Christmas lights in our homes, gardens, towns and cities are now integral to our enjoyment of the festive season. Read on to learn about the history of this staple decoration.
Pagan rituals
Fire was at the centre of pagan mid-winter festivals throughout northern Europe. The winter solstice, around the 21st of December, marked the shortest day, and bonfires and candles placed on fir tree branches symbolised the hope of rebirth and the return of the sun. In the midst of a cold, dark winter, the lights brought comfort and served as a backdrop for feasting and dancing.
Christian festivals
Christianity spread through Europe and, not surprisingly, the existing end-of-year festivals and their symbolism were gradually adapted to fit the Christmas message. Christmas lights have now come to represent the Star of David, which appeared over Bethlehem to mark the birth of Christ. The message of hope and eventual rebirth remains at the heart of Christmas festivities today.
More recent history
It was the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison in 1880 that changed household and street lighting forever, and by 1895, the first Christmas lights appeared at the White House, and the modern tradition of tree lights was born. Both here and in the US, it took another half a century for enough homes to be connected to the electricity grid to make decorating the family tree with electric lights an affordable tradition.
Last year, the pandemic meant we all had a very scaled back Christmas, but sales of Christmas lights rocketed. Perhaps, just like our pagan ancestors, we were all reaching for symbols of hope and good cheer in the darkness.
