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Dec 10, 2021 · People around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. Here’s why—and the history of its iconic symbols from Christmas trees to Santa Claus.
Dec 21, 2022 · Here’s what you need to know. Where does the Christmas tree tradition come from? Long before being associated with a Christian holiday, Christmas trees began as a pagan tradition.
- Amy Mckeever
- Competing claims in Northern Europe. Latvia and Estonia both claim to have been home to the first Christmas tree. Latvia traces its Christmas tree traditions back to 1510, when a merchant guild called the House of the Black Heads carried a tree through the city, decorated it, and later burned it down.
- Christmas tree origins in Germany. Instead, Cusack says it’s more likely that the Christmas tree as we know it was born in the Alsace region during the 16th century.
- Trees become trendy in the United Kingdom. Queen Charlotte—the princess of a German duchy who married King George III in the mid-18th century—is thought to have introduced the first Christmas tree to the royal household.
- Tree lighting ceremonies in the United States. Germany’s Christmas tree tradition also likely arrived in the United States in the late 18th century, when Hessian troops joined the British to fight in the Revolutionary War.
Nov 20, 2022 · Like many pagan traditions, the exact birthplace of and meaning behind symbolic evergreen trees has been muddied by history, but historians have been able to at least somewhat identify the where and why in a broad sense.
Additionally, in the context of a Christian celebration of Christmas, the Christmas tree, being evergreen in colour, is symbolic of Christ, who offers eternal life; the candles or lights on the tree represent the Light of the World—Jesus—born in Bethlehem.
By the 19th century, Christmas trees were a firmly established tradition in Germany. As Germans migrated, they took Christmas trees to other countries, notably England. There, in the 1790s, Charlotte, the German-born wife of King George III, had trees decorated for the holiday.
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May 23, 2024 · Christmas tree, live or artificial evergreen tree decorated with lights and ornaments as a part of Christmas festivities. While Christmas trees are traditionally associated with Christian symbolism, their modern use is largely secular. Learn more about Christmas trees, including their history.
