From large oak trees to pagan symbols, the small, graceful pine tree became the most used symbol of the Child Jesus.
Photo: Arkadiusz Radek/ Unsplash
Newsroom (22/12/2024 19:55, Gaudium Press) Sapin, tannenbaum, árbol de Navidad, evergreen. Whatever you call it, the Christmas tree has never ceased to be one of the most attractive decorations at Christmas celebrations.
Green and crowded with pretty little lights, its vitality and variety delight and delight little ones, not only in age but also in heart. Wherever it is, it permeates the atmosphere with its characteristic smell of small branches burnt by lit candles.
Nowadays, due to its widespread use in North America, it is widely believed that this beautiful and traditional custom originated there. However, when we go back in time to a past full of stories, we come across its true origin, which is little known and older than it seems.
Origin of the Christmas tree
The barbarians invaded Central Europe in the 7th century.
More specifically, in the south of Saxony, the home of the Frisian people (between present-day Belgium and Weser). Their beliefs, all pagan, were deeply rooted and sometimes predated the Christian revelation itself.
One day, a Benedictine monk of Anglo-Saxon origin, touched by grace, felt the desire to evangelize these inhospitable regions. His name was Wilbur of York (634-709).
At the beginning of his mission (678-685), he settled where the inhabitants curiously worshipped the oak tree, a common practice in those forests. They said spirits, who kept the tree green during the winter, possessed the tree. These same deities promoted the return of spring and summer.
Fearful, the Frisians performed various rituals during December around the gigantic trees. This was done so they would not fail to perform their indispensable function.
St. Wilfrid faced a difficult obstacle when he wanted to disprove this deep-rooted pagan conviction; so, he set out to demonstrate to them the falsity of such an imagination.
Amid these religious practices, he gathered the barbarians to cut down one of those old oak trees. Blow by blow, a terrible storm erupted, leaving them all terrified.
The saint hurried the lumberjacks into action, and with a stagger, the gigantic tree fell to the ground!
A piercing silence overtook those present, and suddenly, a bolt of lightning smashed the oak to pieces, coinciding with it hitting the ground.
Seeing their myth fall to the ground, disappointment helped to convert those souls. However, something curious happened.
A few centimeters away from the charred tree, stood a pine tree, which had been unbelievably preserved intact amid such destruction.
Could this be a sign? It was December 25th.
St. Wilfrid saw in this a beautiful symbolism: God protects fragility and innocence!
In his evening sermon, he poetically linked the image of the little tree with the nativity of the Lord and, in this way, the pine tree became, from that day on, the most used symbol of the Child Jesus.
Promoting the use of the pine tree in the celebration of the Lord’s birth
A disciple of this holy missionary also had to face similar difficulties when evangelizing the future Germany: he was Saint Boniface (673-754).
In Geismar, in Hesse, a busy center for pagan rituals, people worshipped a large oak tree consecrated to the god Donar. Superstitious practices were carried out around it, especially during the winter, because people believed this god to be responsible for the terrible gales and storms that were very common during the solstice.
Once they had been converted, the Germans began to disassociate the pagan nature of the belief and related the figure of the tree to passages from Sacred Scripture, such as this one from the Prophet Isaiah: “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the beech and the boxwood, and the pine tree together, will serve to adorn the place of my sanctuary” (60:13).
Thus, the use of the pine tree in the commemoration of the Lord’s birth began to spread around Germany.
Other distant references allude to this custom: in 1539, decorated pine trees were used for the first time in the church and homes of Strasbourg, France, to celebrate Christmas festivities; in 1671, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth of Bavaria, wife of the Duke of Orléans, officially introduced this tradition throughout the country.
Finally, during the reign of George III (1760-1820), the custom arrived in England, spreading to North America and from there to the world.
Symbolism of pine tree decorations
But what is the significance of the countless spheres, sticks, cones, etc. that fill its branches?
Over the centuries, beautiful decorations have been added to the pine tree.
Its symbolism refers to the image of the second Adam, Christ our Savior (cf. I Cor 15:21-22; 45), who brought us back the fruit lost by our first father when he ate from the forbidden tree (cf. Gen 2:9; 3:6).
For this reason, these beautiful vestments represent the precious and superabundant fruits born from the Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Tree of Life.
By Sebástián Correa Veláques
Compiled by Dominic Joseph
