 | ||||||
| ||||||
The Evolution of the Christmas Tree
In most parts of the world, Winter is cold and harsh; the Christmas tree, with its ornaments and twinkling lights, is a sign of warmth and gaiety. The Christmas tree is such a popular symbol of the winter holiday that it has been adopted by people of many faiths in many countries. The custom of decorating an evergreen with lights and ornaments is ostensibly Christian, but its roots lie deep in the Pagan past.
Many ancient cultures perceived trees to be symbols of rebirth and renewal, and trees were often associated with the many pagan solar deities whose birthdays were celebrated during the winter solstices. Evergreen trees in particular were seen as symbols of divinity and immortality, because they do not 'die' as other trees do.
In ancient Greece, the God Attis, the consort of the Mother Goddess Cybele, was believed to have died and been reborn. His birthday was celebrated on December 25th, and decorated evergreens were carried in processions in his honor.
The evergreen tree has also been long associated with gift giving- Roman citizens celebrated the Saturnalia, a week long December festival honoring the God Saturnus, by exchanging gifts attached to evergreen branches. These branches, called strenae, were part of a week long festival that was so popular, it was adopted largely intact by Christianity. Pope Liberius of Rome, in 354 A.D., ordered the date of December 25th be observed from that time on as the birthday of Christ, citing the Pagan festival of Saturn. (incidentally, the image of Saturnus, the Roman God of time, is the origin of the image of 'father time,' meaning that father time and father Christmas are closer than one might expect.)
In an old Norse tradition, evergreens were burned to encourage the return of the sun. A direct descendent of this practice, which is still carried out in remote parts of Europe, is the Yule log. These same Norse traditions also inspired the popular notion of stealthy nocturnal gift giving by sleigh-riding elves!
This custom of burning a tree was eventually replaced with trees or wooden pyramids decorated with burning candle, which are still common in many households in Europe.. A similar practice, which is the ancestor of the modern Christmas tree, took place in Pagan Germany- the twelve 'raunacht,' or wild nights, was commemorated with a decorated tree.
As trees have long been a symbol of rebirth, the Christmas tree became a natural symbol for the resurrected God of Christianity. The first known record of a decorated tree honoring the Christian nativity was a sixteenth century description of a German tree decorated with "roses cut out of many-colored paper, apples, wafers, gold foil and sweets." The idea caught on quickly, and soon Christmas trees were almost universally popular. Strong opposition to Christmas trees by the Puritan settlers kept Christmas trees out of American territory until the nineteenth century, when German settlers popularized the tradition.
The merry family gatherings-- The old, the very young; The strangely lovely way they Harmonize in carols sung. For Christmas is tradition time-- Traditions that recall The precious memories down the years, The sameness of them all.
--Helen Lowrie Marshall
Ancient Roman observances of the Natalis solis invicti and the Saturnalia occurred in December and involved much feasting, singing, parades and other forms of celebrating. Not to be outdone, when the Church adopted Christmas it introduced a major Christian celebration and feasting became a part of the festivities. As the centuries wore on, depending upon the country, a Christmas goose, turkey or other animal was adopted as the main course in the Christmas feast. The Christmas tree was first decorated with lights in the 16th century. It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to add lighted candles to the tree. He was so taken with the Christmas night sky that he wished to bring "the lights of the stars" into the home of his family. From this, decorating the tree with ornaments, messages and notes, and small gifts emerged in later centuries leading to our customs today.
