Monitoringclub.org | History of The Christmas Tree – Talking about the Christmas celebration that will be held on December 25, surely you can’t break away from one object called the Christmas tree. The artificial tree, which resembles a pine tree and is decorated with various trinkets, always decorates the night of the end of the year.
However, do you know why the tree is always used as a Christmas decoration? What does it have to do with Christmas itself? The following is the history of the Christmas tree.
History of The Christmas Tree
1. The Christmas tree is entertainment in winter
As you know, the culture of celebrating Christmas came from Europe during the torturous winter. In times like these, plants that stay green all year round are special.
In order to entertain themselves and celebrate the festival, people will try to decorate their homes with plants that remain green all year round, such as pine and others. They would hang it on doors and windows. This situation became the starting point for the emergence of the Christmas tree culture.
2. The Christmas tree has many meanings
Europeans who lived in ancient times believed that the sun was a god, and when it entered winter, the god became sick and weak. This is where the Christmas celebrations take place at the end of the year, as a reminder that the gods will return to health and restore the greenery in spring.
Slightly similar to what happened in ancient Egypt. It is believed that at the turn of the year, the god Ra, who has an eagle head, will recover from his illness. In order to celebrate this, the Egyptians at that time decorated their homes with green hatch leaves.
3. It is believed that the Christmas tree came from Germany
Decorating homes with greenery has been an ancient tradition, but decorating trees as Christmas trees is believed to have been popularized by the Germans. In the 16th century, Christians in Germany celebrated Christmas by bringing decorated trees in their homes. Some even make pyramids out of wood and decorate them.
There is one Christmas tree story related to mythology. Boniface, an English monk who lived in Germany in the 8th century, had a chance to meet some native Germans who were trying to perform ritual sacrifices under an oak tree.
Seeing this, Boniface tried to stop the ritual of cutting down a tree. From that oak tree, a fir tree was born which was eventually used as a Christmas tree.
There is additional information that says Martin Luther was the first person to put candles on a Christmas tree. According to reports, as he was returning home in the evening, he saw a glimmer of starlight between the trees. Amazed by the moment, Luther tries to describe it to his family by lighting candles on their Christmas tree.
4. No one knows for sure how the Christmas tree culture spread
There has never been an exact record of the presence of the first Christmas tree in any place, even including in Indonesia. In America alone, it is estimated that Christmas trees appeared and were used by people there in the 19th century. Previously, Christians still considered the Christmas tree as a symbol of paganism, so its installation was still prohibited.
In England itself, the new Christmas tree became popular in 1846, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were depicted standing with children around the Christmas tree. Given that Queen Victoria was so popular, the picture went viral and people there started copying it.
5. A Christmas tree is not always a pine tree or a fir tree
Considering that not all areas have fir trees, Christmas trees are different. In Mexico, people replace evergreen trees with cut shoots from the Bursera microphylla tree.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, people make their own Christmas trees. Instead of a Christmas tree, Filipinos often make star ornaments from bamboo poles and place them in windows.
Those are some of the history of the Christmas tree. If you celebrate Christmas and you don’t have a Christmas tree, there is no need to bother looking for it and buying it. You can make it yourself from various things, because a Christmas tree is just a depiction that has various meanings.
