Thursday 20 December 2012

Christmas: The Origin of the Christmas Tree

"For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."
(Jeremiah 10: 3-4, KJV)
 

The Christmas Tree is perhaps one of the biggest symbols  that is practiced in most homes in North America today. Many people will either buy or go out into the woods and cut down a fir or pine tree to erect up in their homes. Usually the living room. Still others prefer less of a mess in cleaning up pine needles, so they will purchase an artificial Christmas tree. They will decorate the tree with colorful Christmas bulbs, lights, and silver and gold foil to wrap around the tree. And as a last touch such families will add what is called angel hair made of cotton. Sometimes fake snow from a can would be added to the branches on the tree for extra effect. Lastly, either a star or angel would be placed on top of the tree. The "star" depicts the star that lead the shepherds and the magi to the Child Jesus, while the "angel" represents the angel who declared the glad tidings of the birth of Christ to the shepherds (see Matt. 2: 1-12; Luke 2: 8-18).  

Sadly, there are a number of fellow Christians as well as cultists who believe the Christmas tree originated from paganism. And any Christian who erects a Christmas tree in their home is guilty of practicing a pagan custom of worship. Often, the passage in Jeremiah 10: 2-4 is quoted as proof that the Christmas tree originates from paganism, and that this Scripture passage from Jeremiah 10 forbids Christians from having a Christmas tree in their homes. Hence, many of God's dear people have been troubled by these verses from Jeremiah 10 thinking it wrong to have a Christmas tree in their homes.  So is it true? Does the Christmas tree that is in most people's homes during Christmas have its roots in paganism? Let's consider this topic in today's blog and see what we can learn. 

The Early Historical Roots of the Christmas Tree. 

Like most holiday customs and practices today, each has its origin from either a negative or positive source. So it is with the Christmas tree. Here in North America, the historical roots of the Christmas tree was brought over by some puritans of German descent in the 17th Century, and originated in Germany as early as 1521 in the region of Alsace. According to Dr. Richard P. Bucher, He gives this interesting summary of what some Christians used to decorate their trees at Christmas:  

"Several conclusions can be gleaned from these quotations. First, we are told some of the items with which the first Christmas trees were decorated: paper roses, apples, Communion wafers, gold, foil, sweets, and dolls. Second, even in 1650 a noted scholar like Dannhauer did not know the origin of Christmas trees. Third, not all Christians approved of these trees, even in the beginning. Fourth, the first Christmas trees, as far as we know, did not have lights. According to Weiser, the first mention of lights (candles) on a Christmas tree is in the seventeenth century."[1] 

No doubt, this is somewhat different than how we today decorate our Christmas tree. Nevertheless it gives us a glimpse into the past in how our fellow brethren erected and decorated their tree at Christmas time on December 25th. Again, quoting from Dr. Bucher's article: 

"From the mid-seventeenth century on the Christmas tree slowly grew in popularity and use. However, it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the use of the Christmas tree grew into the general German custom that it is today. Also at this time it spread to the Slavic people of eastern Europe. The Christmas tree was probably first used in America about 1700 when the first wave of German immigration settled in western Pennsylvania. During the War of Independence, Hessian soldiers supposedly set up Christmas trees. It is widely held that the Christmas tree was first introduced into France in 1837 when Princess Helen of Mecklenburg brought it to Paris after her marriage to the Duke of Orléans. The Christmas tree made its royal debut in England when Prince Albert of Saxony, the husband of Queen Victoria, set up a tree in Windsor Castle in 1841. After this it grew in popularity, though in 1850 Charles Dickens was still referring to it as a "new German toy."[2]
(To be Continued...)


[1] Richard P. Bucher, O Christmas Tree: The Origin and Meaning of the Christmas Tree, pg. 2.
[2] Richard P. Bucher, Ibid., pg. 2.

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