Have you ever wondered why you decorate your green artificial Christmas trees? Of course, you have been doing it for years since you were a child, placing ornaments, lights, and tinsel. Where did this tradition start? Well, the tree decoration tradition started centuries ago in history and religion.
Where Did The Christmas Tree Come From?
The origin of bringing a tree into the home in winter started with the pagan faith. Pagans used to bring in fir trees to use them in different ways. Even Christians have used the traditions for years to celebrate the winter solstice. In addition, the tree branches were used for festivals by the Romans during their Saturnalia.
What does the tree represent? The main reason was symbolism, as the branches meant living during dark, cold winter nights. In addition, the Romans used the fir trees to brighten up the temples as they had evergreen qualities.
As time progressed, tradition cached on, and the first modern Christmas tree originated in Germany during the mid-16th century. In addition, the Germans produce Miracle Plays in front of the churches during Advent and Christmas Eve.
The plays had the Paradise Tree representing the Garden of Eden but were mainly a cutting of the tree. As years passed, those trees developed into fir trees used all over Germany and spread to Northern Europe.
At this time, decorating trees began by placing candles on the branches. Thus, after the protestant reformation decorating trees for Christmas became a tradition and spread to other European countries.
Who Brought The First Tree Into The Home for Christmas?
While the Germans first decorated the tree, preacher Martin Luther brought the first Christmas tree into the home. Legend says that Martin was walking in the woods in the evening and saw some stars shining above the tree canopy.
With the stars twinkling, he to wanted his home to twinkle like stars. He then cut the tree down and took it home to decorate with lights. Hence, the modern Christmas tree was born. As time progressed, tree decorating spread o the UK during Queen Victoria’s reign and became a fashion statement.
The tradition continued as people started to decorate real trees in the home. Thus traditional decorations like angels, fruit, stars, and Santa became part of the tree. As things began to change, the first artificial Christmas tree appeared in 1930.
The first green artificial Christmas tree was made by a US-based company called Addis Brush, made from brush bristles. The manufacturers used the same machines to make their toilet brush range and dyed the tree green.
So, now you know where decorating the Christmas tree all started. When the year ends, and you haul out your faux tree, you can now tell your children and grandkids about the fascinating tale of the Christmas tree.