Nowadays, it is customary to put a Christmas tree in absolutely every house on New Year or Christmas. But few people ever wondered why it was the spruce, and not, for example, some shrub or birch is a symbol of the coming year.
There are many versions about this issue, including the most absurd. But the surest way to uncover this mystery is to immerse yourself in history.
Germany as the founder of tradition
All innovations and even some holidays come and came to us from Europe. And the tree as a symbol of the celebration of Christmas and New Year came to us from there, namely from the territory of modern Germany. In ancient times, when the Earth’s population lived in communities and tribes, the locals worshiped this sacred tree for them. It was a symbol of prosperity, eternal youth and the protection of the home from evil spirits.
At first, ancient people searched for the largest Christmas tree (at the end of the year), and then decorated it with various objects, mainly food. It could be eggs, apples or nuts. DIY toys also flaunted on a tree. All this was considered a kind of rite, which is able to attract the power of good spirits.
How was custom adopted in other countries?
Other states also migrated from Germany. For example, back in the days of the great pharaohs, it was customary in Egypt to decorate trees for the New Year.Yes, they never ate and didn’t grow today, so the Egyptians decorated the palm trees growing in the country and also considered it their duty to appease their gods with the various fruits of their land.
In some cities in Europe the Christmas tree was not set for celebration purposes New Year, and for other celebrations. For example, in Vienna (the capital of Austria), spruce was considered a traditional tree on St. Nicholas Day. This symbol came to the Czech Republic at the beginning of the 19th century, to be more precise, in 1820.
For eastern countries, the tree became a symbol of the New Year only in the 20th century. For Turkey, however, this event did not last long, since already in 1936 they decided to ban the Christmas tree due to depletion of forest resources. This tradition came to Tehran and Morocco in 1960.
The history of the penetration of the Christmas tree in the homes of Russians
Many Russian citizens probably think that the New Year tree was always present. But it was not there. Everyone has long known that not a single, even not too significant event in the country can go through peacefully. Therefore, we can distinguish several stages when the tree took place to be at the New Year holidays, and when not.
Stages of the Christmas tree in Russia:
1. The main part of European innovations was brought to our country by Peter I. Following his decree, in 1700 they began not only to decorate the Christmas tree for the New Year, but also to celebrate Christmas. True, in those days, the tree decorated for the celebration was considered a luxury, and it was installed only in wealthy families and in the royal court.
2. During the war, from 1914 to 1918, the tree was banned.It was the First World War, and the Russian government categorically prohibited the use of the tree for the holidays, since its origin was associated with enemy countries
3. Then, after the formation of the Soviet Union, in the 1920s it was banned for religious reasons.
4. We can say that a full start "Reign" of the tree as a symbol of New Year's celebrations was only the end of 1935, and this tradition has not changed in our country for almost eighty years.
The fate of our Christmas tree is not easy. Nowadays, we will not be able to imagine a single New Year without this decorated forest beauty, who admires not only adults, but also little children with her charm. After all, they are constantly looking forward to the moment when they can receive their long-awaited gifts brought by Santa Claus and placed under the Christmas tree.
