The Christmas Tree

 

Sometimes it is alleged that the Christmas tree is of pagan origin, having been used within German paganism. The problem with this theory is that the use of an evergreen tree is a global Christian tradition that was first practised in the East!

Almost everywhere among Christian peoples the real feast, as the feast of the birth of the divine Child, is considered by preference as a feast for children, for whom it has become customary to put up a fir-tree, decorated with various toys and sweets and in the evening shining with lit candles attached to its branches. It is recognized that this custom passed to us from Germany where it existed from ancient times. Branches of a fir-tree can serve as an instructive paradigm that our nature in itself, as a lifeless and a barren branch, that it is only in Christ Jesus, the Source of life, light and joy, can be chilled and bear spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23).


According to the opinion of others, the fir-tree serves as a symbol of the tree of life, returned to us with the birth of Christ the Savior; being decorated with lit candles, it serves as a symbol of the spiritual light, enlightening the world with the coming of Christ, and, by the hanging fruits, it serves as a symbol of the endless kingdom of grace and of its saving fruits, revealed with the birth of the Savior.


It is quite natural, that in grayhaired antiquity the fir-tree was made an accessory of some kind of pagan festival, but subsequently all the pagan spirit in the custom has disappeared and gave up its place to other ideas and feelings. In Germany during the past time all members of the family, peacefully and ritually gathered around the fir-tree, enjoyed reading stories about the birth of Christ, sang appropriate festal hymns and songs. It was then considered obligatory to distribute gifts to the children, maids and the poor. The doors of every home were hospitably opened for the hungry and needy. Grades and ranks were forgotten at this time. All this, certainly, is fully appropriate for the feast of Christ. And in general it does not present anything prejudicial in putting up a fir-tree for children, if this entertainment is so arranged that it has a moral-educational value for them, if their teachers manage to lead their idea from contemplation of the decorated fir-tree to the Bearer of all blessings, to the born Christ, and to stimulate in their hearts the feeling of awesomeness and gratitude of unspeakable benefactions for the human family by Him, if fir-tree gifts laying around them serve as an encouragement for them to good behavior, and if it will stimulate in them the feeling of compassion for the needy and their needs to help them and to share the received gifts, etc. Unfortunately, other teachers are far from all this. Still more sorrowful that frequently the children's feast of the fir-tree turns to debauchery for adults. 

 

The Byzantine Origins of the Christmas Tree

 

The idea behind the Christmas tree and its decoration, does not have Northwest European roots, as many believe. In fact there was a similar ancient custom that began with the Greeks and adopted by the Romans of the East. Evidence suggests that this is the origin of the custom of the Christmas tree as we know it today.


While today we know a Christmas tree to be usually an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine or fir, in ancient Greece it was something called "Eiresioni" (είρος = wool). Eiresioni was an olive branch or laurel decorated with garlands of red and white wool as well as early winter fruits (figs, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, grains, etc. besides apples and pears). This was done as an expression of thanksgiving for the harvest and fertility of the past year and so that it would continue into the next. Usually they were dedicated to a pagan god such as Apollo, Athena, or the Horae (Eunomia, Diké, and Eirene).


Homer mentions the ancient Greek custom of Eiresioni, which he associated with caroling children. In Samos he put together several songs which a group of children would sing in the homes of the wealthy wishing them continued wealth, joy and peace. This was celebrated twice a year, once in spring in order for the people to request from the gods, especially from Apollo, sun and the seasons to protect the seed, and once in autumn, to thank the gods for the good harvesting of their fruits. Along with their thanks to the gods, they gave good wishes to their fellow brethren also.


During the period of September 22 - October 20 children would go from house to house, holding the Eirosioni, singing carols and receiving gifts from those pleased by their performance. Many of the children would bring home the laurel and olive twigs and hang them on their doors where they stayed the whole year (something which some Greeks still do to this day). The Eirosioni of the previous year would be taken down and burned. The entrance to the Temple of Apollo also had Eirosioni.


This is a traditional Eiresioni carol from the Homeric period:


To this house we came of the rich-landlord
May its doors open for the wealth to roll in
That wealth and happiness and desired peace should enter
And may its clay jugs fill with honey, wine and oil
And the kneading tub with rising dough.

The Christmas Tree in Byzantium


The ancient custom of Eirosioni was not forbidden in Byzantium, but it was Christianized to be a way to thank God for all the goods He provided. In fact, this custom was usually encouraged, as the ruler of each local city would order the local streets be cleaned and decorated at certain intervals with poles of rosemary, myrtle branches and blossoms of the season.1


The custom of decorating a pole with rosemary still survives in the memory of the Greek people, when they sing one of the most popular carols for the New Year: Αρχιμηνιά κι αρχιχρονιά ψηλή μου δενδρολιβανιά (Beginning of the Month and Beginning of the Year oh my dear tall Rosemary).


