History Of The Christmas Tree

Every year families gather around one incredibly important symbol of the season. That being the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is one of the oldest and long standing images of the season. Nearly every home in the western culture has one. Whether real or artificial, the Christmas tree looks as if it is here to stay.

The Christmas tree actual has a long history in association with the holiday. The history of the Christmas tree actually goes back to the 8th century. In 8th Century Germany, a man named Boniface used a decorated fir tree to honor the birth of Christ. Boniface who was an English missionary did this to replace the areas traditional pagan celebration to Odin’s sacred oak.

Later in the medieval era. Plays were performed to tell the story of the life of Christ. The evergreens were used as a symbol for the Garden of Eden. These plays were banned later on which caused many people to bring the evergreens inside their homes to celebrate.

The history of the Christmas tree took quite a positive turn when the reformation hit Europe. The evergreens tree was seen as a symbol of rebirth and hope, cementing it into the Christmas celebration and tradition.

The history of the Christmas tree expanded beyond Germany in the 17th century. Many countries in northern Europe were now using trees as part of their celebration. Decorating the trees with sweets and candies started to take hold. Later in the 19th century, decorating the trees with bulbs began to catch on as well. The husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert brought back some bulbs from his homeland of Germany. These bulbs went onto the royal Christmas tree which was soon featured in a London newspaper. The Christmas tree and decorating from then on became a tradition.

The history of the Christmas tree is long with many additions and changes. However few of us realize that tree we shove presents under during the festive season was a tradition started over 13 centuries ago.