As the holidays approach, I like to look into the history of our traditions and customs. I got to thinking about the christmas flowers italy tree as I had put mine up early this week. My granddaughters were anxious for it to be up, so Nona gave in and we put it up Saturday. Looks nice.
History of the
Christmas Tree -
where did it originate?
The history of the Christmas tree comes as a shock to many. This famous symbolism of Christmas is displayed in homes in the United States, Europe, and in many countries around the world.
There is no evidence that the modern custom of a Christmas tree originated in paganism. The Romans did decorate their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts.
Late in the Middle Ages, the Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees in their homes or outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. The modern-day Christmas tree evolved from these early German traditions.
The history of the Christmas tree in the United States dates back to the time of George Washington and his defeat of the German Hessians in the year 1776.
The war was during the Christmas season, which for the Germans was a time for food, songs, and decorated trees. In their celebration of the season, they paid little attention to their military duties and the German Hessians became easy prey for General Washington. His troops were able to sneak in and defeat the Hessians who were ill-prepared for the onslaught.
The picture of Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve depicts the great victory for his troops.
After the war in 1776, many Germans stayed in the United States, introduced the Christmas tree to the newly formed United States
Why do we have a decorated Christmas Tree? In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God.
Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God's Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak.
By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.
The first decorated tree was at Riga in Latvia, in 1510. In the early 16th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night.
In the mid 16th century, Christmas markets were set up in German towns, to provide everything from Christmas presents, food and more practical things such as a knife grinding to sharpening the knife to carve the Christmas Goose!
The first record there is of the Christmas tree is that of a visitor to Strasbourg in 1601. He records a tree decorated with "wafers and golden sugar-twists (Barleysugar) and paper flowers of all colors". The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise Tree in the Garden of Eden. The many food items were symbols of plenty, the flowers, originally only red (for knowledge) and white (for innocence).
Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610. At that time real silver was used, and machines were invented which pulled the silver out into the wafer thin strips for tinsel. Silver was durable, but tarnished quickly, especially with candlelight. Silver was used for tinsel right up to the mid-20th century.
The Christmas Tree first came to England with the Georgian kings who came from Germany. The British public was not fond of the German monarchy, so they did not copy the fashions at Court, which is why the Christmas Tree did not establish in Britain at that time.
The decorations were tinsels, silver wire ornaments, candles and small beads. All these had been manufactured in Germany and East Europe since the 17th century. The custom was to have several small trees on tables, one for each member of the family, with that person’s gifts stacked on the table under the tree.
In 1846, the popular Royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were pictured in the Illustrated London News. They were standing with their children around a Christmas Tree. Unlike the previous Royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at Court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The English Christmas Tree had arrived!
In 1850's Lauscha began to produce fancy shaped glass bead garlands for the trees, and short garlands made from necklace 'bugles' and beads. These were readily available in Germany but not produced in sufficient quantities to export to Britain.
The 1860's English Tree had become more innovative than the delicate trees of earlier decades. Small toys were popularly hung on the branches, but still most gifts were placed on the table under the tree.
Around this time, the Christmas tree was spreading into other parts of Europe. The Mediterranean countries were not too interested in the tree, preferring to display only a Creche scene. Italy had a wooden triangle platform tree called as 'CEPPO'. This had a Creche scene as well as decorations.
By the 1870's, Glass ornaments were being imported into Britain from Lauscha, in Thuringia. It became a status symbol to have glass ornaments on the tree, the more one had, the better one’s status! Still many home-made things were seen. The empire was growing, and the popular tree topper was the Nation's Flag. Sometimes there were flags of the Empire and flags of the allied countries. Trees got very patriotic.
They were imported into America around 1880, where they were sold through stores such as FW Woolworth. They were quickly followed by American patents for electric lights (1882), and metal hooks for safer hanging of decorations onto the trees (1892)
The 1880's saw a rise of the Aesthetic Movement. At this time Christmas Trees became a glorious hodgepodge of everything one could cram on or by complete contrast the aesthetic trees which were delicately balanced trees, with delicate colors, shapes and style. The limited availability of decorations in earlier decades had kept trees by necessity to, usually table trees.
Now with decorations as well as crafts more popular than ever, there was no excuse. Still a status symbol, the larger the tree - the more affluent the family which sported it.
The High Victorian of the 1890's was a child's joy to behold . . . as tall as the room, and crammed with glitter and tinsel and toys galore. Even the 'middle classes' managed to over-decorate their trees. It was a case of 'anything goes'. Everything that could possibly go on a tree went onto it.
In America, Christmas trees were introduced into several areas - the German Hessian soldiers took their tree customs in the 18th century. In Texas, cattle barons from Britain took their customs in the 19th century, and the East Coast Society copied the English Court tree customs.
Settlers from all over Europe took their customs also in the 19th century. Decorations were not easy to find in the old West, and people began to make their own decorations. Tin was pierced to create lights and lanterns to hold candles which could shine through the holes. Decorations of all kinds were cutout, stitched and glued. The general stores were hunting grounds for old magazines with pictures, rolls of cotton batting and tinsel, which was occasionally sent from Germany or brought in from the Eastern States. The Paper 'Putz' or Christmas Crib was a popular feature under the tree, especially in the Moravian Dutch communities which settled in Pennsylvania.
After 1918, because of licensing and export problems, Germany was not able to export its decorations easily. The market was quickly taken up by Japan and America, especially in Christmas tree lights.
In the 1930's there was a revival of Dickensian nostalgia, particularly in Britain. Christmas cards all sported ladies with muffs and bonnets popular in the 1840's.
Christmas trees became large, and real again, and were decorated with many bells, balls and tinsels, and with a beautiful golden haired angel at the top.
The mid-1960s saw another change. A new world was on the horizon, and modernist ideas were everywhere. Silver aluminum trees (I remember these trees - my Grandma had one) were imported from America. The 'Silver Pine' tree, patented in the 1950's, was designed to have a revolving light source under it, with colored gelatin 'windows, which allowed the light to shine in different shades as it revolved under the tree. No decorations were needed for this tree.
America made a return to Victorian nostalgia in the 1970's, and it was a good decade later that Britain followed the fashion. By the at first this was a refreshing look, and manufacturers realizing the potential created more and more fantastic decorations.
Real Christmas trees were popular, but many housewives preferred the convenience of the authentic looking artificial trees which were being manufactured. The late 1990s tree has taken the Victorian idea, but with new themes and designs.
Read more: Little Chicago Review - Oh christmas flowers italy blogs .
No comments:
Post a Comment