Christmas tree

[faxonfive]

A few facts about the Christmas Tree

One thing almost every Christmas celebration has in common is a Christmas tree. Yet, very few people know much about where they came from and when they were first used. To satisfy that curiosity, here is a post on the history of the Christmas tree.

The first written mention of a Christmas tree appears to be from a pagan New Year celebration in Riga, Latvia in 1510. A couple of decades later Christmas trees were appearing in city centers throughout Germany, and today Christmas is still celebrated in city centers throughout Europe with a strong spirit of tradition. (Here is a video of a Christmas market in Vienna, Austria from 2007.) By the late 16th Century Christmas trees were being decorated with items such as apples and cheese, and at some time during the 17th Century individuals began to celebrate Christmas in their own homes.

During the 18th Century more and more people in Germany began using Christmas trees in thier homes, and it was also during this time that wax candles were used to lite the trees during celebrations. In most of Europe real candles are still used today rather than Christmas lights. In the 19th Century, the use of the Christmas tree began to spread widely throughout Europe, and this custom was also brought to the US by German immigrants in the 1800’s.

By the mid 1800’s Christmas trees were being sold throughout the US and Europe.

During this same period, the mid-1800’s, artificial Christmas trees were made to prevent deforestation in Germany. The first artificial Christmas trees in the US appeared in the early 1900’s, and since that time there have been many advances in the production of artificial trees from giant artificial Christmas trees to colored Christmas trees. Next time someone asks you about the history of the Christmas tree, you’ll know what to tell them!

[suey]

thanks for the information! 🙂

[mdowdy]

Some more interesting information. Thanks Lynn

[JoAnn]

Lynn,
You have been doing your studies today. History is a great thing to share–and to pass on to others. Thanks for sharing this information with us.

[faxonfive]

Well we were decorating yesterday and the kids started to ask questions. Made me think I didnt know too much so I would do some research. Posted it on here just incase someone else would like to have known.

Your welcome yall. Thanks for reading 🙂

[Author]

Posts