History of Christmas Tree Decoration

Lighting the Christmas tree, also known as the Yule tree, has become a part and parcel of the Christmas season. The many alterations in the way it has been decorated over the years have evolved noticeably. But very few of us are familiar with the Christmas tree history. The Christmas tradition that is celebrated today is an intriguing medley of history packed with facts and certain rumours that stuck. The mishmash of both of these has lead to the evolution of the current version of the Christmas tree.

How did the tree become associated with this festival?

When tracing the origins of the Christmas tree, one can can start looking at the ancient traditions. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, mentioned in the Book Of Genesis, located in the Garden of Eden is perhaps the oldest record that can be linked to the Christmas tree. With the accession of the middle ages, trees were embellished with apples to commemorate the feast of Adam and Eve.

Outdoors to indoors

From there on, the Christmas tree history moves from outdoor decoration to indoors. The trees were embellished indoors with various crafty objects and lights. The inaugural trees used indoors were even hung downside-up. In Germany in the sixteenth century, coniferous fir trees were ornamented, inside and out, with fruits, flowers, ornate candies and colored materials. This tradition is much more similar to what is practiced in today’s world.

The lighting custom

No one is sure who deserves the praise for giving the idea of decorating the Christmas tree with lights. There is a plethora of stories which credit Martin Luther with this idea. Many sources also mention that he also suggested turning the tree right side up.

As we move into the seventeenth century, the custom of decoration picked up pace in the greater part of Europe. The trees began to be decorated with nuts, apples and crafty strips of colored paper. This is considered as the golden age of the Christmas tree in Europe. Elsewhere in the United States it took quite some time for the Christmas tree to be accepted at such a level. Gradually the custom of Christmas tree decoration set-in throughout the globe and can be seen everywhere today.

Whichever way you decide to decorate the Christmas tree, be it with natural or artificial lights, using apples, nuts or flowers, your chief aim should be creating memories with your beloved ones as this is the true meaning of the Christmas Tree.