Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy Generator What Was the Origin of the Christmas Tree Tradition? - london2day

What Was the Origin of the Christmas Tree Tradition?

London2day
26 Dec, 2022

What Was the Origin of the Christmas Tree Tradition?


Christmas Trees - The Origins of Christmas Trees

A decorated tree is perhaps the most well-known Christmas tradition out of all the others. Christmas trees, whether real or fake, are inextricably linked to the occasion. But how did Christmas come to include trees?

Since trees have been used in ceremonies and as decorations since the beginning of time, it is unclear where the modern Christmas tree originated. But a lot of people think it came from Germany. Supposedly, in Germany in the year 723, the English missionary St. Boniface at an oak tree devoted to the god Thor (Donar), pagans were preparing a sacrifice when Boniface came across them. When their god did not strike the tree down, Boniface took an ax to it and declared to the awed pagans that a nearby evergreen was their "holy tree.". According to other sources, a fir grew where the oak had previously been.

Whether or not that story is true, evergreen trees were incorporated into Christian rituals in Germany, and "paradise trees" started to appear there in the Middle Ages. On December 24, the religious holiday commemorating Adam and Eve, these evergreen trees—intended to represent the Garden of Eden—were hung with apples and put on display in homes. Paradise trees changed into Christmas trees as additional ornaments were added; Martin Luther is said to have hung lit candles on a tree for the first time in the sixteenth century. Germans had a well-established tradition of Christmas trees by the 19th century.

How did the Christmas tree become such a popular holiday tradition?

Christmas trees were brought to other nations, particularly England, by German immigrants. There, in the 1790s, Charlotte, King George III's wife of German descent, had Christmas trees decorated. However, the tradition was made popular among the British by a German-born prince named Albert and his wife, Queen Victoria of Britain. The couple made Christmas trees a big part of the celebrations, and in 1848, a newspaper in London ran an illustration of the royal family gathered around a festive tree. In English homes, Christmas trees quickly spread.

How has the tradition of the Christmas tree evolved over time?

Christmas trees were popular all across the world, but, particularly in Germany, the practise started to harm forests. Germans thus started producing fake goose-feather trees in the 1880s. As these trees travelled to many nations, other materials eventually took the place of the goose feathers. The supposed utilisation of leftover product to make an artificial tree by a maker of toilet bowl brushes in the 1930s was a significant breakthrough. Up until they were replaced by plastic and then aluminum versions, these bristle trees gained popularity steadily. According to data from the American Christmas Tree Association, 84 percent of Christmas trees exhibited by families in the United States in 2021 were artificial, while 16 percent were real.

How did decorated trees first become popular?

Christmas trees were also brought to America by German immigrants, though the tradition took some time to catch on. Due to the holiday's paganism, many Puritans disapproved of it, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony actually forbade the celebration of Christmas. They felt so strongly against the holiday that they even chose to close their churches on December 25. Christmas didn't start to become popular in America until the 1820s, and the first Christmas tree is said to have been put up in the 1830s. The influential magazine Godey's Lady's Book, which published the 1848 illustration of the British royal family in 1850 but changed it to make the family appear American, contributed to the growth of the Christmas tree's appeal. Christmas trees became well-liked in America by the 1870s thanks to initiatives like this.

Inspired by britannica

Next Post Previous Post
No Comment
Add Comment
comment url