Where does the tradition of the New Year's tree come from?

August 15, 2020

New Year is a family holiday. Buying , installing, and decorating a New Year's tree is not just the job of one person, and it is preferable if the whole family is involved in the process.

Typically, the father buys the Christmas tree , the children make the toys themselves, and the mother can hang them beautifully. It is in such details that the whole meaning of the family idyll that you can enjoy during the holiday lies.

Very often, when we start decorating the Christmas tree, we don't even think about where all the traditions associated with the New Year may come from. In today's article, we will present you with very interesting information that you may not have even thought about before.

The history of the Christmas tree does not begin in ancient times. In the New Testament, there is no mention of a tree decorated for the Nativity of Christ. The fact is that when the Lord entered Jerusalem, people greeted him with palm branches. Thus, in Christianity, the palm tree was a symbol of victory over death.

In Hawaii, the palm is still used as a Christmas tree, and in the USA (in Florida), a special Christmas palm is grown. It got its name because its red fruits ripen in December.

The history of the Christmas tree and its mention are first found in the ancient German legend of St. Boniface. In order to prove the superiority of Christianity, he wanted to demonstrate the powerlessness of the pagan gods and cut down the sacred tree of Odin (Thor).

In the 15th century, in Livonia (the territory of modern Estonia), the Black-Headed Brotherhood decorated a large Christmas tree on the main square of Rīga (modern Tallinn), around which the population organized festive dances.

The 16th-century Bremen Chronicle describes the decoration of the Christmas tree with paper, flowers, cones, nuts, and apples.

The history of the Christmas tree in Germany was also different. For example, in Germany there was an ancient custom to decorate a New Year's tree in the forest with wax candles and toys. Various ceremonies were held around such a tree. Later, trees began to be decorated at home.

When most of the German population was baptized, many rituals and customs became Christian. This also affected the custom of decorating Christmas trees , which coincided with Christmas. Later, the spruce officially became the Christmas tree , also called the "Santa Claus tree".

The story of the first <official> Christmas tree is attributed to Martin Luther, who set up a Christmas tree in his home for Christmas , seeing it as a symbol of life.

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