Christmas trees and wreaths have roots in Roman times

by Ron Dieter, Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Gardens

December 20, 1999

About now most everyone who wants a tree or a wreath in the home for the holidays has the job done. These decorations are traditions that have evolved over the centuries to become important parts of our celebrations.

In Roman times, the wreath was used as a symbol of victory. Roman heroes and athletes were often depicted with wreaths of gilded leaves about their heads. Wreaths made of greens were used during holidays to symbolize the power of life overcoming the forces of winter.

This tradition made its way to the pre-Christian German people who used evergreen wreaths and fires as signs of faith and hope in the coming of spring. Later, as Christianity spread throughout Europe, wreaths became important religious symbols. The unending circle of the wreath symbolized God without beginning or end. The evergreens symbolized mankind's immortality. Green is the color used by Christians to symbolize hope and new life.

By the sixteenth century, German Christians refined the symbolism by creating the Advent wreath. The circle of evergreens was decorated with four candles, three purple and one rose. Sometimes a white candle was placed in the center, representing Christ. The purple candles represent penance, sorrow, and anticipation, and were lit during the first, second and fourth weeks of Advent. The rose colored candle, lit in the third week, the halfway point of Advent, stood for the hope and joy to come on Christmas Day.

Each day during the Advent season the candles were lit, perhaps before the evening meal- one candle the first week, and then another each week until Christmas. A short prayer would accompany the lighting of the candles. . The white candle, of course, was lit on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of the Savior.

Today the tradition of the Advent wreath is still important to many Christians. With the increasing secular pressures on the family, the Advent wreath affords a chance to stop and consider what Christmas is really all about.

The traditional Christmas tree has its roots in Roman history as well. Romans decorated trees with small metal ornaments during Saturnalia, a winter festival to honor Saturnus, the god of agriculture.

In the middle ages, German Christians decorated an evergreen, the Paradise tree, with apples as a symbol of the feast of Adam and Eve, held on December 24th. The tree was the scenery used in a popular religious play which told the story of Adam and Eve, and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The play ended with the prophecy of a coming Savior, and so was often presented during Advent. The Paradise Tree became a popular symbol and was often set up in churches, and eventually in private homes as well. Later it became a symbol of the Savior.

German and English immigrants brought the Christmas tree to America in the early 1800s. German glassblowers produced lightweight glass ornaments to replace heavier, natural decorations. Lights and decorations became symbols of the joy and light of Christmas. The star that topped the tree symbolized the star in the east.

Americans have embraced the tree as a holiday favorite, making it a part of national traditions. Thomas Edison's assistants came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees. Franklin Pierce, the 14th President, brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White House. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Today the Christmas tree, like Christmas itself, has lost much of its meaning. Tree ornaments depicting cartoon characters and sports figures abound. The Advent wreath, on the other hand, has remained a treasured symbol for Christians celebrating the birth of the Savior.