Top The History of Christmas Trees

Many historians and anthropologists agree that the history of Christmas trees dates back to ancient times, just as agricultural societies were developing around the world. Christmas was not. It was simply a matter of, in one culture or another, a pagan winter celebration. The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, usually on 22 or 23 December. Branches of evergreen trees were brought into the house to protect the villagers from the evil spirits that could cause famine and disease. The ancients also spread green branches on the floor, doors and windows. In fact, the custom of hanging the evergreen neck comes from the tradition of hanging evergreen trees on a blanket to prevent witches, ghosts and ghosts from crawling down the chimney and into the house. Evergreen branches are also used to prevent disease. Fragrances such as pine, juniper, and balsam are still used by perfumes today to prevent winter illness and depression. Even the Ancient Egyptians were thought to have a role in the history of Christmas trees. Of course there were no green forests in Ancient Egypt, but during the solar eclipse they filled their homes with palm fronds to protect themselves from evil and to celebrate the return of their Sun God Ra. European and Mediterranean cultures also feature episodes in a long saga that is part of the history of Christmas trees. On a sunny hill, known as the Saturnalia, the Romans adorned their homes with evergreen branches. This honored God Saturn, whose origin was farming. Further north, the Celtic Druids used evergreen plants to symbolize eternal life. These trees were not decorated as we know them today. They were less decorative than Charlie's brown Christmas tree. This is because the work of these evergreen branches was more protective than the celebration. In the 12th century, indoor trees were imported. No one is sure why, but at first Christmas trees were hung from the ceiling at Christmastime. This was a common practice in Central Europe. The downside tree was considered both a Christian symbol and a pagan symbol. At that time, Christianity was not very widespread, and the medicine may have been associated with pagan and Christian traditions. It is widely believed that the history of the Christmas tree as we know it began in Germany in the sixteenth century. Few people realize, however, that the tree was not brought in and that in fact, the ornamental Christmas tree was a wooden pyramid. These German indoor towers were adorned with branches and candles. Cucumbers were usually placed on a ladder. The shape of the pyramid was not a direct impression from Ancient Egypt but, rather, the shape of the triangle was thought to represent the three elements of the Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Someone who is credited with adding candles to the real tree is Martin Luther - a German Protestant Reformer who lived in the mid-1600s. The legend is that he was inspired to do so by seeing stars in the night sky peeking out at the legs of an evergreen plant on a journey. The next major development in the history of Christmas trees was tinsel. Tinsel was founded in Germany about 1610. At the time, tinsel was made of real silver and was easily contaminated by the smoke from the Christmas tree candles. Silver was used to make tinsel until the middle of the 20th century, when it was replaced by aluminum. The history of Christmas trees did not exist in America until about the 1840s. Sometimes they were shown as curiosity in side shows. The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree was considered defamatory in much of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was considered a mockery of the cool celebration of Christ's birth. In fact, in 1659, people were fined for hanging pendants. The practice lasted until the 19th century, when the custom was widely practiced by German and Irish immigrants to the United States. The practice was also made more acceptable when Queen Victoria decided to make the right side from the ground to the roof of the Christmas tree part of her 1846 decoration. Another difference between European and American cultures seemed to be that Europeans were more inclined to embellish their customs. Edible trees, cookies and sweets (even cucumbers!) while the Americans were more than glittering ornaments. And European Christmas trees were usually shorter (3 to 4 feet high) while Americans chose their trees to be high in the sky. Both cultures, however, enjoy decorating their trees with popcorn sticks and electric lights. In the 1950s, America saw the arrival of artificial Christmas trees. The event was celebrated by Charles M. Schulz, the famous legend of the brown Charlie Christmas tree. In this story, Charlie Brown is told by Linus, Lucy and Schroeder to go out and find the largest glittering aluminum tree they can use as decoration for their Christmas game. Instead, Brown loves a very sad tree and finds the true meaning of Christmas. You can buy an image of this type of tree, Commonly called "Charlie Brown Christmas tree" online. According to the original cartoon, the tree is proud of just one red Christmas ball ornament on one empty limb. The debate over which is better - a fake Christmas tree or a real Christmas tree continues today. The most recent development in the history of Christmas trees is the return of a downed Christmas tree, which was banned by the church as it was in the sixteenth century. If history repeats the following pattern we will see in the Xmas trees ancient wooden towers that served as artificial trees in pagan times.