How Did Christmas Tree Traditions Originate?

Published Dec 23, 2023

2 mins read

428 words

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suba rusha

Hey friends!!! I hope everyone is doing well. Here is my next blog about interesting facts and history about Christmas tree.

There are many Christmas customs, but arguably none are more well-liked than decorating a tree. Christmas trees, artificial or genuine, are inextricably linked to the season. But how did trees end up being associated with Christmas?

The origin of the present Christmas tree is up for controversy, as trees have been utilized for decorations and in ceremonies since ancient times. Still, a lot of people think it came from Germany. It is said that in or around 723, the English missionary St. Boniface came upon pagans in Germany who were getting ready to offer a sacrifice at an oak tree honoring the deity Thor (Donar).

After taking an ax to the tree, Boniface told the amazed pagan population that a nearby evergreen was their "holy tree" after their deity did not strike it down. According to other accounts, a fir tree stood where the fallen oak once stood.

Whether that story is accurate or not, evergreen trees were included into Christian rituals in Germany during the Middle Ages, and these "paradise trees" started to appear. On December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve, these evergreen trees, meant to symbolize the Garden of Eden, were draped with apples and placed on display in homes.

Paradise trees changed into Christmas trees as further decorations were added. It is said that Martin Luther placed lit candles on a tree for the first time in the sixteenth century. Christmas trees were a well-established custom in Germany by the 1800s.

Christmas trees became popular all over the world, but they started to negatively affect forests, particularly in Germany. Consequently, in the 1880s, Germans started manufacturing fake trees with goose feathers. These trees traveled to several nations, and as time went on, other materials took the place of the goose feathers.

A significant event happened in the 1930s when an artificial tree was purportedly made out of excess product from a toilet bowl brush company.

Although these bristle trees became more and more popular, aluminum and subsequently plastic equivalents eventually took their place.

Data from the American Christmas Tree Association shows that in the United States, 16 percent of Christmas trees that were displayed by families in 2021 were real, while 84% were artificial.

I crafted this tree specifically for my daughter.