The celebration of the holiday of Christmas, while typically believed to be of Christian origins, is not true. This follows suit with the Christmas tree as well; it was used to celebrate well before the holiday of Christmas came along. Here are a few of the ways Christmas Trees have been used in the past.
Rome
Through ancient Rome, the Christmas tree was used to mark the winter solstice. The trees were symbols of and in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture. This was known as Saturnalia. During this time of the solstice, many Romans would exchange gifts and practiced “merrymaking”.
Egypt
The winter solstice was also celebrated by the ancient Egyptians. At this time, they would fill their homes with green palm bushes in honour of their God Ra.
Celts
Priests of the Ancient Celts decorated temples with evergreens as a symbol of everlasting life.
Germans
Historically, the first records of decorating trees inside of homes was in Germany through the 16th century. This was seen as a time by some to celebrate and praise Adam and Eve.
North American
Many of the traditions of the Christmas tree were believed to be brought to the New World by the German immigrants. However, the tradition of decorating trees was not welcomed by American’s until much later because it was believed to be a symbol of Paganism. It was in the late 1800’s that Queen Victoria of England was seen in a portrait with her family in front of a decorated Christmas tree that Christmas trees became popular in the rest of the Western World. By the early 20th century having a decorated Christmas tree in homes was more popular than not and became an American Tradition.
Many of us continue to celebrate with all forms of Christmas trees in our homes decorated in so many different ways.