It is believed that the custom of Eirosioni together with the later custom of decorating the streets with poles of rosemary traveled to Northwest Europe, though there they adorned the trees and branches that were local to them, which are the evergreens we know today.


This transfer of customs may have been done by the Royal Cavalcade Battalion, who were the palace guards of Byzantium. Among others they played a ritual role in official imperial ceremonies - including that of Christmas. They were divided into three companies - the Small, the Medium and the Great Company. The Small Company consisted of those who were of another religion (e.g. Pagans, Muslims, etc.), the Medium Company consisted of the heterodox and foreign Christians (e.g. Scandinavians, Germans, Russians, British, etc.), and the Great Company consisted of Orthodox Christian Romans. Perhaps it was the foreigners among them who brought these Roman customs of Byzantium to their respective countries.

Other Customs 

Though the ancient Greek custom of Eirosioni and the Roman/Byzantine custom of the pole of rosemary may have transferred to places in Europe that later became associated with what we know as Christmas trees, wreaths, caroling and gift-giving, there are other customs that may have their origins in Byzantium as well.


For example, the Romans of Byzantium on the day of Christmas would make a small cave and place in there an image of Jesus, which was an early form of a manger scene.2 Also, the Roman children in the 12th century are said to have gone door to door caroling for the New Year in January, as well as on Christmas and on Epiphany day.


There may be indications as well that the tradition of Santa Claus, associated with Saint Nicholas in the West, may have actually originally been Saint Basil the Great (Agios Vasilis), whom Greeks today still celebrate on January 1st and for children is associated with going from house to house distributing gifts. This is why among Greeks today the exchange of gifts is usually reserved for January 1st.


Nowadays, Greek children sing the Carols (Kalanda)3 during the morning of the eve of Christmas, New Years and Epiphany, by visiting the houses as early as 5:00 o’clock in the morning. Whereas in the past the children were holding a small effigy of a ship when they were caroling, now they usually are holding a small steel triangle, which they are beating rhythmically so those singing carols will keep the pace. During the ancient Greek feast of “Anthestiria”, the arrival of the god Dionysius was portrayed by an effigy of a small ship, and so it possibly could have come to signify the arrival of Jesus. In the not so distant past, during the times of great poverty, since money was scarce, the most common gift to the children were "Kolintra", that is small loaves of wheat or barley.In modern Greece the custom of the western Christmas tree was introduced by the Bavarians who decorated the palace of King Otto in 1833. After the Second World War the tree with colorful balls became fashionable in all Greek homes.


1. Phaedon Koukoules, assistant professor University of Athens, Byzantine Life and Civilization (Βυζαντινών Βίος και Πολιτισμός), p. 152.


2. Ibid. p. 151.


3. Carol: Derived from the Latin choraules, which is derived from the Greek choraules, “a flute player who accompanied the choral dance.”

Several years ago during the Christmas season, a religious program on television caught my attention. The program featured a discussion on the dangers of cults, especially to young people. I found myself agreeing with the panelists as they warned young people about the hazards of involvement in occult or “new age” spirituality.

During the interview, however, one participant made a statement that shocked me. “…and the Christmas tree is pagan too…,” he asserted. The Christmas Tree? Pagan? Could it be that something most of us enjoy so much might be actually pagan in origin? Despite its growing commercialization, the Christmas tree is still associated with the fondest memories of our early childhood. Who does not remember approaching the tree on Christmas morning? Today people are so captivated by it that some even put it up in November! It finds a place in the homes of believers and unbelievers alike.

Most people are aware that the Christmas tree came to America with immigrants from Germany, but just where did the Christmas tree originate? Are its origins to be found in paganism, as the speaker suggested?

The Christmas tree does not date from early Germanic times. Its origins are to be found in a tradition that has virtually disappeared from Christianity, the Liturgical Drama. In the Middle Ages liturgical plays or dramas were presented during or sometimes immediately after the services in the churches of Western Europe. The earliest of these plays were associated with the Mysteries of Holy Week and Easter. Initially they were dramatizations of the liturgical texts. The earliest recorded is the Quem quaeritis (“Whom do you seek?”) play of the Easter season. These plays later developed into the Miracle and Morality plays. Some were associated with events in the lives of well-known saints. The plays were presented on the porches of large churches. Although these liturgical dramas have now virtually disappeared, the Passion Play of Oberammergau, Germany is a recent revival of this dramatic form.

One mystery play was presented on Christmas Eve, the day which also commemorated the feast of Adam and Eve in the Western Church. The “Paradise Play” told the well-known story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Paradise. The central “prop” in the play was the Paradise Tree, or Tree of Knowledge. During the play this tree was brought in laden with apples.

The Paradise Tree became very popular with the German people. They soon began the practice of setting up a fir tree in their homes. Originally, the trees were decorated with bread wafers commemorating the Eucharist. Later, these were replaced with various kinds of sweets. Our Christmas tree is derived, not from the pagan yule tree, but from the paradise tree adorned with apples on December 24 in honor of Adam and Eve. The Christmas tree is completely biblical in origin.

