THE HISTORY AND THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS TREE

With the 2013 Christmas next big event this year, we may as well start planning for a great and memorable 2013 Christmas. Many of us will be decorating our homes with Christmas trees and other Christmas decoration and nothing will make us happy like sharing our experience in Christmas decorations and this is a long standing Christmas tradition that is kept every year. On this post I would like to share with you the history of the much appreciated and used Christmas tree and I will start with a question. Have you ever stopped for a while to ask yourself about the origin of the much appreciated Christmas tree that have a special place in our hearts as part of any Christmas festival?
I will be grand to tell some of the history I have gathered about Christmas tree.
The first Christmas tree was made and put up in German; Geismar, by a St. Boniface, who lived between 672 and 754 after Christ. St. Boniface cut, Thor; a sacred tree and planted a Fir tree and this became the first Christmas tree

Saint Boniface was born in 680, in the Crediton in Wessex now Devon in Britain and later went to become the Apostle of the Germans, becoming the first archbishop of Mainz before he was killed on June 5th 755. He is the Patron Saint of Germany. It can also be said he is the person who gave us our much cherished Christmas tree.

Saint Boniface used the triangular shape of the Fir tree to teach about Holy Trinity, the relationship between God; the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, making the Fir tree be perceived by the people as a tree of God replacing Oak, which had sacred position in people for generations

Martin Luther also decorated a Christmas tree with Candles in the 16th Century as an illustration to his children on how the stars twinkled.

German developed Christmas markets as far back as in the 16th century selling Christmas gifts. The gifts sold back then included knife sharpeners to sharpen the knives of cutting the Christmas geese, breads made of ginger, paper flowers, and wax ornaments were sold for hanging on Christmas trees.

The flowers used back then were only of two colors, white signifying Innocence and red signifying Knowledge. The meaning of the Christmas tree back then was connected with Garden Eden, signifying abundance. One of the Christmas tree decorations; tinsel was first made in Nuremberg, Germany, early in the 16th century. Made out of silver to mimic effect of ice, it was part of a Christmas garland; a decorative cord or wreath made out of flowers. There are stories that before the people settled to use of silver for the tinsel, various metals were tried including a mixture and lead or tin but turned out to be heavy, silver was later replaced by plastic that we see today in most of our Christmas decorations.

When you erect a Christmas tree during 2013 Christmas remember it has been there for hundreds of years.

Mistletoe and Christmas traditions

Mistletoe is a plant that is associated with Christmas. Age old customs dictate that Mistletoe must not touch the ground during its placement in the house and its removal. It is kept throughout the year from one Christmas to the next to keep the house safe from fire and lighting and always replaced in the eve of a new Christmas.

But what exactly is the origin of the name mistletoe? The name mistletoe may have originated from a German language, mist for dung and tang for branch. An old English word, mistiltan, may be the origin of the name mistletoe. Besides, the Greeks, in their mythology mentioned mistletoe.

In Scandinavian myths, it is said that an arrow made of mistletoe was used Baldr; a god in Norse mythology, to kill his brother; a blind god named Hodur due to scheming of by Loki another Norse god. Across Europe, the pagans associated Mistletoe with romance, fertility and vitality, something that found its way into our modern Christmas.

The customs also dictate that during Christmas period, if you meet a person of opposite sex under Mistletoe, you must kiss, but plunk its seeds and stop kissing when the seeds are over
This kissing under the Mistletoe may have its origin from Scandinavians, who associated Mistletoe with their goddess of love; Frigga. They believed that two people who kissed under Mistletoe remained happy and had good luck throughout the year, remember this when you meet someone you love under a Mistletoe during the 2011 Christmas.

During the winter celebrations in their ritual of oak and mistletoe, Druid priests; Druids were member class of priest that inhabited France, Ireland and England and the Island of Britain long before Christ, used Mistletoe in their rituals as the Romans would find out when they occupied Britain and other parts of Europe. The Europeans perceived Mistletoe to be powerful due to lack of roots and it ability to withstand winter by remaining green. Thus these pagan beliefs were incorporated in our modern Christmas traditions and customs.

Besides the Druids, the Celtics who believed that the Mistletoe had power that could heal diseases and even used it as medicine for poison and infertility, the Celtics, believed that Mistletoe could put of evil spirits. No wonder in today’s Christmas traditions we keep the Mistletoe for a full year, from one Christmas to the next. Besides all the Christmas associations with Mistletoe, it has been used a symbol of peace, during the Roman Empire, enemies laid down their weapons if they met under Mistletoe and embraced.

Mistletoe is used for Christmas decorations, it can also be part of your 2011 Christmas tree.


However all has not been smooth for Mistletoe as it was said to be the tree that made the cross that Jesus crucified on.

I hope you find someone to kiss under Mistletoe during the 2011 Christmas.