The Christmas tree tradition

Decorated Christmas tree. Photo by Rachel Mabala

It’s the season to be jolly and the centre piece of decor is the Christmas tree. Nothing is complete without the Christmas tree this season but how many of us know the reason as to why the Christmas tree exists?

The Fir tree
In the 16th Century, the evergreen Fir tree, popularly known as the Christmas tree, was used to celebrate both Christian and pagan festivals. Christians used it as a sign of everlasting life.

The idea was to give them the hope of spring to come. Some people built pyramids out of wood and decorated them with evergreen and candles to represent stars. Other alternatives that were used as Christmas trees in northern Europe were the Cherry or Hawthorn plants.

These trees were usually left outside. It is believed that the first person to bring a tree into the house was a German preacher called Martin Luther.

The beginning
It is told that the night before Christmas, he was walking through the forest when he looked up and saw stars shining through the branches. The experience was so beautiful he told his family it reminded him of Jesus who left the stars of heaven to come to earth.

In Germany, the first Christmas trees were decorated with edibles such as ginger bread, gold-covered apples, sweets, wafers, roses, along with coloured paper and glass ornaments.
At first, a figure of the baby Jesus was put at the top of the tree and over time it changed to an angel that told the wise men about a star that the wise men saw.

The first tree came to Britain in the 1830s. Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s German husband) set it up in Windsor castle. A drawing of this tree was then published in the London news and after this publication, Christmas trees became popular in USA and UK.

Many towns all over the world have their own Christmas trees, for example, the famous one of Trafalgar Square in London, England, which is given to the UK by Norway every year as a ‘thank you’ present for the help UK gave Norway in World War II.

Well, there you have it, the history of the Christmas tree. So, what is the purpose of the Christmas tree you are putting up? Don’t stress, just think of a happy reason for it!

Artificial trees
Artificial trees started becoming popular in the 20th Century. They are now made out of metal, glass, feathers, paper mache and even plastic.