History of Christmas Tree |
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“O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!”
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A stunningly decorated evergreen tree, with colored shiny lights has long been the most cherished Christmas traditions. The embellished and fully lighted Christmas tree has an aura in itself. It fills the air with warmth, love and delight that are symbolic of the holiday season. But is a Christmas tree merely a decorative addition that adds to the spirit of the celebrations? Underneath the outward embellishments like candles, balls, silver tinsel, and a shiny star at the top, Christmas tree has an absorbing story to tell, so open your heart and tune into the History of Christmas tree.
The custom of a holiday tree has been around since centuries and has played an integral part in winter celebrations. Many pagan festivals used trees when honoring their gods and spirits. In Middle Ages, the Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors as a reminder that the darkness and cold of winter would end and the green of spring would return soon. The Druids of ancient England and France decked up the oak trees with fruit and candles to pay tribute to their gods of harvests. At the festival of Saturnalia, the Romans embellished trees with trinkets and candles.
The lore of the Christmas tree is shrouded in many legends and myths. According to one legend, Saint Boniface who was an English monk once came upon a group of pagans who had gathered around an oak tree and were preparing to sacrifice a little kid. To save the child, the Saint crushed the oak tree with one blow of his fist. A small fir arose in its place, which Saint Boniface told the pagans was the Tree of Life and signified the life of Christ.
According to another myth, the Christmas tree is related to the birth of Jesus Christ. It is believed that on the night of the birth of Christ, living creatures of all sorts visited Bethlehem with gifts. The olive tree came along to welcome Christ with its fruit and the palm with its date but the fir had nothing to gift. So an angel, taking pity on the fir, ordered a cluster of stars to twinkle on its beautiful boughs. Baby Jesus smiled on seeing the sparkling tree, and blessed it. Consequently, the fir tree is always ablaze with candles to please little children during Christmas.
Another oft quoted story tells of Martin Luther, the creator of the Protestant religion who first started the modern concept of indoor tree decorations. Once, Martin Luther was walking through the woods late one night and he saw many stars shining through the branches of the trees giving the impression of twinkling lights. He was so stirred by the beauty of the sight that he cut down a small evergreen and brought it home. To induce the sparkling effect of the stars, he placed candles on the tree's branches. The modern Christmas tree is believed to evolve from these evergreen trees that were considered as a symbol of life.
The ritual of a Christmas tree indoors appears to have originated in Germany. The tradition of the Christmas tree eventually took the whole Europe into its grip. The English Royalty helped in popularizing the Christmas tree in England by decorating the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, decked up the first English Christmas Tree with candies, fruits, candles and gingerbread.
When the German immigrants shifted to American they also brought along their Christmas trees. In the 1830's most Americans still viewed the Christmas tree as an oddity. One of the first public exhibits of a Christmas tree was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania. At the time many still weren’t able to embrace the tradition of Christmas Tree as they considered it be a symbol of pagans and it wasn't until the late 1800's that Americans began accepting the Christmas tree with open arms.
In modern times, Christmas without Christmas tree is hard to imagine; it has become the most accepted and adored Christian custom.
Also get to know all about the different types of Christmas Trees.
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