Holly Coloring Pages

Spiky Leaves

Holly is a tree with sharp spikes around the edges of its leaves.
The leaves are hard and shiny, and they sting if you touch them!
People say the name "Holly" comes from an old word that means "to throb with pain."
Its leaves stay green all year round, so it is often used for hedges in gardens.

Sweet-Smelling Winter Flowers

From November to December, Holly grows lots of tiny white flowers where the leaves meet the branch.
Each flower has four petals, and they smell sweet and lovely when you get close.
It is related to the fragrant olive tree, so they smell very similar!
The first coloring page shows a Holly branch with flowers, drawn from a real photo.

Holly at Christmas

The spiky leaves with red berries used for Christmas decorations are called "English Holly."
The leaves look very similar, but it is actually a different kind of tree from Japanese Holly.
In Europe, people think the green leaves and red berries bring good luck in winter. They use them to decorate things like Christmas wreaths.
The second coloring page shows an English Holly wreath.

Differences Between Holly and English Holly

Japanese Holly leaves grow right opposite each other, and it blooms with white flowers in winter.
English Holly leaves grow one after another along the stem, and it grows red berries in winter.
The spiky leaves look very similar, but you can tell them apart by checking how the leaves grow!
In Japan, people sometimes call the red-berried Holly used for Christmas decorations "Christmas Holly."

Let’s Look for Holly Flowers!

If you walk by a hedge from November to December, try looking for Holly flowers!
If you catch a sweet smell, a Holly tree might be blooming nearby.

Holly for Setsubun

In Japan, there is a tradition for Setsubun day. People put a grilled sardine head on a Holly branch and hang it at their front door.
People say the spiky Holly leaves poke the eyes of demons, and the smell of the sardine keeps them away!
The third coloring page shows the entrance of an old house on bean-scattering day.
The first coloring page is simple, the second is for kids, and the third is detailed for grown-ups.

Color the leaves deep green and shiny

Color the leaves of the Holly with deep green. If you make the area around the center line a little lighter green, they will look nice and shiny.
Sharpen your colored pencil to color the sharp tips so you do not go outside the lines.
Leave the white flowers white and color just the centers light yellow. This will make the flowers pop out!

Red and green for the wreath

Color the berries of the Holly a bright red. Leave a small white spot to make them look shiny.
Color the ribbon red or gold, the bell yellow, and the pinecone brown.
Color the wooden door brown along the wood grain. This gives it a warm feeling!

A house for Setsubun

For the third coloring page, color the sardine gray or silver, and use brown for the cooked parts.
Color the ogre mask red or blue. Color the wooden box for the beans a light wood color.
Use dark brown or deep blue for the lattice door and the door curtain. It will look just like an old Japanese house!
Add a little pink to the plum buds in the garden to show that spring is near.

Color the flowers and berries last

When you color Holly pictures, color the leaves first. Color the white flowers and red berries last. This keeps the colors neat and clean!
Where leaves overlap, color the leaf in the back a slightly darker green. This makes the leaf in front stand out.
Color the branches grayish brown.

All the way to the sharp tips

Use the same color as the leaf to trace the sharp tips carefully at the very end. This makes the leaves look nice and sharp!

Spikes vanish as Holly gets older

As the Holly tree gets older and bigger, its leaves lose their spikes and more round leaves grow.
People say it happens because the high leaves are safe from being eaten by animals.

Holly berries

After it blooms, Japanese Holly grows dark purple berries in early summer the next year.
The tree with red berries in winter is English Holly, so that gives you a good hint to tell them apart.

Holly Osmanthus

There is also a tree called "Holly Osmanthus," which is a mix of Holly and Silver Osmanthus.
This one also blooms with sweet-smelling white flowers in autumn.

Holly at Setsubun

The Holly and sardine decoration for Setsubun is called "Hiiragi Iwashi." You can still see it at house entrances today in some places.
Long ago, people believed that sharp things and strong smells would chase bad things away.
Because of its spikes, Holly was even called "the tree that pokes the demon's eyes," and people cared for it as a tree that guards the house.

European Holly traditions

In Europe, people have said that hanging English Holly branches in your house keeps bad things from coming in. It is very similar to Japan's Setsubun!