Nothing says ‘Christmas’ quite like a fir tree.
Mounted pride of place within a home and adorned with baubles and lights, a tree is the most essential part of Christmas decorations, and yet we rarely stop to think about where this curious tradition started.
In actual fact, there is no absolute certainty about how trees became associated with the festive season. What is known, though, is that the tree has been an object of both decoration and ritual ever since the ancient world. That makes it likely that the Christmas tree tradition emerged out of something altogether different.
One popular theory suggests that the story begins during pagan times, in Germany. A missionary from England called St Boniface came across a pagan sacrifice that involved an oak tree. He tried to chop it with an axe and was not punished by the gods, to the amazement of the pagans. Converting them to Christianity, he told them that an evergreen close by would now be a holy symbol for them.
That may or may not be the true origin, but it is widely accepted that the Christmas tree tradition began in Germany. It became established there during the 19th century, before subsequently being introduced to other countries as Germans moved there.
The artificial Christmas trees that are so popular nowadays began to appear later on in the 19th century. That was because cutting down so many real trees was beginning to visibly damage forests.
Now, well over half of all Christmas trees are artificial. Be sure to collect yours this Christmas from your local garden centre!
