why is there a christmas tree on christmas

The history of the Christmas Tree is more sorted than that, surrounded by mythology, ancient rituals, and a deeper connection between humans and nature. The first Christmas tree, as we have come to know it, might have been the creative genius of the baker’s guild of 1419 but it did not magically just appear. This is possibly the first open display of what has come to be known as the Christmas Tree. In 1419, a baker’s guild in Freiburg Germany, is reported to have displayed a Paradise Tree decorated with apples and wafers, tinsel, and gingerbread. This tree was known as the “Paradise Tree.”

The one prop consistently used was an evergreen fir adorned with bright red apples. There is a story of a group of German bakers, nearly 65 years before Martin Luther was born, who decorated an evergreen on December 24, 1419, with baked treats, tinsel, and apples.ĭuring the 12 th Century, December 24 th had become the feast day of Adam and Eve, and the Paradise Play, which shared the story of their creation, sin, banishment, and God’s forgiveness, was performed during the celebration. Martin Luther may have been the first to use the decorations as a symbol to tie the tree to the baby Jesus, but he was not the first to decorate the tree.

The candles he decorated it with represented the star that led the Wise Men to Christ. The evergreen, he said, represented the eternal love of God and the steadfastness of their own faith. A World Vision radio broadcast aired on December 13, 1959, tells how Luther brought the symbolism and beauty of the evergreen into his home to encourage his wife and children through a cold dark winter. Protestant tradition credits Martin Luther as the first to decorate a Christmas Tree. The first documented Christmas tree originated during the Middle Ages in Germany and has ties to the Garden of Eden. Both the protestant and catholic traditions lay claim to the first Christmas Tree, while many tie it to ancient pagan rituals. The history of the Christmas Tree might surprise you.

Why is there a christmas tree on christmas