Once Upon A Time There Was A Christmas Tree

There are some traditions that we take so much for granted that we never reflect on their origin or meaning. This includes the story of the Christmas tree. Every year, millions of parents and children around the world decorate their Christmas tree without really knowing the history of this custom.

It was the Celts who first decorated trees to celebrate the winter solstice on December 24. The tree they chose to decorate with various flowers and fruits, however, was the spruce.

It was in Alsace, in 1521, that the fir tree was first chosen to celebrate Christmas. But, rather than the whole tree, it was the freshly cut branches that were the most appreciated, filling the thatched cottages with their scent. About twenty years later, in the town of Selestat, Alsace, the entire tree staqrted to be used for Christmas celebrations.

However, the Catholic Church still considered this a pagan ritual and so it was mainly Protestants who continued to honor this custom.

It was only during the 19th century that the tradition of the Christmas tree spread rapidly throughout Europe and across the Atlantic to North America.

Even these days, we follow traditions whose history we know nothing of, simply to continue the customs passed on to us by our parents. However, it can be interesting to dig just a little bit to gain some understanding of the meaning behond all these little rituals.

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