The Origins of Christmas Trees

The Origins of Christmas Trees

Many historians and anthropologists think that the history of Christmas trees began in the post-primeval period, when agricultural communities spread over the world. There was no such thing as Christmas. It was just a pagan festival of the winter solstice in one civilization or another. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, which normally falls on December 22nd or 23rd. Evergreen tree boughs were carried inside to protect residents from bad spirits that may bring famine and disease.

Evergreen boughs were also sprinkled by ancient peoples on their floors, doorways, and around their windows. In truth, the custom of hanging an evergreen garland stems from the practice of hanging evergreens over the mantle to discourage witches, ghosts, and spirits from entering the home via the chimney.

Evergreen boughs were also utilized to keep disease at bay. Aromatherapists still utilize scents like pine, juniper, and balsam to ward against disease and winter sadness.

Christmas trees were considered to have originated with the ancient Egyptians. Of course, there were no evergreen trees in ancient Egypt, but they filled their dwellings with palm rushes on the solstice to ward against evil and celebrate the return of their Sun God Ra.

European and Mediterranean civilizations have also contributed to the lengthy narrative that is the history of Christmas trees. The Romans decked their dwellings with evergreen boughs during the solstice, known as Saturnalia. This was done to worship Saturn, the God of Agriculture. On the darkest day of the year, the Celtic Druids utilized evergreens to signify perpetual life. These trees were not adorned in the way that we know them now. They were hardly more ornamental than the renowned Charlie Brown Christmas tree. This is due to the fact that the purpose of these evergreen boughs was more defensive than joyful.

By the 12th century, indoor trees had been introduced. Nobody knows why, but Christmas trees were initially hung upside-down from ceilings throughout the holiday season. This was a common practice throughout Central Europe. The upside-down tree was seen as both a Christian and a pagan emblem. Because Christianity was not widely practiced at the time, the tree might have been a tribute to both pagan and Christian customs.

It is usually assumed that the Christmas tree as we know it originated in Germany in the sixteenth century. Few people understand, however, that the tree was not transported inside and that the first decorated Christmas tree was a wood pyramid. These indoor pyramids in Germany were adorned with boughs and candles. Pickle jars were often placed on the stairs. The pyramid design was not inspired directly by ancient Egypt, but rather by the triangle shape, which was considered to symbolise the three points of the Holy Trinity - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Martin Luther, a German Protestant reformer who flourished in the mid 1600s, is credited for attaching lighting lights on a real tree. According to mythology, he was inspired to do so after seeing stars in the night sky poking through the branches of an evergreen while out for a stroll.

Tinsel was the next great thing in the history of Christmas trees. Tinsel was created about 1610 in Germany. Tinsel was made of genuine silver at the time, and it tarnished fast due to the smoke from the Christmas tree candles. Tinsel was made of silver until the mid-twentieth century, when it was replaced with aluminum.

Until the 1840s, there was no history of Christmas trees in America. They were sometimes shown as oddities in traveling sideshows. For the majority of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Christmas tree decoration practice was deemed sacrilegious. It was considered as a parody of the solemn celebration of Christ's birth. In fact, individuals were penalized in 1659 for hanging ornaments. This regulation remained in effect until the nineteenth century, when German and Irish immigrants to the United States popularized it. In 1846, Queen Victoria made a right-side-up floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree part of her décor, making the tradition more acceptable.

One contrast between European and American traditions seems to be that Europeans were more likely to adorn their trees with food, cookies, and sweets (and even pickles!). Americans, on the other hand, preferred dazzling decorations. Furthermore, European Christmas trees were typically lower (three to four feet in height), but Americans loved their trees to be sky-high. Both civilizations, however, relished decorating their trees with popcorn garlands and electric lights.

The first artificial Christmas trees appeared in America in the 1950s. This occasion was commemorated by Charles M. Schulz's well-known story about the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Linus, Lucy, and Shroeder tell Charlie Brown to go out and get the largest flashiest aluminum tree to use as a decoration for their Christmas performance. Brown, on the other hand, falls in love with the most pitiful tree ever and discovers the real meaning of Christmas. You can purchase a copy of this tree, sometimes known as the "sad Charlie Brown Christmas tree," online. The tree, according to the original animation, has just one red Christmas ball ornament on a single barren branch.

The debate over whether a synthetic or real Christmas tree is superior continues to this day. The most recent development in the history of Christmas trees is the reintroduction of the upside-down Christmas tree, which, as in the sixteenth century, is frowned upon by the church. If history repeats itself, the old wooden pyramids that acted as artificial trees in pagan times will be the next fad in Christmas trees.