In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 and 22, and is call the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and the winter came every year because the sun god has become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.
Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the Druids (priests of the ancient Celts), also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The Vikings thought that evergreens were the special plant of their sun god, Balder.
Germany in credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is held belief that Martin Luther, a 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
Most 19th century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830's by German settlers in Pennsylvania. In the late 1840's Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrim's second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event." In 1659, the Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other that a church service) a penal offense, people were fined for hanging decorations. That continued until the 19th century when German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
In 1846, the royals, Queen Victoria and German Prince Albert, were sketched in the London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree.
By the 1890's Christmas ornaments where arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about 4 feet tall, while Americans liked the Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-Americans continued to used apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.
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