The first Christmas tree dates from 1605 in Strasbourg. By the 1700s the custom of the Christmas tree was widespread among the German people. It was brought to America by early German immigrants, and it became popular in England through the influence of Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria.

The use of evergreens at Christmas may date from St. Boniface of the eighth century, who dedicated the fir tree to the Holy Child in order to replace the sacred oak tree of Odin; but the Christmas tree as we know it today does not appear to be so ancient a custom. It appears first in the Christian Mystery play commemorating the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

How legitimate is it to use a fir tree in the celebration of Christmas? From the very earliest days of the Church, Christians brought many things of God’s material creation into their life of faith and worship, e.g., water, bread, wine, oil, candles and incense. All these things are part of God’s creation. They are part of the world that Christ came to save. Man cannot reject the material creation without rejecting his own humanity. In Genesis man was given dominion over the material world.

Christmas celebrates the great mystery of the Incarnation. In that mystery God the Word became man. In order to redeem us, God became one of us. He became part of His own creation. The Incarnation affirms the importance of both man and the whole of creation. “For God so loved the world…”

The Orthodox Christian Origins of the Christmas Tree

It is usually said that the custom of the Christmas tree is foreign and western. But a manuscript of the British Museum (Add. 17265 of the 13th cent.) informs us that in 512 the Emperor Anastasios I built a church at the Monastery of Saint Gabriel in Tur Abdin in northern Syria, and among other dedications he offered


"...two large brass trees which stood on both sides of the Beautiful Gate of the sanctuary. On the leaves of the trees there was a place for lights to flicker. Each tree had one hundred and eighty lamps and fifty silver chains from top to bottom. On these hung small objects of gold, silver or copper, as well as red eggs, kraters, animals, birds, crosses, wreaths, bells, carved grape bunches, discs..."


Paul the Silentiary (c. 563) in his Ekphrasis of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and Ekphrasis from the Ambon of Hagia Sophia, describes in detail the lights of the icon screen and the pulpit of the Great Church. On the architrave of the icon screen there were metal cone shaped trees, like a pine tree or a cypress of tender foliage, where instead of fruits they had conical shaped lights, and it even records that illuminated crafted trees (tree-like chandeliers) were throughout the church.*


"There is also on the silver columns, above their capitals, a narrow path of access for the lamplighters, a path full of light, glittering with bright clusters; these one might compare to the mountain-reared pine tree or to the cypress of tender foliage. Pointed at the summit, they are ringed by circles that gradually widen down to the lowest curve that surrounds the base of the trunk; and upon them have grown fiery flowers. Instead of a root, bows of silver have been affixed beneath these trees of flaming vegetation. And in the center of this beauteous grove, the form of the divine cross, studded with bright nails, blazes with light for mortal eyes...Countless other lights, hanging on twisted chains, does the church of ever-changing aspect contain within itself; some illumine the aisles, others the center or the east and west, others shed their bright flame at the summit. Thus the bright night smiles like the day and appears herself to be rosy-ankled."


The tree in Christian theology and worship refers to the tree of Paradise (Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) and mosaic trees are in the early Christian basilica of Saint Demetrios in Nicopolis in Epirus and elsewhere. Even in the catacombs Christ is symbolized as the "Tree of Life", the phoenix is a symbol of immortality, the olive tree is a symbol of the Old and New Testaments, etc.


In the first four centuries of Christianity, Christmas was celebrated on January 6th together with the feast of Theophany, and in many parts of mainland Greece they set two trees in the middle of churches decorated with oranges (Ionian Islands, Litochoro, etc.).


The two bronze candelabra are still placed in our churches on both sides of the Beautiful Gate, and often they resemble trees (such as the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Church of Saint Eleutherios in our city), and they refer to those festive trees.


The above mentioned is documented in the study of the late professor of Byzantine Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Constantine Kalokyris, titled Sacred Trees and the Eastern Origin of the Christmas Tree. Here he reveals that the custom of the Christmas tree is not foreign or western european, but Byzantine and Orthodox!


We must certainly consider the decorated boats as only traditionally Greek, because on the Greek islands, before they were liberated in 1821, there were no trees they were able to cut and decorate in their churches or homes, while the copy of a ship or a caique was a common object.


As your bishop, I advise you, however, to not overdo the decorations in our province and not exceed the boundaries of exaggeration and provocation. When Justinian was building Hagia Sophia, he intended to invest the sanctuary of the Temple with golden plates. But the Patriarch prevented him saying: "Emperor, if even one man is wandering in Constantinople without clothes, God will not rest in a gold sanctuary." And Justinian obeyed and invested the sanctuary of the Temple with silver plates.



* Hagia Sophia was first dedicated on Christmas Day of 537. (trans. note)

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