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<HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="Mozilla/4.04 [en] (Win95; U) [Netscape]"> <TITLE>Sam Giammalvo's Auto Sales - Christmas Tree history</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY TEXT="#008000" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" LINK="#FF0000" VLINK="#FF0080" ALINK="#00FF00"> <CENTER> <H1> <IMG SRC="sledboy2.gif" HEIGHT=100 WIDTH=100></H1></CENTER> <CENTER> <H1> CHRISTMAS TREE HISTORY</H1></CENTER> <TABLE> <TR> <TD WIDTH="50%">The Christmas tree has gone through a long process of development rich in many legends all over the world, says David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture, with the Springfield Extension Center. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions. <P>The Egyptians treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrived, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death. <P>The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a festival called "Saturnalia" in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life. <CENTER><IMG SRC="wreath.gif" ALT="wreath" HSPACE=10 VSPACE=10 BORDER=0 HEIGHT=150 WIDTH=124></CENTER> <P>Centuries ago in Great Britain, priests of the forest called "Druids" used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits. <P>Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their home <P>or just outside their doors to show their hope for the forthcoming spring. <P>The tradition of <I>decorating </I>trees to celebrate Christmas began with Martin Luther on Christmas Eve around the year 1500. He was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lit in honor of Christ's birth.</TD> <TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="50%">According to American legend, a celebration around a Christmas tree on a bitter cold Christmas Eve in Trenton, New Jersey, during the American Revolution changed the odds for Colonial forces in 1776. Hessian mercenaries were so reminded of home by a candlelit evergreen tree that they abandoned their guard posts to eat, drink and be merry. Washington attacked that night and defeated them. <P>Unfortunately the custom spread slowly. The Puritans banned Christmas in New England. Even as late as 1851, a Cleveland minister nearly lost his job because he allowed a tree in his church. Schools in Boston stayed open on Christmas Day through 1870, and sometimes expelled students who stayed home. <P>The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox-driven sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal. <P>Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression. Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape then wild ones. <P>Six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce. <P>Trees and branches can be made purposeful as well as symbolic. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. The fact that balsam fir twigs resemble crosses had an influence on its early Christmas </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <CENTER><A HREF="holidays.html">Back to Holiday Page</A></CENTER> </BODY> </HTML>