It’s Christmas Eve
and what is a Christmas without a Christmas tree? The most colourful aspect of
Christmas is the Christmas tree and something that brings the whole family in
decorating it. But how did the idea of a Christmas tree begin and what does it
stand for?
Let’s take a
look at history and mythology.
The Christmas
tree is generally a conifer, which is either a Pine of a Fir tree. Both the
trees are evergreen trees and thus a symbol of immortality as represented by
Jesus, who came back after death.
Trees have
always held a very significant place in all cultures, be it Greek and Roman in
the form of ivy or mistletoe for the Celts or the numerous trees worshiped by
the Hindus. The tree holds a significant position in many other cultures like
the Mayans, Japanese, Muslims and many others. But today we won’t go into the
comparative aspect of the tree-symbolism of all cultures.
The origin of
the Christmas tree can be traced to ancient Germany. According to a legend
which dates back to the 8th Century, there was an English Bishop,
St. Boniface, who was on a mission from Rome, to preach Christianity to the
native Germans. After a successful stint at preaching, he had to visit Rome to
meet the Pope. When he returned after a long time, he was shocked to see that
people had gone back to their older Nordic divinities and were getting ready to
celebrate the Winter Solstice by sacrificing a man at the foot of the Odin’s
sacred tree, which was the Oak tree. This enraged the Bishop so much that he
picked up an axe and struck a blow at the huge Oak tree. It is said that with the
very first blow, a strong gush of wind brought the tree down! This brought the
shocked Germans to their knees and asked the Bishop the way to celebrate
Christmas. The Bishop noticed a small fir tree which had withstood the fall of
the Oak tree, and he advised all to take fir trees inside their houses, keeping
with the Nordic tradition of keeping an evergreen tree inside homes during the
winter.
The tree
signifies peace and immortality, with its top pointing upwards indicating the
Heavens. Many also feel that the tree has its roots in the Nordic belief of
sacred trees, especially Thor’s Oak tree and the mythological Yggdrasil (Read
more in Norse Mythology – Yggdrasill, the World). The choice of the Pine or
the Fir is also significant, especially when all the plants die in the severe
winters of the Scandinavian countries, it was only these two which retained
their life, symbolising the immortality of the pagan gods. Many feel that this
was the beginning of the concept of setting up Christmas tree and soon the
missionaries took it back to their countries, like England, USA and other
countries.
The decoration
and ornamentation ideas evolved from fresh fruits and dry fruits to gifts and
other ornamentation like the baubles, candies, stars and all sorts of things
in the modern times. The top most part of the tree is usually adorned with a
star, known as the Christmas Star, which represents the Star of Bethlehem,
which announced the birth of Jesus to the Magi and later led them to the stable
where Jesus Christ was born.
There is another
interesting legend associated with the Fir
tree. According to this one, when Christ was born, all living creatures
headed towards Bethlehem carrying gifts for the baby Christ. All the trees like
the Palm, Olive, etc. had brought their fruits for the child. The little Fir
tree had brought nothing, besides the fact that it was so tired, that it was unable
to resist the push by the larger trees and soon was right at the end of the
huge crowd. An angel took pity on the Fir and asked some of the stars to adorn
the tree. When baby Jesus saw the beautiful tree, he smiled and blessed it and
declared that from then onwards Fir trees should be decorated with lights for
Christmas to please all the children. Initially the tree was lit up with
candles, but with the advent of bulbs, the tree started being adorned with
bulbs and many other trinkets, toys, candles, etc.
Let me conclude
with another interesting myth related to the Pine tree. It is said that when the Holy family was being chased by
Herod’s soldiers, a Pine tree gave shelter to the tired Mary, who could barely
move. The tree allowed the family to rest inside its hollow bark and gave them
shelter till the soldiers had left. On leaving, baby Christ blessed the Pine
tree and it is said that if you cut the Pine cone, lengthwise, one could see
the imprint of baby Christ’s tiny hands!
For all who have
Christmas Trees in their homes and for all who don’t, here’s wishing all of you
a Merry Christmas and happy holidays
ahead.
For Santa Claus read - Santa Claus
