December 20, 2007

• Yuletide Traditions: “Christmas” Trees

  The Christmas Tree

  

  Though the Christmas tree has become a strong Christian tradition, its roots are very much Pagan. Like mistletoe, the fir tree is a strong symbol of immortality and the promise of renewal. Evil spirits were blamed for “killing” off foliage in the Fall by early man, and evergreens were one of the few trees which did not whither away from the cold. Even when people had grown sophisticated enough to understand the cycle of the seasons, the belief that evergreens were special because they stayed green during the season of death remained. People believed the trees would deter the evil spirits of winter, especially if they were brought into the home.

  The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrived, they brought leaves of their own local evergreen, the green date palm, into their homes to symbolize life’s triumph over death. In Greek mythology, the pine tree was sacred to Attis. The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with Saturnalia, decorating their houses with seasonal evergreens and giving coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one’s journey through life. The Norse world tree, Yggdrasil, is an evergreen, and the fir tree is also sacred to Ullr, the bow god and Odin’s wintry alter-ego. In fact, the word Yule and the yew tree are both thought to come from Ullr’s name.

  

  It is from such holy days that our modern practice of gift exchange at this time evolved though legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas in the 16^th century. In Christian mythology, evergreen trees were not always green. While fleeing to Egypt, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were forced to hide from Herod’s soldiers in a clump of cedar trees. The trees brought forth green needles, and their white berries turned blue so that Mary’s robe blended in. It is said from that day on, evergreens have kept their color all year round. The origins of the Christian Christmas Tree may be traced in part to St. Boniface. As a missionary to the Germanic tribes, he used the triangular shape of an upside-down evergreen tree as a symbol of the trinity just as St Patrick took the Pagan symbol of the shamrock. It became customary to hang an upside-down tree from ceilings at Christmastime, and by the 11th century, evergreen trees were being decorated with apples and bread to symbolize the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge told about in Genesis. It was referred to as the Paradise tree and was used in religious plays. The Paradise tree later became a popular decoration in homes and churches.

  During the Middle Ages, it was customary for Germans and Scandinavians to place evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Another custom was to have several small trees on tables, one for each member of the family, with that person’s gifts stacked on the table under the tree. It wasn’t until the 1880s that one large tree was placed on the floor. The size of the family tree became a status symbol.

  The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio. Pennsylvanian Deutsch settlements had community trees as early as 1747. Though Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression, the Christmas tree market wasn’t truly born until 1851 when a Catskill farmer hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. Even as the Christmas tree tradition was taking off in America, the German evergreen was beginning to suffer. It had become the fashion to lop off the tip off a large tree, which prevented the tree from growing further. Statutes were made to prevent people having more than one tree.

  By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal. Nurserymen who couldn’t sell their evergreens for landscaping, cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were actually preferred over wild ones for their symmetrical shapes. Six species account for nearly ninety percent of the nation’s Christmas tree trade. The Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about forty percent of the market, followed by the Douglas fir at thirty-five percent. The other top sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.

         

           

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