The Legendary Origins of the Christmas Tree
Many of our modern Christmas customs, songs and traditions came from Germany, such as illustrations of Santa Claus, Christmas markets, shaped gingerbreads, tinsel, glass ornaments, and of course, Christmas trees.
The tradition of decorating a tree in celebration of Christmas originated in 16th century Germany. Legend has it that it Martin Luther, the German theologian and reformer who influenced Lutheran and Protestant doctrines, was the first to decorate an evergreen tree with lighted candles.
It is said that one night while walking through the woods and composing a sermon, he was awestruck by the beauty of evergreens shimmering in the snow under the stars. When he got home, he wanted to share his story with his children, so he brought in a small evergreen tree and decorated it with candles, which he lit in honor of the birth of Christ.
Although the first actual written record of a Christmas tree in 1604 dates well after Martin Luther's death in 1564, this old story of the first Christmas tree is still widely believed and very popular.
Another Christmas tree legend, also from Germany and dating back to the 7th century, tells the story of St. Boniface, a monk from Devonshire who went to Germany to convert the German people to Christianity. It is said that when he found a group of Pagans worshiping an oak tree, he cut the oak down and a young evergreen began to grow from its roots. Taking this as a sign, St Boniface used the triangular shape of the fir tree to describe the Holy Trinity; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After that, the converts then revered the fir tree as God's tree, just as they had previously revered the oak.
Christmas Trees in Early American History
The Christmas tree tradition as we know it today was most likely brought to the United States by Hessian troops during the American Revolution. According to a legend, a celebration around a Christmas tree in Trenton, New Jersey helped to turn the tide for Colonial forces in 1776. Hessian mercenaries, apparently feeling homesick after seeing a candlelit evergreen tree in the snow, left their guard posts to engage in merrymaking, which gave General Washington the opportunity to attack their position and defeat them.
The first actual record of Christmas trees being on display in America dates back to the 1830s, although the Pennsylvania German settlements had put up community evergreens in winter as early as 1747. But Christmas trees were not widely accepted in America until some time later. As recently as the 1840s, many Americans still thought of decorated evergreens as Pagan symbols.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
fascinating! great report as always Margaret - love the background of tradtions and customs!
2 - Margaret Romao Toigo
Thank you, Eric. It's always nice to get a pat on the back from the man in charge.
3 - GoHah
I never would've thought artificial trees went back that far. Enjoyable history lesson--thanks
4 - Greg Schoppe
wait, what you just wrote boils down to: lighted, decorated trees were created by either Martin Luthor, or St Bonaface. How does that make it not a Christian tradition? The use of evergreen boughs as decoration is not the same, and is derived from a totally seperate tradition.
5 - Margaret Romao Toigo
Well, of course decorated evergreens are a Christian tradition! They just aren't exclusively so, having evolved from numerous ancient customs and beliefs.
Indeed, the legends of Martin Luther and St. Boniface tell part of the story of how decorated evergreens might have become Christmas trees in world culture.
It is interesting that both of those stories originated in Germany, where evergreens were decorated and worshiped by the ancient cultures of that land long before the advent of Christianity.
Let us not forget that Christmas trees really didn't catch on with Christians in America until the 1890s.
Several centuries passed before the notions of our rather joyless Puritan forefathers, who condemned Christmas trees as a "heathen tradition," would fade from our culture. Remarkably, there are a few Christian sects that still subscribe to this belief in the 21st century.
Did you know that there is not one mention of a Christmas tree anywhere in the Bible? Perhaps this is the reason why the Puritans did not care too much for Christmas trees and why a few modern Christians still do not use Christmas trees in their celebrations of the Birth of Christ.
So let's not get all vainglorious and play that silly "War on Christmas" game (besides, it's really nothing more than another holiday fund raising ploy). There's no good reason to make assertions of Christian exclusivity with regard to decorated evergreens.
In fact, the very lack of exclusivity makes decorated evergreens multicultural and therefore suitable and appropriate for governments to display as Holiday Trees that include everyone and marginalize no one.