Christmas is significant since it is a major religious holiday for Christians. This season is also a widely recognized secular holiday and a global source of enormous economic activity. As a result, Christmas has become one of the most celebrated holidays by billions of people worldwide.
Aside from that, people have always enjoyed decorating their houses at Christmas time. And Christmas trees are one of the trends these days to bring into their homes for the holidays. But the question is how evergreen trees, whether pine, spruce, or fir, came to be associated with Christmas. What does evergreen hold that it became the symbol of life during Christmas?
The concept of evergreens over time
In 3000 BCE, Ancient Romans and Egyptians decorated their houses with evergreens. This portrays the rebirth in honor of their god Ra. At the same time, Celtic Druids used evergreens to have a fruitful coming year. They have the concept of the rebirth cycle of nature in 2000 BCE.
Then, the use of evergreens as a symbol of rebirth started to shift in the 4th century CE. The Vikings used evergreens to drive away evil spirits during the Yule festival. Generally, evergreens with carvings of food and gods can encourage tree spirits to return with a new spring, based on Germanic and Norse traditions.
During the 16th century CE, German Christians used evergreens to decorate their houses. That is to show Christ’s glory over death. Some also combined evergreens with apples to celebrate Adam and Eve’s day.
With that, evergreens also started to spread among the European nobility in the early 19th century. Additionally, with a simple image of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert decorating a tree, it became a huge trend among the public.
In the 20th century CE, the Christmas tree became the symbol of Christmas, thanks to the United States Supreme Court case in 1984. And this stated the existence of a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree could balance the presence of religious displays in public places.
The emergence of Christmas Day
The first Christmas celebration on December 25 was celebrated in Rome in A.D. 336 after Christianity became the Empire’s official religion. Generally, the English term “Christmas,” an acronym for “Christ’s Mass,” did not occur until more than 1,000 years later. Decades after Jesus’s birth, the date was not set on religious calendars. The selected date was said to replace the winter solstice with a Christian celebration.
The backlash against evergreens
Before the concept of using evergreens spread, the Puritans rejected it as it lacked biblical justification. They prohibited it in the 1650s, with battalions scouring the streets of London, finding anybody who dared to celebrate the day. Then, a petition followed, charging “whosoever is found observing Christmas or the like, either by doing labor or any other way” would be punished
German immigration to the American colonies ensured that the habit of planting trees took hold in the New World. The culture of the Christmas tree spread in the United States due in large part to Britain’s German royal ancestry.
How did Queen Victoria popularize these traditions?
Many British royals kept the traditional practice of having a Christmas tree. Queen Victoria is one of the royals. Although Queen Victoria had a German mother and a grandmother on her father’s side, she still made it popular.
Then, five years later, Queen Victoria included the fir tree in family events. Although using Christmas trees at private royal rituals has been a tradition for decades, Victoria, her husband, and children decorated one as a family at Windsor Castle.
The cultural influence was immediate. Christmas trees began to emerge in houses across the United Kingdom, its colonies, and the rest of the globe.
The Christmas tree has become a global tradition
Many families still include Christmas trees as part of their traditional Christmas celebration, whether fresh, potted, or artificial. Some public places in various nations, even non-Christian nations, add trees to their area.
Regardless, the Christmas tree’s history will continue to develop. Always remember that the heart of the Christmas season will remain as this symbol can inspire hope and provide light for everyone in the coldest time of the year.
