Why did they originate, why are some christians rabidly opposed to them while others gleefully use each and every one they find, why are some customs considered "okay" and others not, why trees, socks, presents, wreaths, candles, carols, santa ....
Oh ...so many questions.
I don’t like unanswered questions very much.
My nature is to find answers so I better understand WHY.
The WHY’S are very important to me.
Soooo, being true to my nature I’ve spent a little(hehehe) too much time on the computer researching, and still don’t have many clear answers, but there does seem to be pattern...Keep in mind, these are many legends and stories from many different places...many just verbal tellings and myths, other are recorded as history...
I do believe this may take more than one installment...
On Trees
Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (KJV).
This is the verse many Christians use to explain why they don’t have or want Christmas trees.
Pagans used to worship the trees, and decorated them with precious metals of ancient times. Since the trees could not move on their own, the pagans apparently would cut them down and move them where they wanted in order to worship them.
Others say Jeremiah was talking about the general practice in that day of idol worship, many DID worship trees and other living things(and not so living) of the earth, but as Jesus had not been born yet, there were no official Christmas trees. Nor was it general practice for pagans in Europe who worshipped the living things of the earth to actually cut down the tree, it was too destructive of that which they worshipped. They did cut boughs off the trees to ward away evil spirits...but that's for later...
In the middle ages there was a feast called the feast of Adam and Eve. It was not officially on the Latin calendar, but countries in Europe celebrated it every year December 24th in order to remember when original sin entered the world. They would put a “Paradise Tree” or Fir tree up in the church as a prop and decorate it with red apples and sweets. The apples represented the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the sweets represented the tree of eternal life. Children would then conduct a “mystery play” recounting to the towns people the 'mystery ' of why Jesus had come to earth, starting with Adam and Eve in the garden and ending with Christ’s birth. The children who were dressed as wise men would bring their gifts to the baby in the cradle, and sing hymns and songs( carols?) to the baby Jesus to honor Him, later after the play was done, the gifts were distributed to the poor children in the town.
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In Germany fir trees were hung upside down from the ceiling. Legend has it that a monk ( St. Boniface 675-755 AD) was angry that some new believers were still worshipping an Oak tree and he cut it down. In it’s place sprouted up a fir tree. So that is what he used to explain the Holy Trinity, after that they used the fir tree as an outward expression in their homes and in front of their churches to show others that they were Christians.
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There is also a story that Martin Luther was walking home one night after dark and saw the stars glittering through the snowy evergreen trees and he was struck by the beauty of God’s creation .He went home and put up a small fir tree in his home and attached candles to it in honor of Christ’s birth.
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The custom of Christmas trees in America is generally laid at the feet of August Imgard of Wooster ,Oh . In 1847 he put up a decorated tree in his home. He was a Bavarian immigrant.
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The English puritans were against many customs associated with Christmas... holly, mistletoe, the yule log, carols, candles... As these were seen as heathen traditions and they desecrated the sacred event of Christ’s birth.
In Germany fir trees were hung upside down from the ceiling. Legend has it that a monk ( St. Boniface 675-755 AD) was angry that some new believers were still worshipping an Oak tree and he cut it down. In it’s place sprouted up a fir tree. So that is what he used to explain the Holy Trinity, after that they used the fir tree as an outward expression in their homes and in front of their churches to show others that they were Christians.
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There is also a story that Martin Luther was walking home one night after dark and saw the stars glittering through the snowy evergreen trees and he was struck by the beauty of God’s creation .He went home and put up a small fir tree in his home and attached candles to it in honor of Christ’s birth.
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The custom of Christmas trees in America is generally laid at the feet of August Imgard of Wooster ,Oh . In 1847 he put up a decorated tree in his home. He was a Bavarian immigrant.
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The English puritans were against many customs associated with Christmas... holly, mistletoe, the yule log, carols, candles... As these were seen as heathen traditions and they desecrated the sacred event of Christ’s birth.
In America the pilgrims second governor, William Bradford ,a puritan, tried to get rid of all “pagan mockery’ at Christmas time.
Christmas trees were not used by the puritans in colonial times.
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In 1851 Pastor Heinrich Christian Schwan of the Zion Lutheran Church, in Cleveland ,Oh is the first person to be recorded as decorating a Christmas tree in a church. Many people in the church thought it was a pagan practice and the town publicly decried the event, even threatening the pastor with harm. After 2 Sundays, he threw the tree away. He then began researching the origins of the Christmas tree, and finding evidence that it was not a pagan practice,but a Catholic one, he taught his congregation what he learned and the next year he was able to put up another tree making it a yearly event.
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In 1851 Pastor Heinrich Christian Schwan of the Zion Lutheran Church, in Cleveland ,Oh is the first person to be recorded as decorating a Christmas tree in a church. Many people in the church thought it was a pagan practice and the town publicly decried the event, even threatening the pastor with harm. After 2 Sundays, he threw the tree away. He then began researching the origins of the Christmas tree, and finding evidence that it was not a pagan practice,but a Catholic one, he taught his congregation what he learned and the next year he was able to put up another tree making it a yearly event.
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HMMMM... lots of Catholic tradition...seeming to originate in Germany
What else can I find????
4 comments:
Many Christmas carols are written by people who were Catholics. Also I have heard that people use to cut their enemies heads off and use them as ornaments. But that may be a myth.
oooooh, thats nasty. I will have to try to find out about it, it hasnt been mentioned in what i have found yet...
Ewww!!!!! Heads on a tree. I concur, Susan...that IS nasty!
I know several people that either don't put up a tree or had that conviction at one time. Personally, I like my tree and it has a personal meaning for me, as I know it does you too. In my heart, the tree represents life and, yes, death. It's triangular, which in my heart and mind, makes me think of the trinity. My ornaments are a collection of childhood memories and present blessings of friends and family. My lights remind me of the Light of the world. I love my tree. For me it's not a worshipped statue in the home, but a reminder of how good God is.
~Kristi
That is what someone told me, but counting how many times this person has lied to me. It probably is a lie, but I would like to find out.
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