Origin of the New Year's tree. What kind of tree to buy for the New Year. Types of New Year's trees. Celeste - birthplace of the Christmas tree

The first written mention of spruce as a New Year's tree is found in the chronicle of the French province of Alsace for 1600. However, Germany is considered to be its homeland. There is a legend that the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve was started by the German reformer Martin Luther.

It was he, returning home before celebrating Christmas in 1513, who was fascinated and delighted by the beauty of the stars that strewn the vault of heaven so thickly that it seemed as if the crowns of the trees were sparkling with stars. At home, he put a Christmas tree on the table and decorated it with candles, and placed a star on the top in memory of the star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to the cave where Jesus was born.

Why was spruce chosen as the New Year's tree? Let us remember that our ancestors treated trees as living beings. In Rus', such a particularly revered, cult tree was the birch. Since ancient times, the green, fragrant forest beauty spruce was considered the tree of peace by the ancient Germans. They believed that the good “spirit of the forests” lived in its branches - the defender of justice and all living things. It is no coincidence that before military battles, warriors gathered for advice at the spruce tree, hoping to receive its protection. And also because this tree personified immortality, fidelity, fearlessness, dignity, the mystery of unfading, eternal youth. Over time, the custom arose to appease the good spirits that hibernate in the evergreen branches of the spruce tree by decorating its fluffy branches with gifts. This custom was born in Germany, and later the Dutch and English borrowed the rite of veneration of spruce.

It is also known that in the 16th century in Central Europe on Christmas night it was customary to place a small beech tree in the middle of the table, decorated with small apples, plums, pears and hazelnuts boiled in honey.

In the second half of the 17th century, it was already common in German and Swiss houses to complement the decoration of the Christmas meal not only with deciduous trees, but also with coniferous trees. The main thing is that it is toy size. At first, small Christmas trees were hung from the ceiling along with candies and apples, and only later the custom of decorating one large Christmas tree in the guest room was established.

The 18th century chose spruce as the queen of the New Year's holiday, first in Germany, and later in many European countries. In Russia, the spruce took the first step towards securing the status of a ritual New Year tree according to the European model after the decree of Peter I “On the Celebration of the New Year” was issued. It prescribed: “...On large and well-traveled streets, for noble people and at houses of special spiritual and secular rank, in front of the gates, make some decorations from trees and branches of pine and juniper... and for poor people, each at least a tree or branch for the gate or place it over your temple...”

The decree, however, did not talk specifically about the Christmas tree, but about coniferous trees in general. In addition, it specifically instructed to “decorate” the street landscape, rather than the interior decoration of houses. The Tsar's decree, of course, prompted the establishment of the European custom of putting up a Christmas tree in Rus', but after the death of Peter the decree was half-forgotten, and the tree became a common New Year's attribute only a century later.

The European tradition of putting up Christmas trees on Christmas Eve was first supported by St. Petersburg Germans, who made up at least a third of the population of the northern capital. This custom was eventually adopted by the St. Petersburg nobility. Gradually, the popularity of the Christmas tree spread to other sectors of society. The mass fashion for the Christmas tree broke out in the 40s of the 19th century. This fact was noted in 1841 by the newspaper “Northern Bee”: “It is becoming our custom to celebrate Christmas Eve... by decorating the cherished Christmas tree with sweets and toys.”

The growing popularity of the New Year tree was facilitated by the commerce organized around it by enterprising St. Petersburg confectioners, who not only arranged the sale of trees for big money, but also came up with an accompanying confectionery entourage - sweets and candles mounted on them.

At Gostiny Dvor, and later in the markets, Christmas tree markets were organized, “forest goods” were supplied to them by Russian peasants who saw their profit.

I. Shmelev colorfully described such a Christmas sale in his famous book “The Summer of the Lord”: “Before Christmas, three days before, there was a forest of fir trees in the markets and squares. And what Christmas trees! There is as much of this goodness as you want in Russia... There used to be a forest on Teatralnaya Square. They are standing in the snow. And the snow starts to fall - you’ve lost your way! Men, in sheepskin coats, like in the forest. People walk and choose. Dogs in Christmas trees are like wolves, really. The fires are burning, warm up... You'll stroll through the fir trees until nightfall. And the frost is getting stronger. The sky is in smoke - purple, on fire. There is frost on the Christmas trees..."

For the first time, the dressed green beauty publicly lit up with festive lights in 1852 in St. Petersburg in the premises of the Ekateringofsky (now Moscow) station. And by the end of the 19th century, the New Year tree was firmly established, first in provincial cities, and later in landowners’ estates.

Soon, the public among nature conservationists raised their voices in defense of the spruce trees in the face of its growing deforestation. Since the beginning of the 20th century, there has been a fashion for artificial spruce trees, which were then a whim and a sign of the special chic of wealthy people. This fact was reflected in his multi-volume work “Life of the Russian People” by A.V. Tereshchenko, mentioning the St. Petersburg rich man who ordered artificial Christmas tree 3.5 arshins high (about 2.5 meters). Its upper part was entwined with ribbons and expensive fabric, decorated with expensive toys and women's jewelry, and the lower part was decorated with a variety of fruits and sweets.

