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Christmas Tree Most nineteenth century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania. They put one on show to raise money for a local church. In 1851 a tree was set up outside of a church. The people of the parish(牧師教區) thought it such an outrage and a return to paganism(異教) and asked the minister to take it down.
Christmas Tree By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas to reach from floor to ceiling.The early twentieth century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German- American sect(派系.宗教) continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan(杏仁蛋白軟糖) cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced(混合) with berries and nuts.
Christmas Tree Electricity brought about Christmas lights making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end.With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares(廣場) across the country. All important buildings, private and public, signaled the beginning of the Christmas holiday with the tree ceremony.Early Christmas trees had, in place of angels, figures of fairies and the good spirits, though horns and bells were once used to frighten off evil spirits.
Christmas Tree In Poland, Christmas trees there were always angels, peacocks and other birds as well as many, many stars.In Sweden, trees are decorated with brightly painted wooden ornaments and straw figures of animals and children.In Denmark, tiny Danish flags along with mobiles of bells stars, snowflakes and hearts are hung on Christmas trees.Japanese Christians prefer tiny fans and paper lanterns. Lithuanians(立陶宛人) cover their trees with straw bird cages, stars, and geometric(幾何學) shapes. The straw sends a wish for good crops in the coming year. Czechoslovakian(捷克斯洛伐克的) trees display ornaments made from painted egg shells.
Christmas Tree A Ukrainian(烏克蘭的) Christmas tree has a spider and web for good luck. Legend has it that a poor woman with nothing to put on her children's tree woke on Christmas morning to find the branches covered with spider webs turned to silver by the rising sun.Another story comes from Germany about spiders and Christmas trees. Long ago families allowed their animals to come inside and view the Christmas trees on Christmas Eve. Because the Christ Child was born in a stable, they felt that the animals should take part in the Christmas celebration. But spiders weren't allowed because housewives didn't want cobwebs all over everything. Of course the spiders were unhappy about this, so one year they complained to the Christ Child. He felt sorry for them and decided that late at night He would let them in to see the trees. The excited spiders loved the Christmas trees and all night long they crawled about in the branches, leaving them covered with webs.
Christmas Tree On Christmas morning the housewives saw what the spiders had done . But instead of being angry, they were delighted. For in the night the Christ Child had turned all of the cobwebs into sparkling tinsel. And even today, tinsel(金銀絲織品,華而不實的) is often used to decorate Christmas trees to add that same sparkle the Christ Child gave the cobwebs long ago, in Germany.To the Druids, sprigs of evergreen holly in the house meant eternal life; while to the Norsemen, they symbolized the revival(再生) of the sun god Balder. To those inclined toward superstition, branches of evergreens placed over the door kept out witches, ghosts, evil spirits and the like.
Christmas Tree The Christmas tree custom became popular in other parts of Europe. In England Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria made Christmas trees fashionable by decorating the first English Christmas tree at Windsor castle with candles and a variety of sweets, fruits and gingerbread(薑餅) in 1841. Of course other wealthy English families followed suit, using all kinds of extravagant(揮霍無度的) items as decorations. Charles Dickens described such a tree as being covered with dolls, miniature furniture, tiny musical instruments, costume jewelry, toy guns and swords, fruit and candy, in the 1850s.
Christmas Tree This use does not mean that our Christmas tree custom evolved solely(僅僅) from paganism, any more than did some of the present-day use of sighed in various religious rituals.Trees and branches can be made purposeful as well as symbolic. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees.
Christmas Tree The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost a 1000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time.
Christmas Tree Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the sixteenth century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.A F.W. Woolworth brought the glass ornament tradition to the United States in 1890. From 1870's to 1930's, Germans made the finest molds for making ornaments with nearly 5,000 different molds at the time. At the turn of the century there were over one hundred small cottage glass blowing workshops in Europe. Today only two respected German factory teams are capable of producing ornaments to the precise specifications of the Christopher Radko collection.
The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death. The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life. Christmas Tree
Christmas Tree Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits.Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions.The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio, adds Robson.
Christmas Tree But the custom spread slowly. The Puritans banned Christmas in New England. Even as late as 1851, a Cleveland minister nearly lost his job because he allowed a tree in his church. Schools in Boston stayed open on Christmas Day through 1870, and sometimes expelled students who stayed home.The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal.
Christmas Tree Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression. Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape then wild ones.Six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.
Christmas Tree Christmas tree is an indispensable decoration when celebrating christmas. christmas trees first appeared in germany, then in europe and america. there are all kinds of ornaments to put in the tree, but there must be a big star on top of every tree, and only the master of the house can hang it up.
Christmas Tree There were some stories about christmas trees: 1)the germans take the evergreen pine branches into their houses for decoration, which become the christmas trees later. afterward, martin luther put candles in the fir branches in the woods, and light them up, making them look like leading people to Bethlehem today, people use light bulbs instead of candles.
Christmas Tree 2)there was once a farmer who bumped into a poor child on christmas day. he accommodated the kid with warmth. the child broke a pine branch and stick it in the ground before he left. the branch soon transformed to a tree, with presents hanging up, as to thank the farmer for his kindness.
Christmas Tree 3)One is the story of Saint Boniface, an English monk who organized the Christian Church in France and Germany. One day, as he traveled about, he came upon a group of pagans gathered around a great oak tree about to sacrifice a child to the god Thor[1]. To stop the sacrifice and save the child's life Boniface felled the tree with one mighty blow of his fist. In its place grew a small fir tree. The saint told the pagan worshipers that the tiny fir was the Tree of Life and stood the eternal life of Christ.
Christmas Tree 4)Others feel the origin of the Christmas tree may be the "Paradise Play." In medieval times most people would not read and plays were used to teach the lessons of the bible all over Europe. The Paradise Play, which showed the creation of man and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was performed every year on December 24th. The play was performed in winter creating a slight problem. An apple tree was needed but apple trees do not bare fruit in winter so a substitution was made. Evergreens were hung with apples and used instead.
Christmas Tree 5)Some people trace the origin of the Christmas tree to an earlier period. Even before the Christian era, trees and boughs were used for ceremonials. Egyptians, in celebrating the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - brought green date palms into their homes as a symbol of "life triumphant over death". When the Romans observed the feast of saturn, part of the ceremony was the raising of an evergreen bough. The early Scandinavians were said to have paid homage to the fir tree.
