Old Fashioned Christmas Tree With Bulbs

The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in aboriginal Arab republic of egypt and Rome and continues with the German language tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s. Observe the history of the Christmas tree, from the earliest wintertime solstice celebrations to Queen Victoria's decorating habits and the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree in New York Metropolis.

Lookout Christmas documentaries on HISTORY Vault

How Did Christmas Copse Starting time?

Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Only as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir copse, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest 24-hour interval and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is chosen the winter solstice. Many aboriginal people believed that the sunday was a god and that winter came every year considering the lord's day god had become ill and weak. They historic the solstice considering it meant that at last the sun god would begin to become well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow over again when the dominicus god was strong and summer would return.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from his affliction, the Egyptians filled their homes with dark-green palm rushes, which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.

Early Romans marked the solstice with a banquet chosen Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that before long, farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they busy their homes and temples with evergreen boughs.

In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the aboriginal Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs equally a symbol of everlasting life. The vehement Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.

Christmas Trees From Germany

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as nosotros at present know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated copse into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if woods was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, commencement added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.

Who Brought Christmas Trees to America?

Almost 19th-century Americans institute Christmas copse an oddity. The first tape of one beingness on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many High german homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania High german settlements had community copse as early as 1747. But, as tardily as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by virtually Americans.

It is not surprising that, similar many other festive Christmas community, the tree was adopted and so tardily in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims's second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated copse, and whatever joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event." In 1659, the Full general Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making whatsoever observance of December 25 (other than a church building service) a penal crime; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity connected until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.

An illustration from a Dec 1848 edition of the Illustrated London News shows Queen Victoria and her family surrounding a Christmas tree.

Bettmann Annal/Getty Images

In 1846, the pop royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children effectually a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous majestic family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable—not only in United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, just with fashion-conscious E Coast American Lodge. The Christmas tree had arrived.

By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Frg and Christmas tree popularity was on the ascent around the U.Southward. It was noted that Europeans used minor trees most four anxiety in height, while Americans liked their Christmas copse to reach from flooring to ceiling.

The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with bootleg ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to utilise apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after beingness dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought nigh Christmas lights, making information technology possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on terminate. With this, Christmas copse began to announced in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the domicile became an American tradition.

READ MORE: 25 Christmas Traditions and Their Origins

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Rockefeller Center tree is located at Rockefeller Center, west of Fifth Avenue from 47th through 51st Streets in New York Metropolis.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree dates back to the Depression era. The tallest tree displayed at Rockefeller Center arrived in 1948. It was a Norway Spruce that measured 100 anxiety tall and hailed from Killingworth, Connecticut.

The first tree at Rockefeller Middle was placed in 1931. It was a small unadorned tree placed by construction workers at the center of the construction site. 2 years later, another tree was placed there, this time with lights. These days, the giant Rockefeller Center tree is laden with over 25,000 Christmas lights.

Christmas Trees Around the Earth

Christmas Trees in Canada
German settlers migrated to Canada from the Us in the 1700s. They brought with them many of the things associated with Christmas we cherish today—Appearance calendars, gingerbread houses, cookies—and Christmas copse. When Queen Victoria'south German hubby, Prince Albert, put up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1848, the Christmas tree became a tradition throughout England, the United States, and Canada.

Christmas Trees in Mexico
In most Mexican homes the primary holiday adornment is el Nacimiento (Nativity scene). However, a decorated Christmas tree may exist incorporated in the Nacimiento or fix elsewhere in the abode. As purchase of a natural pine represents a luxury commodity to virtually Mexican families, the typical arbolito (little tree) is often an artificial 1, a bare co-operative cut from a copal tree (Bursera microphylla) or some type of shrub collected from the countryside.

Christmas Copse in Not bad Britain
The Kingdom of norway spruce is the traditional species used to decorate homes in Britain. The Norway spruce was a native species in the British Isles before the last Ice Age, and was reintroduced here before the 1500s.

Christmas Trees in Greenland
Christmas copse are imported, as no copse live this far northward. They are decorated with candles and bright ornaments.

Christmas Trees in Guatemala
The Christmas tree has joined the "Nacimiento" (Birth scene) as a pop ornament because of the big German population in Guatemala. Gifts are left nether the tree on Christmas morning for the children. Parents and adults exercise not exchange gifts until New year's day's Twenty-four hour period.

Christmas Trees in Brazil
Although Christmas falls during the summer in Brazil, sometimes pino copse are decorated with little pieces of cotton that represent falling snow.

Christmas Trees in Ireland
Christmas trees are bought anytime in December and decorated with colored lights, tinsel, and baubles. Some people favor the angel on height of the tree, others the star. The house is busy with garlands, candles, holly, and ivy. Wreaths and mistletoe are hung on the door.

Christmas Copse in Sweden
Almost people buy Christmas copse well before Christmas Eve, but it's not mutual to take the tree inside and decorate information technology until just a few days earlier. Evergreen trees are busy with stars, sunbursts, and snowflakes made from straw. Other decorations include colorful wooden animals and straw centerpieces.

Christmas Trees in Norway
Nowadays Norwegians often take a trip to the wood to select a Christmas tree, a trip that their grandfathers probably did not brand. The Christmas tree was not introduced into Norway from Deutschland until the latter half of the 19th century; to the country districts it came fifty-fifty later. When Christmas Eve arrives, there is the decorating of the tree, usually done by the parents backside the closed doors of the living room, while the children wait with excitement outside. A Norwegian ritual known every bit "circling the Christmas tree" follows, where everyone joins hands to form a ring around the tree and so walk around information technology singing carols. Afterwards, gifts are distributed.

