Christmas is among the fascinating worldwide. Christians uphold with all dignity and pleasure they deserve as they celebrate. There are arrays of decorations and attires that accompany this celebration. The ornaments have a long history that can be traced and narrated from generation to generation. Every activity during Christmas, attires that are worn, and the ornaments that are used for decoration have a certain interesting history. The following article will explore the history of Christmas tree ornaments.
During Christmas, the devoted German Christians decorated their homes with trees which can be traced as the origin of the Christmas tree ornaments. Some went further to building pyramids made of wood and decorated them with evergreen and in case of woods scarcity, they used candles. Martin Luther a well renowned protestant reformer, was the first to add a lighted candle to the Christmas trees. He was inspired by the twinkling stars amidst evergreen and hence erected a tree in his home and wired its branches with lighted candles. Lighted candles became the first ornament to be added to a Christmas tree. Most countries had not adapted the Christmas tree custom during Christmas such as the USA who saw the act as odd and outdated. However, Christmas ornaments started spreading to the US by the 1890s. Most European countries adopted the act of using Christmas tree ornaments. Americans used big trees which were from floor to ceiling tall while other countries only use four feet height Christmas trees.
In the early 20th century, most Americans adopted the act of decorating their Christmas tree using some homemade ornaments. The German who was in America on the other hand used apple, nuts, and marzipan cookies to decorate their Christmas trees. Later on, brightly dyed popcorns which were interlaced with berries and nuts were adopted as ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree.
In Canada, the Christmas tree was introduced by Germans who migrated from the United States. They introduced most of the decorations associated with Christmas. Most Canadians adopted the act and made it a custom. However, the tradition was catalyzed when Prince Albert installed a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle. Mexicans use a decorated Christmas tree during their most adored festival Nacimiento. According to them, a natural pine tree is a representation of luxury and hence they set it up somewhere in their homes. In Great Britain, a Christmas tree (Norway spruce) was decorated and install in the homes during Christmas festivals. Brazilians use little pieces of cotton to represent the fall of snow to decorate the Christmas tree during the festivals. During Christmas festivals, Ireland citizens will use colored lights, tinsel, and baubles as Christmas tree ornaments. Some individuals will use stars while others use an angel on the top of the tree. Similarly, in Sweden, they used sunbursts, stars, colorful wooden animals, straw centerpieces, and snowflakes to decorate the Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree ornaments have evolved all through differently from country to country. In modern days, people use different ornaments made from different materials, styles, and designs to decorate their Christmas tree. Through creativity and technological advancement, an individual can make an array of ornaments from art for the Christmas tree.