Christmas tree

Significance of Christmas Trees
When you think of Christmas, there are several things that come to the mind, like Santa, cakes and of course the Christmas tree.
One of the many origins of Christmas
The Christmas tree is one of the most popular and cherished Christmas customs. Each year, 35-40 million live trees are purchased and decorated in the United States alone. in other countries, the number should be close to 20 million at least. There are several communities across the world, who just for the sheer love of the Christmas spirit and season love to decorate a tree for the season. But when, where, and how did this custom begin? What is the origin of the Christmas tree? What does it mean?

There have been many answers to these questions that have been offered. Some make no distinction between history and legend. Unfortunately, none of them give sources for their assertions about the Christmas tree (a problem with most web articles!). Given that dependable scholarly sources about the history of the Christmas tree are hard to come by, citation-less Christmas tree web pages are understandable.

What was the origin of the Christmas tree? As much as I would like to embrace as fact the oft- quoted story that Martin Luther was the first to set up a Christmas tree (or at least a lighted one), its not confirmed that this is a true story or a mere legend. There are no evidences that support this. There is scholarly consensus, however, that the Christmas tree originated in Germany. Indeed, the earliest record of an evergreen tree being used and decorated (but without lights) for Christmas is 1521 in the German region of Alsace. Another useful description has been found among the notes of an unknown resident of Strasbourg in 1605, who writes that "At Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlors at Strasburg and hang thereon roses cut of many- colored paper, apples, wafers, gold-foil, sweets . . ." Some fifty years later (about 1650) the great Lutheran theologian Johann Dannhauer wrote in his The Milk of the Catechism that "the Christmas or fir tree, which people set up in their houses, hang with dolls and sweets, and afterwards shake and deflower. . . When did this custom come into being is not known, but rather considered as a child's bright imagination.

They began to be known as Christmas trees and we identified them as Christmas trees since a very long time. It is perhaps the conical shape that houses many goodies and stockings that it is more popular with children. That Santa would probably find the best stocking and the best list put up by kids is legend has to say. There are many who agree that had the Christmas tree not been conical, it would be wee bit difficult to decorate it too. Since most celebration in most festivals is all about color and merry-making, so it is with the Christmas event as well.

Several conclusions can be gleaned from these quotations. First, we are told some of the items with which the first Christmas trees were decorated: paper roses, apples, Communion wafers, gold, foil, sweets, and dolls. Second, even in 1650 a noted scholar like Dannhauer did not know the origin of Christmas trees. Third, not all Christians approved of these trees, even in the beginning. Fourth, the first Christmas trees, as far as we know, did not have lights. However, yea after year we notice that these are trees that bring in joy and peace to every house, as the spirit of Christmas holds true for everyone, so I guess the tree is synonymous with the occasion.

SOURCE: http://www.buzzle.com/edi...

Like a lot of traditions and customs currently celebrated in North America and abroad, the origins of the Christmas tree began in Europe. The Germans are generally given the nod as the culture that started displaying Christmas trees in their homes as early as the 16th century. By the late 1840's, the tradition had spread to America and other parts of the world.
Somewhere amid the colored lights and tinsel typically found on a christmas tree is an age-old tradition. The significance of the christmas tree as a religious symbol tied to the birth of the baby Jesus, actually got its start as a more pagan symbol that honored the winter solstice and the changing of the seasons. Rather than christmas trees as we know them, many cultures of the time displayed plants that remained green during the cold winter months. Pine and evergreen saplings among them.
The winter solstice generally falls on December 21st and 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. Is it coincidence that those days evolved into December 25th as the celebration of the Christ-child? That's an argument for theologians to settle. What is known is that the European tradition of displaying a christmas tree in the home was on the rise, and was well on its way to being a re-occurring tradition. Legend even has it that Martin Luther -- religious martyr of the 16th century - was the first to start hanging "lights" on a Christmas tree in the home. In this case, the lights were candles. Inspired by the spectacle of seeing thousands of shining stars in the heavens on a clear night, Luther tried to replicate the scene as best he could with the materials he had at hand. And with that, small lit candles became the precursor of electric Christmas lights.Cheers!