The Christmas Tree: The Symbols Of The Christmas Tree

Christmas is filled with traditions, from gifts wrapped under the tree to mistletoe hung in doorways; there is a story behind most of our Christmas traditions. For centuries the Christmas tree has become eponymous as symbol of Christmas throughout the world. In the majority of households that display a Christmas tree each year the majority will be displayed upright, as it would be found in nature. But have you ever considered displaying your Christmas tree upside down? According to the history books there was a time when this was how a Christmas tree would be displayed. In our time, some might consider this strange idea as sacrilegious. In actuality, that could not be further from the truth as at one time it was considered a symbol of

Boniface. In the 7th century St. Boniface travelled to Thuringia, Germany to preach the Gospel. Prior to Christmas, St. Boniface came upon a group of pagans intent on performing a sacrifice at the foot of a large oak tree. The worship of trees was common among pagans at that time. This sacrificial rite angered the missionary and he attempted to dissuade them from committing the act. During this altercation, St. Boniface is said to have cut down an oak tree that was intended to be used in a sacrifice to the god, Odin. According to legend, the pagans, in awe of the swift destruction of the oak, then asked him what they should do instead to celebrate Christmas. Noting a small fir tree amongst the debris of the fallen oak, St. Boniface asked each of them to take a fir tree home with them. He turned a fir tree upside down and used its triangular shape to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The newly-converted pagans began to refer to the fir tree as “God’s Tree”. By the 12th century the tradition of hanging a fire tree upside down in homes throughout the Christmas season was practiced throughout Central Europe, from Krakow to the Carpathian Highlands, and was seen as a symbol of Christianity. These trees were decorated with flowers, usually red in color, and fruit to symbolize