O Christmas Tree! A History of this Holiday Icon
It would hardly seem like Christmas without at least one tree gracing the inside of your home. Some folks even enjoy decorating multiple Christmas trees for the season, indoors and out. You can find fresh trees and artificial trees, aluminum and feather trees, and even trees that are designed to be displayed upside down. You can hang tinsels, ornaments or popcorn from its branches. You can put presents underneath and a star on top. Christmas trees are a staple of our holiday decorating today. But have you ever wondered where this holiday tradition began?
A Visit to Germany
It is not easy to trace the historic line of the Christmas tree precisely; however, it does appear that the tree as we know it today first began in Germany in the 16th century. Early reports during this time describe a small fir tree decorated with fruit, nuts and paper flowers observed in the guild house. Another reference from this time period is a description of people carrying small trees decorated with cheese and apples. However, there are also reports of Martin Luther decorating the first Christmas tree to symbolize the stars that shone brightly at night. During this same century, Riga, Latvia claims to be the home of the first Christmas tree as well.
The Evolution
By the latter part of the 18th century, it is thought that illuminated Christmas trees had come onto the scene. Since electricity had not been invented at this time, the trees were lit with candles that were stuck onto the tree branches with melted wax. During these decades, the idea of a tree as a part of holiday tradition began to spread, with many countries and cultures offering historical reports of the presence of these icons in a variety of sizes and styles.
By the late 1800's electricity had come onto the scene, and this became reflected in Christmas tree decorating as well. A man by the name of Edward Johnson, an inventor and associate of Thomas Edison, is credited with inventing the first Christmas tree that was illuminated by electricity. Throughout the next fifty years or so, the idea of adding electrical strands of lights to the branches of the Christmas tree had taken on a life of its own, and there were new and unusual ways to light a tree getting invented every year.
The Christmas tree has a long and colorful past that has brought it to the status of one of the best known holiday icons today. O Christmas tree - how beautiful your branches!
