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* About the decoration of the Christmas tree and the magic of the arrival of Santa there are legends, traditions and fashions in all cultures of the world. The rituals related to Christmas celebrations, in which the Christmas tree has an important place, differ, however, from one area to another, depending on the traditions passed down from generation to generation. In millions of homes around the world, the Christmas tree is at the center of the holidays and is associated with joy, love, harmony and family values.
On Christmas Eve the Christmas tree is decorated, a custom that most likely came from the Germanic peoples and has entered the Christian tradition. At the top there is a star, a symbol of the star that appeared in Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus, or an angel, a symbol of the hospitality of home and family, and under the Christmas tree, gifts.
Fir, sacred symbol of life
The tree is considered a sacred tree because its crown goes to the heights of the divine sky, and its branches remain permanently green, reminiscent of eternal life, explains Professor Constantin Milica for the Lumina newspaper. The custom of using the Christmas tree was taken from the ancient Romans, who adorned their homes with laurel and green fir garlands, or with fir branches during the festivities, from mid-December to January 1, when the Saturnalia in his honor. Saturn, the god of agriculture.
Until the 12th century, Christmas trees were not decorated. The locals hung them upside down from the ceiling, as a symbol of Christianity. Then followed a long period in which fir twigs were used to decorate houses, and it was not until two centuries later that practicing Christians began decorating fir trees.
The Scandinavian Vikings considered the evergreen fir a symbol of the sun god Balder, and the Druids of northern Europe decorated their temples with fir branches adorned with mistletoe during winter rituals. In the 12th century it was customary for Christmas trees to be hung from the ceiling point down,
The first Christmas tree in medieval Lithuania
Around 1500, people began to see on the Christmas tree a symbol of the Paradise tree and hung on it red apples, a symbol of original sin, and placed a candle on the Light of the World.
It is said that the first Christmas tree was decorated in 1510, in Lithuania, in Riga. From Germany comes the tradition of bringing the Christmas tree home and decorating its branches with candles. Also from Germany comes the tradition of Christmas fairs, which emerged in the mid-16th century, where figurines of baked dough and colored paper garlands were sold to hang on the tree as decorative objects.
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