Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees
that remained green all
year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Ancient
people hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows in
the belief that it would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits
and illness.
The early Romans celebrated a feast called the Saturnalia in
honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture, by decorating their
homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe,
the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also
decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of
everlasting life.
In the fourteenth century churches held "miracle plays" to tell
the people in villages and towns stories from the Bible. Special
plays were held at special times of the year, in accordance
with the early Christian Calendar of Saints. The play that was
held every December 24 was about the Garden of Eden.
The time of year that the play was held created a problem for
the actors and the organizers of the play. How do you find an
apple tree with fruits in the middle of winter? In Germany,
someone solved the problem by cutting down an evergreen tree
and tying apples onto it. The idea of a Christmas tree hung
with apples caught people's imagination and soon became popular
all over Europe. Ever since, red and green, the colours of apples
hanging on a pine tree, have been the official colours of the
festive season.
As the years passed, the trees were loaded with many more things
to eat in addition to apples. Gilded nuts, gingerbread cookies,
candies shaped like fruits and vegetables, were hung from the
boughs. Brightly decorated eggshells, cut in half and filled
with tiny candies, were set in the tree like bird nests. With
time, the edible decorations were replaced with those made out
of thin, painted metal. And that is how the present day Christmas
tree was born!
Decorating the tree is a special job that is shared by everyone
in the family. Nowadays glittering glass ornaments, electric
lights and shining tinsel have replaced the gilded fruits, pine
cones, sweets, apples and candles that were once used as decorations.
But the ceremony itself has changed little over the centuries.
Colourful and bright, topped with a star or radiant angel, the
Christmas tree, green and lush in the winter, is a symbol that
life is eternal. The presents below the tree are reminders of
the love, joy and close ties that are shared by families and
friends.
12:04:06 AM 
all
year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Ancient
people hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows in
the belief that it would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits
and illness. 
