural origins of our celebrations

In 1915, the Yorkville Enquirer reminds us of a cultural memory loss of this holiday’s origins:  

His garden in the south gave him much pleasure and there it was that he cultivated the beautiful red flower he brought from Mexico… The popularity of this flower for decorations at this season of the year has been steadily growing and at the present time there are few who think of its Mexican origin, and regard it as a plant indigenous to this country. 

Poinsett spent a considerable amount of time in Greenville and contributed to the construction of many of its public works. During this time when many events and family gatherings are having to be sacrificed, perhaps it might be a source of strength to ponder his story and reflect on the value we have for each other as a community and the deeper multi-cultural origins of our celebrations.

Harrington, John W. “Story of the Poinsettia.” The Yorkville Enquirer (Yorkville, SC), January 8, 1915. Original print in New York Herald. 

Resources:

Bainbridge, Judith. “Joel Poinsett statue dedicated.” Last modified April 30, 2017.

Halani, Hannah. “The story behind poinsettia Christmas flowers and the Charleston man they’re named for.”

“Poinsett and the Poinsettia.” The Watchman and Southron (Sumpter, SC), December 14, 1921. 

Poinsett Club. “Joel Poinsett.” Accessed December 1, 2020.

Tabler, Dave. “How the poinsettia got its name.” Last modified December 29, 2016.