🔺 The symbol of evergreen trees in history :
In ancient times, it was common to believe that the sun was a god. During the winter, the god appeared ill, but the evergreens that grew during this time reminded people that the sun would become strong again and return with its greenness and warmth.
Similarly, the ancient Egyptians, Chinese and Hebrews saw the evergreen as a symbol of eternal life. Long before the birth of Jesus Christ (and subsequent celebrations), pagans in Europe used evergreens in their homes as a way to represent fertility and new life.
When was the Christmas tree first associated with Christianity?
There are various myths and legends about the origin of the Christmas Tree and its significance in Christianity - rather than just pagan worship. For example, a 15th-century claim is that in the 8th century, the Christian missionary, Saint Boniface, came upon Germans who were sacrificing to their false god Thor in front of an oak tree. Boniface began to cut down the tree with his ax to stop their worship and they expected him to be struck by lightning from their god. When that did not happen, he began to tell them about Christ Then, as the legend goes, a cedar tree later grew from that oak.
🔺 The Christmas tree tradition started :
It is widely believed that in the Middle Ages, modern Germany produced the first real Christmas tree. After all, "In 1419, a guild in Freiburg set up a tree decorated with apples, flour-paste wafers, tinsel, and gingerbread." Christmas Eve also featured an event called "Paradise Place" which celebrated the feast day of Adam and Eve, and a fir tree with apples on its branches was used to represent the tree of knowledge. These "paradise trees" began to be placed in family homes throughout Germany, with wafers placed between the branches.
Martin Luther of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, who first added lights to his family's tree. It is said that he was walking home one winter evening and was struck by how beautiful the stars looked shining through the evergreens, so he recreated the look at home with candles.
🔺Americans start putting up Christmas Tree :
German settlers brought with them the tradition of putting up Christmas trees to America, but most Puritans rejected this custom because of its foreign pagan roots. And their rejection of anything pagan-related or anything "frivolous" surrounding Christmas was serious. For example, "In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense [and] people were fined for hanging decorations."
The first recorded instance of Christmas trees being displayed in the United States wasn't until the 1830s, which was by German settlers in Pennsylvania. Even still, it took the popular women's magazine, Godey's Lady's Book, publishing an edited illustration in 1850, which featured Britain's fashionable Queen Victoria and Prince Albert standing beside a fully decked-out Christmas tree (from two years prior, in 1848) to begin truly popularizing this tradition in America.
🔺 The history behind decorating the Christmas Tree :
The act of decorating a Christmas tree has its roots in the Germanic history of setting up the "Tree of Heaven". And once the British Queen and Prince displayed their extravagant Christmas trees, people around the world wanted to copy their trendy holiday style.
When it comes to ornaments, in particular, legend has it that a glassblower named Hans Greiner couldn't afford apples to decorate his Christmas tree, so he made his own out of glass. The trend caught on with others ordering various glass ornaments depicting fruit.
Once decorating a Christmas tree was less taboo and more accepted in America, the demand for decorations became extremely high. In 1880, the founder of Woolworths stores, F.W. Woolworths, reluctantly bought 144 cheap Christmas ornaments from a traveling German salesman to sell in his store and sold out within hours. The next year, he bought twice as many and they also sold out quickly. The appeal of these baubles stuck, and all these years later, glass ornaments are still used today to decorate and enhance Christmas trees.
The artificial Christmas trees become popular :
Once the trend of keeping Christmas trees started around the world, there was some concern in various areas about the dwindling supply of trees. To help deal with the shortage in the 1880s, the Germans began producing artificial goose-feather plants. Over the next few decades, other materials were used to produce artificial trees in other countries as well. And by 1964, Time magazine declared "fake trees" the new Christmas trend.
Today, artificial trees are the choice for most families. According to a Nielsen survey in early December 2017, 81% of Christmas trees displayed by households that year were expected to be artificial, and only 19% were real.
