Christmas Tree History

Every aspect of the beautiful Christmas festival has a lot of history related to it. But few are as interesting as the Christmas tree history. Christmas trees are believed to have originated more than 500 years ago. But they continue to fascinate us even today.

Read on to know more about the history of Xmas tree.

The origin of the Christmas tree

Many believe that the Christmas tree originated in Germany. In the sixteenth century, several devout Christians in Germany began using live trees for their Christmas decorations. They brought in some real trees inside their homes and decorated them beautifully. It is considered to be the first time that trees were used for Christmas celebrations.

Christmas tree in England

After its introduction in Germany, the Christmas tree began to grow popular in other European countries as well. In England, Christmas trees became popular in 1841, when the royal family put up a decorated Christmas tree at the Windsor castle. This tree was elaborately decorated with gingerbreads, candles, fruits and sweets. After this, many wealthy English families began to use trees in their Christmas celebrations. The tradition began to become more and more famous with each passing year.

Christmas tree in America

The 1830s

In the 1830s, some Germans displayed a Christmas tree in Pennsylvania to collect money for a local church. It is the first recorded example of a Christmas tree being set up in America.

1851

In 1851, a Christmas tree set up outside a parish church had to be removed after objections from the local people. Setting up decorated Christian trees was said to be an unchristian act.

But such incidents could not reduce the popularity of Christmas trees. Many Americans began to like this beautiful tradition. By the twentieth century, Christmas trees were being set up across America on every Christmas. Sensing big business, local merchandisers began to import beautiful Christmas ornaments from Germany. Americans used these lovely items to decorate their Christmas trees.

1882

1882 is an important year in Christmas tree history. It was on 22nd December of this year that an assistant of inventor Thomas Alva Edison, Edward H. Johnson, did something wonderful. He used electric lights on his Christmas tree and displayed it outside his home. The use of electric lights on Christmas trees began from this time.

1895

In 1895, American President Grover Cleveland sponsored an electrically lit Christmas tree. This was put up inside the White house. This officially made Christmas trees more popular than ever before.

Christmas tree in the present century

Today, the lighting of the Christmas tree in the White house is an important tradition. This is done every year during Christmas.

Elsewhere in the U.S and in many other countries across the world, Christmas trees are set up every year. These are beautifully decorated by kids and adults alike. In every house, Christmas trees are brought indoors and decorated on 23rd or 24th December. They are put down on 6th January, the day after Twelfth Night. Leaving a tree decorated and standing up after this date is supposed to bring bad luck to a house.

Hope you liked reading about the history of Christmas tree? Share the amazing Christmas tree history with your friends and have a great holiday celebration.