Read the full article in the Tiqvah Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 4 (Oct – Dec 2023). Click this link to view
- Santa Claus, or Christmas Father (Part 1)
- The Christmas Tree (Part 2)
- Christmas Caroling (Part 3)
The Christmas Tree
Decorating a Christmas tree is a common tradition around the world now. It had its origins in Central Europe, where an evergreen tree, such as a pine tree is cut down and brought into the house where it is decorated with colorful trinkets and crowned with a star or an angel. This tradition is said to have developed during the European Renaissance. Records indicate the presence of a Christmas Tree at Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (France) in 1539 A.D. Today, many families, have them placed in the house. Churches and even cities have a Christmas tree, such as the giant tree (up to 100 feet high) at the Rockefeller Center, New York.
Why a tree? In medieval Germany, a popular play about Adam and Eve used a fir tree decorated with apples to represent the “paradise tree” of the Garden of Eden. A similar tree was set up in German houses on December 24th, the Feast Day of Adam and Eve. It was popular among the German Lutherans in the 18th cent. And made popular in England by German-born Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria (the engraving on the bottom-left, which shows the royal family, led to a public craze for Christmas trees). German immigrants to the Americas made it popular there in the 17th century.
The lights on the tree signify the Lord Jesus Christ as the “light of the world”. The star on the top relates to the star that was over Bethlehem, which the Wise Men followed to find the infant Jesus (see Matthew 2:1-12). Sometimes an angel figurine is placed on the top instead. It reminds about the good news that the angels brought to the shepherds in the fields (Luke 2:8-20). The tradition of placing gifts is reminiscent of the gifts which the Wise Men gave to the Lord Jesus, however, in the modern Christmas tradition, the gifts are often shared with family and friends.
Featured Image Credit: JD Hancock