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O Christmas tree!
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For many Americans, the Christmas season calls to mind a variety
of images. One of those many images that seem to have become
inseparable from the Yuletide tradition is the evergreen tree that
adorns so many of our homes.
The popularity of the Christmas tree in America dates back to
the 1800’s. However, the real significance of the evergreen
dates back even further, to the early first and second
centuries.
In these times, people were not so much interested in trees for
their decorative value but rather for the life that they had within
them. Many of the primitive tribes in Europe revered nature and saw
the evergreen as a way to bring the world of nature indoors.
Decorations and lighting began to be associated with the
evergreen through the traditions of the Druids and Romans. The
Druids hung mixed fruits from tree branches, while the Romans
adorned their trees with candles during their annual Saturnalia
festival.
It was not until the 16th century that trees became associated
with the Christmas holiday. Early church leaders initially forbade
the use of evergreen in nativity celebrations, considering the use
of evergreens to be a replication of pagan festivities.
The first historical reference to the Christmas tree can be
traced to 1604 in Strassburg, Germany. It is believed that the
popularity of decorating evergreens during the holiday quickly
spread throughout the nation, becoming a central part of
Germany’s Christmas traditions.
The idea of the Christmas tree was eventually carried to other
countries, and by the 19th century, it had reached Finland,
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England and France.
The first decorated trees in the United States are credited as
having been set up by homesick German soldiers who had been hired
by King George III to fight in the American Revolution. The
tradition did not become popular with a great deal many Americans
until the 1840’s, and, in some parts of New England, until as
late as the 1860’s.
Brandon Beckham
News Reporter
The Arbiter
