The Origins of Christmas Trees and their Evolution
What comes to mind when you think of a regular Christmas tree? Baby Jesus? Christmas? Or, perhaps, the tree of life?
Well, those are just the norm (hardly would you think of a Christmas tree today without remembering yuletide). But what’s more?
Trees may be associated with the celebrated Christmas holiday, but they are a lot more. In fact, the origins of Christmas trees go beyond the Christ-glorifying standards they stand for today.
Evergreens — vines that remain green all year long — have been recognized in several climes across the globe, for centuries. But Americans never seemed to be impressed (they rarely ever embrace the tradition of trees back in the day).
The Historical Significance of Christmas Trees
Christmas trees, as of the 4th century C.E, were associated with the tradition of pagans. European pagans commonly styled their homes with evergreen branches just to invite color (their winters were mostly always dull, so they needed some light). But besides them, the Romans also embraced the use of branches. To honor their god — Saturn — they usually used same branches to dress their homes, and that’s during the festival called Saturnalia.
Thanks to their pagan origin, the Christmas tree tradition never appeared to American setters as something they should embrace. They were quite reluctant to jump on the booming trend. Though the Germans, on the other hand, seemed pretty much interested — they brought to the new country, for the first time, the stylish indoor evergreen, though it didn’t come off as an eventual success.
The Evolution and Cultural Significance of Christmas Trees
The freshly-settled Puritans seemed also to be die-hard supporters of Yuletide, but they detested paganism. To them, influences such as those introduced by the Christmas trees should be rejected and greatly frowned at. And that explains, practically, why the early government representatives — like Oliver Cromwell and William Bradford, attempted a dismissal of the new Christmas trends on the grounds of being ‘heathen’ and some sort of ‘pagan mockery’.
In the mid-1600s (around 1659, to be exact), a general court enacted a law illegalizing the celebration of Christmas across the space. The only point of consideration was church attendance — you may go to church to celebrate your savior, Jesus Christ, but don’t buy trees, says the General Court of Massachusetts. Do church, do meals but don’t do trees.
So… what exactly made Americans love Christmas trees? What changed? No one knows.
While it may be certain that Americans, who were once against the tradition of Christmas trees during holidays, have now turned to be one of the greatest fanatics of the same, it is not exactly certain what brought about the switch.
Regardless, some claim a tree was chopped down sometimes in the 18th century by an English monk — because it was being used for rituals. But later on, its fall became significant in the affirmation of Christianity.
Whatever the case, what remains unchanged is that the American community has embraced Christmas trees, and till date, they remain a vital part of Christmas celebration you can hardly do without.