🔺 The first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting :
Most Americans in and outside of New York City are familiar with and appreciate the seasonal, televised spectacle of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting. 1931 was the first year that a Christmas tree was displayed at this special location, when construction workers building Rockefeller Center installed a 20-foot-tall balsam on Christmas Eve. Instead of being covered in dramatic crystals like the Rockefeller Christmas tree we're used to these days, it featured tin cans, strings of cranberries and paper garland. And not only that, it featured hope—this huge construction project, which provided many jobs, was taking place in the middle of the Great Depression.
Two years later, in 1933, when the first official tree lighting ceremony took place at Rockefeller Center with a 40-foot-tall tree. And since then, the annual tradition has grown exponentially in both sentimentality as well as spectacle. In 2019, for example, a 77-foot-tall Norway spruce was brought in by crane and draped with 50,000 lights, wrapped with a Swarovski star and covered with 3 million Swarovski crystals.
Christmas Tree, evergreen tree, real or artificial, usually decorated with lights and ornaments to celebrate Christmas. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Christian symbolism can be traced back to a German medieval play about Adam and Eve, which included a "tree of paradise" hung with apples. The modernized version spread widely among German Lutherans by the 18th century. Brought to North America by German settlers in the 17th century, it became widespread there by the mid-19th century. It was popularized in 19th century England by the German Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, consort of Queen Victoria.
🔺 Different Types of Christmas Tree :
There are five common types of Christmas trees: fir, pine, spruce, cypress, and cedar.
1. Fraser Fir :-
One of America’s most popular Christmas trees — and for good reason —
the Fraser fir touts blue-green needles with silvery undersides. With
excellent needle retention and stiff branches, it holds up well to
ornaments. Of course, the pleasant scent is important too.
2. Noble Fir :-
Noble in name and stature, this stately tree features short, blue-green
needles. The Noble fir has some of the best needle retention among
Christmas tree species, with stiff branches and an attractive form to
handle heavy ornaments. You’ll also find it used as greenery for wreaths
and garland.
3. Douglas Fir :-
A classic choice! Dense with soft, light green needles and a pleasant
scent, the Douglas fir is one of the most popular Christmas tree
species. Because the branches are not as stiff as some other species,
the Douglas fir is best decorated with light-weight ornaments.
4. Balsam Fir :-
If you can’t get enough of that real Christmas tree scent, you’re in
luck! The Balsam fir is among the most fragrant of all species. The
Balsam fir has relatively short, dark green needles and excellent form,
making it a good choice for displaying ornaments.
FAQs : Christmas Tree 2022
1. What is the name of Christmas tree?
Ans :- Araucaria columnaris - Christmas Tree. The Cook pine, called Christmas Tree in India, is a tree native to the Cook Island, north-east of Australia in the South Pacific. The bark of the Cook pine peels off in thin paper like sheets.
2. What's the meaning of Christmas tree?
Ans :- In Christianity, Christmas tree is symbolic of birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tree's branches and shrubs are viewed as an emblem of immortality and are said to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross.
3. What is the tradition of Christmas trees?
Ans :- The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany, where families set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the Eucharistic host, the Christian sign of redemption).
4. What are the five Christmas trees?
Ans :- There are five common types of Christmas trees: fir, pine, spruce, cypress, and cedar.
5. What are the top 5 artificial Christmas trees?
Ans :- The Best Artificial Christmas Trees of 2022 -
* Best Overall. Twinkly App-Controlled 7.5' Fir Tree (TWT400SPP-BUS)
* Best Value. Best Choice Products Pre-Lit Spruce, 7.5'
* Best Unlit. National Tree Company Downswept Douglas Green Fir, 7.5'
* Best Flocked. ...
* Balsam Hill Fraser Fir with Candlelight Clear LED, 7.5'
6. What are 5 facts about Christmas trees?
Ans :- Christmas Tree Facts By The Year
The first decorated Christmas was in Riga, Latvia in 1510. The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531. Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850. Until fairly recently, all Christmas trees came from the forest.