Christmas Trees in Ukraine
Historic on December 25th by Catholics and on January 7th by Orthodox Christians, Christmas is the most popular holiday in the Ukraine. During the Christmas season, which besides includes New year'south Day, people decorate fir copse and accept parties.

Christmas Trees in Espana
A popular Christmas custom is Catalonia, a lucky strike game. A tree trunk is filled with goodies and children hit at the trunk trying to knock out the hazel nuts, almonds, toffee, and other treats.

Christmas Trees in Italia
In Italian republic, the presepio (manger or crib) represents in miniature the Holy Family in the stable and is the heart of Christmas for families. Guests kneel earlier it and musicians sing earlier it. The presepio figures are usually hand-carved and very detailed in features and dress. The scene is often set out in the shape of a triangle. It provides the base of operations of a pyramid-similar structure called the ceppo. This is a wooden frame arranged to brand a pyramid several feet high. Several tiers of thin shelves are supported past this frame. Information technology is entirely decorated with colored newspaper, gilt pine cones, and miniature colored pennants. Small candles are fastened to the tapering sides. A star or minor doll is hung at the apex of the triangular sides. The shelves above the manger scene accept small gifts of fruit, candy, and presents. The ceppo is in the old Tree of Lite tradition which became the Christmas tree in other countries. Some houses even have a ceppo for each kid in the family.

Christmas Trees in Germany
Many Christmas traditions practiced effectually the globe today started in Germany.

It has long been thought that Martin Luther began the tradition of bringing a fir tree into the home. According to i legend, late one evening, Martin Luther was walking dwelling house through the woods and noticed how beautifully the stars shone through the trees. He wanted to share the dazzler with his wife, so he cut down a fir tree and took it home. In one case inside, he placed small-scale, lighted candles on the branches and said that it would be a symbol of the beautiful Christmas sky. The Christmas tree was born.

Some other legend says that in the early 16th century, people in Germany combined two community that had been good in dissimilar countries around the globe. The Paradise tree (a fir tree decorated with apples) represented the Tree of Cognition in the Garden of Eden. The Christmas Low-cal, a small, pyramid-like frame, usually busy with glass balls, tinsel and a candle on top, was a symbol of the nascence of Christ as the Light of the World. Irresolute the tree'due south apples to tinsel balls and cookies and combining this new tree with the light placed on top, the Germans created the tree that many of u.s. know today.

Modern Tannenbaum (Christmas copse) are traditionally busy in hush-hush with lights, tinsel and ornaments by parents and then lit and revealed on Christmas Eve with cookies, basics and gifts under its branches.

Christmas Trees in South Africa
Christmas is a summer holiday in South Africa. Although Christmas trees are non common, windows are oft draped with sparkling cotton wool and tinsel.

Christmas Trees in Saudi Arabia
Christian Americans, Europeans, Indians, Filipinos, and others living here have to celebrate Christmas privately in their homes. Christmas lights are generally not tolerated. Most families place their Christmas trees somewhere inconspicuous.

Christmas Trees in Philippines
Fresh pino trees are too expensive for many Filipinos, so handmade trees in an array of colors and sizes are frequently used. Star lanterns, or parol, appear everywhere in Dec. They are made from bamboo sticks, covered with brightly colored rice paper or cellophane, and usually feature a tassel on each indicate. In that location is unremarkably one in every window, each representing the Star of Bethlehem.

Christmas Trees in China
Of the pocket-size percentage of Chinese who exercise gloat Christmas, near erect bogus trees decorated with spangles and paper chains, flowers, and lanterns. Christmas trees are called "trees of light."

Christmas Copse in Japan
For most of the Japanese who celebrate Christmas, it'southward purely a secular holiday devoted to the love of their children. Christmas trees are decorated with pocket-sized toys, dolls, paper ornaments, gold paper fans and lanterns, and wind chimes. Miniature candles are also put amid the tree branches. One of the virtually pop ornaments is the origami swan. Japanese children accept exchanged thousands of folded paper "birds of peace" with young people all over the world as a pledge that war must non happen again.

Christmas Tree Trivia and Facts

Christmas copse have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.

In 1979, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted except for the meridian ornament. This was done in honor of the American hostages in Iran.

Betwixt 1887-1933 a fishing schooner called the Christmas Ship would necktie upwardly at the Clark Street bridge and sell bandbox trees from Michigan to Chicagoans.

The tallest living Christmas tree is believed to be the 122-foot, 91-yr-old Douglas fir in the town of Woodinville, Washington.

The Rockefeller Eye Christmas tree tradition began in 1933. Franklin Pierce, the 14th president, brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White House.

In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at present held every year on the White House backyard.

Since 1966, the National Christmas Tree Clan has given a Christmas tree to the President and first family.

Almost Christmas trees are cut weeks earlier they get to a retail outlet.

In 1912, the first community Christmas tree in the United States was erected in New York City.

Christmas trees generally take six to eight years to mature.

Christmas trees are grown in all l states including Hawaii and Alaska.

Ninety-eight pct of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.

More than 1,000,000 acres of state have been planted with Christmas trees.

On average, over 2,000 Christmas trees are planted per acre.

You should never fire your Christmas tree in the fireplace. Information technology can contribute to creosote buildup.

Other types of trees such every bit cherry and hawthorns were used as Christmas copse in the past.

Thomas Edison's assistants came up with the idea of electrical lights for Christmas copse.

In 1963, the National Christmas Tree was not lit until December 22nd because of a national 30-mean solar day period of mourning post-obit the assassination of President Kennedy.

Teddy Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House for environmental reasons.

In the first week, a tree in your home will consume every bit much equally a quart of water per twenty-four hours.

Tinsel was once banned by the authorities. Tinsel contained lead at one time. Now it's made of plastic.

The all-time-selling trees are Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Balsam Fir and White Pine.

Share this post