History of the Christmas tree

On the eve of Christmas, I became interested in the history of the Christmas tree. And this is what I found out. In the 11th century, believers often depicted the tree of paradise as a fir tree hung with red apples.

On the eve of Christmas, I became interested in the history of the Christmas tree. And this is what I found out. In the 11th century, believers often depicted the tree of paradise as a fir tree hung with red apples. The first mention of a Christmas tree was found in 1521 in Alsace. There has been a Christmas tree tradition there since the 12th century. In 1546, in the Alsatian city of Celeste, it was officially allowed to cut down Christmas trees on the night of December 21st. In the 16th century, Christmas trees were also decorated with roses - symbols of virginity, along with apples and cookies. At that time, the installation of this tree was still considered a pagan tradition: before the holiday of Christmas began to be celebrated, pagans decorated the tree in winter, considering it a symbol of life, with fruits, flowers and wheat. A little later, an additional decoration was placed on the top of the tree - a star, sending believers to the one in Bethlehem, which showed the way to the Magi. Little by little, German Protestants adopted this custom, and it spread everywhere. Since the 17th century, decorations with lights have appeared. But since wax was expensive, instead of candles they used nut shells with oil poured into it, on the surface of which a small rope or small soft candles floated. Such luminous shells were tied to Christmas tree branches. The Christmas tree came to Great Britain in 1840 - Queen Victoria and her husband Albert introduced the fashion for a decorated Christmas tree. They displayed a German Christmas tree with lights on in the middle of Windsor Palace. And then the tree appeared in the States, in the White House. In France, at the Palace of Versailles, the fashion for the Christmas tree was introduced by the wife of King Louis XV, Maria. The first electric garlands appeared on Christmas trees in the States in 1880, but this was a rarity - the cost of a garland was equal to the monthly salary of an average American. Until 1858, apples were a regular decoration for Christmas trees in France, but that year there were frosts and there were not enough apples, so one glassmaker came up with the idea of ​​blowing fruit out of glass. Thus the first Christmas ball was born.