History of Evergreen Trees Become Christmas Trees

Jakarta – Christmas trees are ornaments that are synonymous with Christmas. Generally, Christmas trees are used as home decorations and even city decorations to welcome the Christian holiday. 

In fact, many of them have installed and decorated Christmas trees since early December.

Christmas trees are usually decorated with various trinkets. The size also varies, some are very small but some are very large. 

As known, Christmas trees are synonymous with Evergreen trees. So, here's the story about it. As reported from Michigan University site, Evergreen trees have been used to celebrate Pagan and Christian winter festivals for thousands of years. 

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Photo :

• Istimewa

They use its branches to decorate their homes during the solstice or winter, as it makes them think of the coming spring. 

Meanwhile, the Romans used evergreen trees to decorate their homes for the New Year. Christians use the evergreen tree as a sign of eternal life with God. 

The first evergreen trees used as Christmas trees probably started around 1,000 years ago in Northern Europe. 

People in Northern Europe also planted trees in boxes inside their homes in winter.

Many early Christmas trees appear to have been hung upside down from the ceiling using chains suspended from chandeliers. But not all Christmas trees use fir trees. 

In many parts of Northern Europe, the Christmas trees used were cherry or hawthorn trees, or branches of them, which were put in pots and brought into the house to flower at Christmas time. 

Some people make pyramids out of wood and decorate them to look like trees with paper, apples and candles. Perhaps the wooden pyramid tree is meant to be like the tree of heaven. 

Meanwhile, it is known that two cities, Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia, had disputed the use of the first documented Christmas tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations there. 

Both claim that they have the first tree with Tallinn using a Christmas tree in 1441 and Riga in 1510. 

In the city square of Riga, the capital of Latvia, there is a plaque that reads "The First New Year Tree in Riga in 1510" in eight languages. 

Meanwhile, in Germany, an image from 1521 shows a tree being paraded through the streets with a man on horseback behind it. The man is dressed as a bishop, perhaps representing St. Nicholas. 

There is a record of a small tree in Breman, Germany, from 1570. It is described as a tree decorated with "apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers". 

The first person to bring a Christmas tree into the house was probably the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther.

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The first evergreen trees used as Christmas trees probably started around 1,000 years ago in Northern Europe.