The custom of the Christmas tree most likely originated during the 16th century in Northern Europe. Old World Europeans believed that evergreens contained special powers – because these conifers always stayed green while the rest of the forest turned brown.
During winter solstice, people living in this region, which experienced long periods of darkness during winter, decorated their homes with evergreen boughs and danced around bonfires to entice the sun to appear and warm the earth again.
As Christianity spread across the continent, church leaders first frowned on the pagan custom, but later adopted this popular tradition, and the green tree gradually evolved into a symbol of the Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ.
The Christmas tree custom was especially popular in Germany, where the evergreens were decorated with stars, bells, candles and aromatic cookies. The tradition became even more popular with Lutherans, thanks to one legend that identified the tree with theologian Martin Luther.
According to the legend, Luther chopped down a large evergreen tree one Christmas Eve and dragged it home, where he decorated it with small candles to make his young son aware that the Christ Child was the light of the world.
Historians report that the first Christmas trees in this country appeared about 1747 in German Moravian communities in Pennsylvania. The trees were called “green pyramids” and were decorated with candles, bright red apples and paper scrolls containing musical verses.
Adapted from the “Gift of Nature – Trees of Christmas,” National Wildlife Federation, 1988.
