The Christmas Tree

Posted by Ena Clewes
December 22nd, 2007
Filed in Seasonal Garden Maintenance
Tags: christmas, fir, holly, ivy, lights, ornaments, season, spruce, tree

Christmas trees were introduced to the court of Queen Victoria by her husband, Prince Albert.

Although it was the custom to decorate live evergreen trees in  honor of the Gods, our modern day practice of cutting down a  tree to bring indoors is a desecration of the original concept.

The Evergreen is one of the few plants to remain green even in winter and it is a symbol of life during the seasons.

Decorating a tree and branches was thought to be a celebration of life. The Christmas tree,  was adorned with lights to encourage and honor the sun, tinsel to encourage the melting of snow, and the fruits of the harvest to give thanks and to ensure a bounty for the next planting season.

Electric lights only became popular in the early 20th century as a substitute for candles. Decorating the tree with light is believed to have originated in Germany and Scandinavia.

Families would bring a “live” tree into the home so that the wood spirits would have a warm place to live during the cold winter months.

Martin Luther, a German, is credited as the first person to decorate his tree with candles. After seeing how beautiful the stars were at night, he wanted to recreate the image for his children.

Holly and Ivy are also Christmas symbols. Their origins are ancient. Romans used holly during the Winter Solstice and gifts of holly were exchanged. Holly was believed to ward off lightning and evil spirits. It was also seen as a symbol of the masculine, ivy, the symbol of the feminine. Celtic people believed that mistletoe was a strong charm against lightning, thunder and evil. Other cultures considered mistletoe to be aphrodisiac, thus came the custom of kissing under the mistletoe.