Gradually, the tree becomes the center of the entire New Year holiday. It is decorated in advance, gifts are hung on it, and round dances are performed around it.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the New Year tree, as a bourgeois and religious relic of the past, fell into disgrace and disappeared from the public life of our compatriots for eighteen long years. Her happy return can be dated back to 1935, when the Pravda newspaper published an article “Let's organize for the New Year for children nice Christmas tree" With the expulsion and oblivion of the forest green beauty over, the tradition of erecting a Christmas tree as a ritual New Year tree began to gain strength again in Soviet history.

Nowadays, they strive to deliver and install a decorated Christmas tree even in those regions where it must be brought specially, for example, on ships plowing the ocean beyond the equator.

New Year's kaleidoscope

Research by French sociologists has revealed that at the age of six all children believe in Santa Claus, by eight years only a quarter believe in Santa Claus, and among ten-year-olds there are practically no such children. This leads to a very important conclusion: make you happy in New Year kids, because faith in miracles is so short-lived.

In England, the custom of using spruce as a New Year's tree to decorate the streets was established in the mid-19th century, after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert arranged the first New Year's tree at Windsor Castle in 1840. These days, the country's main Christmas tree is installed in the very heart of London - in Trafalgar Square. Each year it is flown from the Norwegian capital Oslo as a sign of gratitude to the British for their assistance during World War II.

In France, the Christmas tree first appeared at the court of King Louis Philippe, who installed it at the request of his son’s wife, who was German by origin.

In 1877, Johannes Eckord from Germany invented the Christmas tree music box. The mechanism was wound up with a key, after which the tree began to slowly rotate to the rhythm of a waltz.

In the United States, a legend is still told that the first American president, George Washington, celebrated the New Year during the Revolutionary War with a Christmas tree brought from Germany by volunteer soldiers. The fourteenth President of the United States, Franklin Pierce, brought the tradition of a Christmas tree to the White House. And in 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree, which now takes place annually on the lawn in front of the White House.

Proud and independent Spaniards still call Christmas tree"German tree".

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the tallest Christmas tree was installed in December 1950 in Northgate mall Seattle (Washington State). Its height was 67.36 meters. The role of the Christmas tree was played by fir.

And the world's largest living Christmas tree was decorated by residents of the Italian city of Gubbio. Almost 15 kilometers electric garlands decorated a 65-meter spruce growing on the slope of Mount Ingino.

Spruce is a genus of coniferous evergreen trees of the pine family. In favorable conditions, it can reach 45 meters in height and 100 centimeters in trunk diameter. There are about 45 species of spruce. Among them are Finnish and Siberian, black and red, Japanese and Indian, Korean and Tien Shan, Canadian and Serbian.

Spruce trees differ in the nature of their growth, the type of branches, and the color of the coniferous cover. There are weeping, garland, serpentine, golden and silver, pyramidal and cypress spruce trees. Glen spruce, growing in the south of Sakhalin, the southern Kuril Islands and Japan, is protected by the state.

Spruce grows mainly in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the main forest-forming species. The wood is soft, used in construction, for the production of the best grades of paper, and musical instruments. Resin, turpentine, rosin, and tar are extracted from spruce; do rayon, leather, alcohol, plastics, etc. One cubic meter of spruce wood is approximately 600 suits and 4,000 pairs of viscose socks.

Celebrating the New Year is always associated with a Christmas tree. Many, without hesitation, will answer: “With a Christmas tree, bright, cheerful, in garlands and toys!”

The Christmas tree has become a symbol of the holiday, and this fabulous tradition of decorating a Christmas tree for the New Year has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

Why is the Christmas tree decorated for the New Year? Where did this custom come from?

History of the Christmas tree. In ancient times there was a tradition of simply decorating various trees. People believed that all trees were endowed with good power, that almighty spirits lived in them. Therefore, they coaxed these spirits with decorations in every possible way. And they were decorated mainly with apples, eggs and nuts.

Spruce has always taken first place among trees. It was considered the heavenly tree of immortality, symbolizing life itself. After all, spruce is an evergreen plant (which was difficult for our distant ancestors to comprehend), and if not like all trees, then it is magical! They believed that the spruce enjoyed special privileges from the Sun, because it allowed it to always be green.

In Ancient Greece, spruce was considered a sacred tree of hope, the eternal life of all living things. It is believed that the Trojan Horse was built from spruce.

The first decorated Christmas trees appeared in 1605 in Alsace, France. “At Christmas, Christmas trees are installed in houses, and roses made of colored paper, apples, cookies, sugar cubes and tinsel are hung on their branches” - this is information from the chronicle. This idea was quickly adopted by the Germans, and then by the whole of Europe. True, at first Christmas trees could only be seen in the houses of the richest nobles. For those who complain that holidays in our times are not cheap, and the prices for Christmas trees are “off the charts,” I note that in the 19th century you had to pay from 20-200 rubles for a Christmas tree with decorations. For 20 rubles in those days you could buy an excellent cow, and for 200 rubles beautiful house near St. Petersburg.

