Why The Fir Tree Became An Icon At Christmas?
Source: jatim.tribunnews.com
Christmas identic with celebrations, decorations, interesting lights, and of course the Christmas tree. But, do you know from all the types of trees in the world, the fir tree was chosen as the Christmas tree that always been an icon at Christmas. When Christmas comes, people will tend to decorate their houses with Christmas trees. So, how did the fir tree become a Christmas tree that always adorns Christmas in December?
Long before Christianity, there were many traditions that used trees as home decorations. Here are some explanations that are believed to be the origin of the Christmas tree and also the fir tree which is used as a Christmas tree:
- Europe and Ancient Greece
Source: wawasansejarah.com
Europeans including the Ancient Greeks used green branches to decorate temples during the solstice because they believed it was a symbol of eternal life and reminded them that spring was coming and the sun would shine again.
- Ancient Roman
Source: news.okezone.com
The ancient Romans also decorated their homes with the fir tree in the celebration of Saturnalia which is a celebration in honor of the god of agriculture (Sartunus), and also a form of commemoration of the birth of the sun god (Mithras) on the last day of Saturnalia, December 25th.
Uniquely, at the beginning of Christianity in the Roman empire, Roman rulers who embraced Christianity at that time set the last day of Saturnalia as the birthday of Jesus. This was done to approach the pagans who were still worshiping idols with the aim that they immediately embraced Christianity. Because of this, it indirectly changed the purpose of the Saturnalia celebration, which was originally to honor the god Saturn, into the beginning of the celebration to commemorate the birth of Jesus every 25th December.
- Ancient Egypt
Source: amazine.co
Apart from the Ancient Greeks, the Ancient Egyptians also celebrated the solstice. They used the green palm tree as part of their worship of the sun god (Ra). On 27th December is also celebrated as the birth of the god Ra and the god Osiris, while on 28th December it is also celebrated as the birth of the god Horus.
- Jerman
Source: historytoday.com
Based on historical records, the tradition of using the fir tree as decoration in the house was started by the Germans around the 16th century. This tradition then spread, followed by the spread of Germans in various regions, including America and other European regions. The fir tree is considered to be a symbol of eternal life because during winter all the trees will shed their leaves apart except the fir tree where the leaves will remain.
- The Story of Martin Luther
Source: allthingschristmas.com
Some people also believe that the origin of the fir tree as a home decoration comes from the story of a Church Reformer, Martin Luther. Luther who was walking in the forest at night was enchanted by the beauty of the fir tree which was decorated with starlight penetrating the fir tree branches in the forest. Then, he took and brought a small fir tree in his house because he wanted to share the beauty of the fir tree that he saw in the forest with his family. To create the beautiful starlight he saw in the forest, he placed candles on each branch of the fir tree.
- The Story of Saint Bonifacius
Source: reginamag.com
Before the German tradition of making fir tree as decoration, there is another story about the fir tree from the missionary named Saint Boniface. On his way, Boniface met a group of Germans who were about to make a child sacrifice to the god Thor as an offering on an oak tree. See that thing, Boniface immediately took an ax and cut down the tree to stop the worship, and miraculously the tree fell in Boniface’s hands.
The idol worshipers hoped that the god Thor would immediately strike Boniface with lightning, but that did not happen. This was later used by Boniface to make them repent. And miraculously, in the place where the oak fell, a fir tree grew and since then the fir tree became the symbol of Christ for the people at that time, because the fir tree has a triangle-shaped that symbolizes the trinity, and the tree symbolizes new life.
- Queen Victoria
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Around 1800, the Germans who came to England brought the tradition of Christmas trees, but this became foreign, different, and not in accordance with the habits of the British people at that time. Until in 1841, Albert, who was the husband of Queen Victoria and also of German descent, put up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle not far from the center of London. And in 1946, the London Illustrated News depicted British aristocratic families at Christmas together around a Christmas tree. Queen Victoria, who was hugely popular at the time, shot through a painting with her husband Albert and children gathered around the fir tree that has been decorated on each of its branches at Windsor Castle. Since then, this tradition has been followed by the British people.
Those are some historical records and also the story that became the origin of the Christmas tree tradition and also the fir tree that has been chosen to be the Christmas Tree to decorate homes. This tradition then continued to spread widely in the late 19th century until today in the 21st century. This is why the Christmas tree became an icon for every Christmas in December.
Main Reference
Supporting References
https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia
https://tirto.id/sejarah-pohon-cemara-dijadikan-simbol-natal-oleh-umat-kristen-en7w
https://www.liputan6.com/global/read/2150193/cerita-asal-mula-pohon-natal
https://lokadata.id/artikel/cerita-si-pohon-terang-pembawa-harapan
Image References
https://wawasansejarah.com/yunani-kuno/
https://www.amazine.co/21733/dewa-ra-mitos-makna-dewa-matahari-pada-bangsa-mesir-kuno/
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/first-christmas-tree
https://www.allthingschristmas.com/history-of-christmas/origin-and-history-of-christmas-trees
