Why Christmas Trees Never Go Out of Style

Why Christmas trees never go out of style

Displaying and decorating Christmas trees have been practiced by most people in many different countries. Christmas is never complete without a Christmas tree in your home. It can be a natural fir tree or a synthetic tree or maybe even plastered with exquisite designs on a wall mural: whatever it is made of, you will definitely feel that Christmas is fast approaching when you see one. Needless to say, Christmas is a timeless piece of décor that many individuals love. As such, decorating and lighting the Christmas tree is often times done in a ceremony which is attended by many spectators.

History of Christmas Tree

For thousands of years, the evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals for both the pagans and Christians. The pagans used branches of the tree to decorate their homes during the winter solstice. Christians, on the other hand, used it as a sign of everlasting life with God. While the Romans decorated their temples with the tree at the festival of Saturnalia.

Though the exact reason how the fir trees evolved into Christmas trees is not yet clear, it was guessed that it all started around a thousand years ago in Northern Europe, in which cherry or hawthorn plants were used. If people cannot afford to have the real plant, then they resort to making pyramids of woods and then have it decorated so it will look like a tree with paper, apples, and candles.

The first publicly documented Christmas tree was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia. The tree was erected by men with black hats who danced around the tree and then set it on fire.

From Germany, the tradition of decorated trees was then spread to the UK by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Prince Albert was a German born who celebrated Christmas with a tree during his childhood and shared the tradition with his wife. Eventually, in 1848, the Illustrated London News published the royal couple with decorated tree, which became a common picture throughout the homes in Britain.

Christmas trees around the world

Different parts of the world decorate their trees differently amazingly. For instance, in Rio De Janeiro, there stood a 279-foot-high floating Christmas tree at the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. The tree was even surrounded by fireworks during its inauguration in November 2004.

One of the world’s most recognized trees in the world was also placed in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan since 1933. 45,000 individual lights are switched on every year at an official ceremony. This is usually accompanied with live concert.
Christmas is viewed as a time of gratitude in UK, which eventually led to the Christmas tree in London’s Trafalgar Square. This has been an annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947 as a form of gratitude to England’s help during World War 2.

Meanwhile, the French prefer a more traditional Christmas tree appearance such as the one in posh Galeries Lafayette Department Store.

One of the unique Christmas trees in the world can be found in London, UK. The tree is actually made of Lego bricks.

Christmas is a holy time for many individuals around the world, especially in Vatican City. An 82 feet attractive tree sits just outside the window of the Pope’s room. This is a gift from the German state of Bavaria.

The President of the United States, since the term of Franklin D. Roosevelt, has officiated the lighting ceremony of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.

Merry Christmas!