The development of the Christian tree has no clear beginning, but is made up of traditions of different cultures together. In evergreen plants is life force and therefore believed, health into the house to fetch when his home decorated with greenery. The Romans, the year their houses with laurel twigs. A tree on the winter solstice to decorate, also honored in the Mithras cult of the sun god. Also in northern areas were in the early winter fir branches into the house hanged to evil spirits and the intrusion Einnisten to aggravate the green and gave hope for the return of spring.

Already in the Middle Ages was often the custom to certain public festivities whole trees to decorate, such as the Maypole or indicative tree. Christmas in the Church of paradise games listed as the 24th Cisalpinem December after the memory usage of ordinary parents Adam and Eve was devoted to which a paradise tree, which certainly also a deciduous tree could be, with apples was behängt. The apple served as a sign of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and recalled the Fall and the liberation of people from original sin through Jesus Christ. Until the 19th Century emblazoned in northern Germany with his Christmas Adam and Eve, including the snake, made of wood or baked.

The statement that the first written mention of a Christmas tree from the year 1419 comes, is widespread, however, can now no longer be occupied by sources. The Freiburger baker shank is unused after this statement a tree with all kinds of sweets, fruits and nuts behängt have children after the New Year off to plunder allowed.

From 1521 dated an entry in an account book of the Humanities Library in Schlettstadt: “Item IIII shillings to the Foerster Meyen at the Thomas Sancte tag to hieten” (4 shillings to pay for the forester, so he became the St. Thomastag guarded the trees). From this time is the Christmas tree in the houses of citizens to make a Christmas decoration.

By 1539, there is again a documentary proof that the Strasbourg Cathedral A Christmas tree has been established. The guilds and associations were finally, an ever-green tree in the guild houses were. The first record on the Christmas tree as a normal use come from the year 1605. Again, it is an Alsatian, the crucial line has held. He writes: “Prompt Christmas trees Then you directed at Strasbourg in the taverns on. That is henket Rossen ext multi-cut paper, apples, wafers, Fizzing gold and sugar. ” 1611 emblazoned Duchess Dorothea Sibylle of Silesia the first Christmas tree with candles.

The next message on the Christmas tree comes from Strasbourg and the theologians JK Dannhauser attributed. In this 1642 to 1646 drafted the document ereifert cited against the custom, in the houses up Christmas trees. He writes: “Among other trifling to get the old Christmas time more often than with God’s Word begehet, is also the Christmas tree or the one at home is erected, the same with dolls and sugar behängt, and afterwards it off and pollination (clear ) Leaves. Where the habit comes from, I do not know, is a children’s game “.

Since the first half of the 18th Century, the news about the Christmas tree then more frequently. Johann Heinrich Jung-Stilling, born in 1740 in Nassau, seems a reminder of his childhood to when he published in his 1793 “homesick” from the bright enlightening life with gilded nuts, to which the child on the morning of Christmas Day is held, speaks . The additional presence of the Christmas tree is the name of Goethe linked to him in The Sorrows of Young Werther in 1774 first introduced the German Literature: Werther comes on the Sunday before Christmas to Lotte and speaks of the times, as is the unexpected opening of the door and the appearance of a “aufgeputzten tree with wax candles, apples and sugar factory in paradise delight transferees. Schiller has in his works is not Christmas scene depicted, but he loved the festival under the tree. 1789 he wrote to Lotte, that he had to come to Weimar Christmas and said: “I hope you will have a green tree in the room up.” In 1805 the Christmas tree was a large readership it known that it leverage in its Alemannische poems in the song’s mother on Christmas evening said. E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker and fairy tales Mausekönig of 1816 is the first literary memorial in Berlin, where the lichterglänzende, with golden apples and candy decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the Weihnachtsbescherung appears.

Since pine trees in Central Europe were rare, they could initially only the affluent strata and the urban population had with twigs and green day of constraints. Only when the second half of the 19th Century increasingly fir and spruce forests were created, the urban needs could be met.

The church, the large forest areas were progressively against the plundering of the forest at Christmas time and endorsed these “pagan” tradition not. With time, but she gave the opposition to the custom slowly. Than in evangelical circles the Christmas tree at Christmas symbol has been fixed, and it is thus of the Catholic custom of setting up different crib, the Christmas tree came to his triumph. By the end of the 19th Century is the Christmas tree in the Catholic regions of Germany and Austria testified. The first Christmas tree was in Vienna from 1814 to Fanny Arnstein, a Berlin-born Jewish Society prestigious Dame established [9], in whose house also representatives of the nobility and a box. Already in 1816, according to other sources, 1823 was this tradition of Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg, the wife of Archduke Charles, picked up, and spread from there in all walks of Austria.

It was a peaceful Eroberungszug, the Christmas tree in the 19th Century into the world contributed. He has little in 50 years claimed, what a performance, which in the areas of the Volksbrauches only dasteht. Mark stones following this development can still be discerned:

German 1832, the Harvard professor Charles Follen as only one Christmas tree at his home in Cambridge (Massachusetts) and led it to this custom in New England one. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to celebrate Christmas with their children. The royal tree was in The Illustrated London News in 1848 mapped

When the Queen Victoria 1840 with Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha vermählte, the Christmas tree came to London. Even the Netherlands, Russia, particularly Petersburg and Moscow, where he was, however, only in the highest circles was customary, and Italy owe their Christmas tree the Germans. 1870, the Duchess Helene of Orleans the Christmas tree in the Tuileries a later, the Empress Eugenie to spread its merits. Two decades later, in Paris, has already sold 35,000 Christmas trees, although some French people increasingly spread of the Christian tree in France complained because she was a rapprochement with the Deutschtum saw. North America came after the Christmas Tree by German emigrants and sailors. Old U.S. newspapers reported, Gustav grains have the typical German custom of lighted and decorated Christmas tree in the U.S. – and so soon after arriving in the state of Illinois on his first Christmas in the U.S. in the year 1833. In the United States were already at the end of the 19th Century Christmas trees made of iron. These marvels of technology were already partially lighted with gas: “Due to the hollow branches floods in the gas and where else erstrahlen candles, shrugs from the narrow crevice gas upwards.”