7. What is the classic Christmas tree?
Ans :- The balsam fir is that all-around, classic Christmas tree. "It has a strong, 'spicy' Christmas tree scent and its conical form and dark green color make it what most people identify with as a Christmas tree,"
8. What is the traditional Christmas tree?
Ans :- Christmas tree, an evergreen tree, often a pine, spruce, or fir, decorated with lights and ornaments as a part of Christmas festivities.
9. What is the most popular Christmas tree?
Ans :- Fraser Fir Christmas Tree. Known for its ideal full shape, the Fraser fir is considered one of the most popular and best-selling Christmas trees in the US. Its silvery-green, inch-long needles that are soft to the touch make it a beautiful holiday tree.
10. Which is better Balsam vs Fraser?
Ans :- The Balsam is a more traditional choice for a Christmas tree, since it naturally grows in this area. Balsams grow faster meaning their branch strength is less than a Fraser, however Balsams are often “fuller”, with more, closer growing branches. Unlike the Fraser, Balsams have “soft” needles.
11. Which is the prettiest Christmas tree?
Ans :- The Fraser fir is considered the perfect holiday tree by many. It boasts attractive 1-inch needles that are bright green and soft to the touch, making it the ideal varietal for families with pets or young children.
12. What is the most desirable Christmas tree?
Ans :- Fraser Fir Christmas Tree. Known for its ideal full shape, the Fraser fir is considered one of the most popular and best-selling Christmas trees in the US. Its silvery-green, inch-long needles that are soft to the touch make it a beautiful holiday tree.
13. Where is the biggest Christmas tree in the world?
Ans :- Gubbio's been lighting up Mount Ingino with its tree since 1981 and it can be seen from up to 30 miles away. It's held the Guinness Books of Records title for the 'World's Largest Christmas Tree' since 1991. The tree overlooks Gubbio, an ancient medieval city in the Italian region of Umbria.
14. What is the largest Christmas tree ever?
Ans :- Mount Ingino Christmas Tree, Gubbio, Italy
The largest Christmas tree in the world. Well, kind of. Head to the medieval town Gubbio in Italy to see this extraordinary 2,000ft light display decorated on pine trees on the side of Mount Ingino.
15. Where is the largest Christmas tree in the United States?
Ans :- New York City is no longer home to America's tallest Christmas tree. In 2021, that honor started to belong to Enid, Oklahoma, which is actually the world's tallest Christmas tree. At 140 feet, Enid's towering Christmas tree in 2021 stood 75 percent taller than the world-famous Rockefeller Center tree.
16. How tall is the Christmas tree in Enid Oklahoma?
Ans :- The town of Enid will kick off its 40-day Christmas celebration with the lighting of a special Christmas tree Friday. The "Christ Tree," a 140-foot tree, is advertised as the largest fresh-cut Christmas tree in the world. It is adorned with 20,000 multi-colored lights and 10,000 ornaments.
17. How tall is the world's tallest Christmas tree?
Ans :- As Christmas approached that year, the mall put up and lit a 212-foot-tall tree which as of 2021, still holds the record as the world's tallest cut Christmas tree.
18. Where did the modern Christmas tree originate?
Ans :- The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany, where families set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the Eucharistic host, the Christian sign of redemption). Candles, symbolic of Jesus Christ as the light of the world, were often added.
19. When was the Christmas tree adopted in England?
Ans :- The Christmas tree was introduced into England in the early 19th century. The tree was popularized in the mid-19th century by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria.
20. When was the artificial Christmas tree invented?
Ans :- Germans began making artificial goose-feather trees for Christmas in the 1880s. In the United States during the 1930s, trees made from
brush bristles began to gain popularity. The 1950s and 1960s saw the
mass production of aluminum and plastic trees. Today artificial trees
are widely popular, particularly in countries where fresh trees are
difficult to procure.