In Russia New Year's celebration began to be celebrated in 1700. The initiator of this was Peter I. He introduced a new calendar from the Nativity of Christ, as in all of Europe, and not from the creation of the world. Unfortunately, this tradition did not take root, and after the death of Peter, they forgot about celebrating the New Year. This amazing tradition was revived only during the reign of Catherine II. Decorating coniferous trees began only in the second half of the 19th century. And the first Christmas tree, decorated with candles, toys and garlands, was installed in St. Petersburg in 1852.

What did the ancient festive tree look like?

“At Christmas, Christmas trees are installed in houses, and roses made of colored paper, apples, cookies, sugar cubes and tinsel are hung on their branches.” This is how Hoffman described the magical Christmas tree in his fairy tale The Nutcracker.

This is the story of the Christmas tree. This is exactly how Christmas trees were decorated in those days. Painted eggshell, apples and nuts wrapped in colored paper, gilded threads, beads, salt dough figures, candles. Children love to make all these decorations even today. Despite the variety of Christmas tree decorations in stores. The first glass balls appeared in the mid-19th century. Therefore, generally recognized “vintage” Christmas tree toys are those produced before 1966. These are mainly balloons with Soviet symbols, airplanes, astronauts, corn cobs

Where is the best place to put a Christmas tree?

There is always a place for a forest beauty in our home. If the tree is large, it is advisable to place it on the floor; if the tree fits on the table, then it can be placed on the table, it will celebrate the holiday with you. But no one thinks of attaching a Christmas tree to the ceiling. It’s probably scary to destroy stereotypes... But 400 years ago, when the custom of bringing a Christmas tree home was just emerging, in Germany it was customary to attach it to the ceiling, and always with the top down. Unusual and uncomfortable.

Modern New Year Trees

Nowadays, Christmas trees are installed in all major city squares.

In Italy, a fluffy beauty is placed in Rome in St. Peter's Square. In London, Trafalgar Square is the very center of the city. In New York at Rockefeller Center. Here is an interesting location of the floating Christmas tree in Rio de Janeiro; it is installed on Lake Lagoa. The tallest Christmas tree in the world, 112 meters high, was installed in Mexico City on one of the central avenues in 2009. In the capital of the UAE in 2010, the Christmas tree was decorated with balls made of pure gold worth $12 million.

The fashion for Christmas trees and decorations has gained such momentum that famous designers are releasing entire collections of New Year's decorations.

The green beauty has firmly taken root in the hearts and homes of people. Every family tries to decorate their Christmas tree as refined and original as possible. It seems to me that the story of the New Year tree does not end here, it will still surprise us with something unusual!

I would like to end with a beautiful and kind legend about the Festive Tree.

“The holy solemn night descended to earth, bringing with it great joy to people. In Bethlehem, in a wretched cave, the Savior of the world was born. Listening to the songs of the angels, the shepherds praise and thank God; Following the guiding star, the Magi rush from the distant east to worship the Divine Child. And not only people, but also the trees overshadowing the cave, and the meadow flowers dappling around - everyone in their own way takes part in the great celebration. They sway joyfully, as if worshiping the Divine Infant, and in the jubilant rustle of leaves, in the whisper of grass, an expression of reverence for the miracle that has happened can be heard. Everyone wants to see the born Savior: trees and bushes stretch out their branches, flowers raise their heads, trying to look inside the cave, which has now turned into a sacred temple.

Happier than the others are the three trees standing at the very entrance to the cave: they can clearly see the manger and the Baby resting in it, surrounded by a host of angels. This is a slender palm tree, a beautiful fragrant olive and a modest green fir tree. The rustling of their branches becomes more and more joyful, more and more animated, and suddenly the words are clearly heard in it:

Let’s go and worship the Divine Child and offer Him our gifts,” said the palm tree, turning to the olive tree.

Take me with you too! – the modest Christmas tree said timidly.

Where are you going with us? “The palm tree answered proudly, looking at the tree with a contemptuous look.

And what gifts can you offer to the Divine Child,” added the olive tree, “what do you have?” Just prickly needles and nasty sticky resin!

The poor tree remained silent and humbly stepped back, not daring to enter the cave that shone with heavenly light.

But the angel heard the conversation of the trees, saw the pride of the palm and olive and the modesty of the fir tree; he felt sorry for her, and out of his angelic kindness he wanted to help her.

The magnificent palm tree bent over the Baby and laid down the best leaf of its luxurious crown in front of him.

“Let it bring coolness to You on a hot day,” she said, and the olive tree bent its branches. Fragrant oil dripped from them, and the whole cave was filled with fragrance.

The New Year tree looked at this with sadness, but without envy.

“They are right,” she thought, “how can I compare with them! I'm so poor. Insignificant one, am I worthy to approach the Divine Child?

But the angel said to her:

In your modesty you humiliate yourself, dear Christmas tree, but I will exalt you and decorate you better than your sisters!

And the angel looked up to heaven.

And the dark sky was dotted with sparkling stars. The angel made a sign, and one star after another began to roll down to the ground, right onto the green branches of the tree, and soon it all shone with brilliant lights. And when the Divine Child woke up, it was not the fragrance in the cave, not the luxurious fan of the palm tree that attracted his attention, but the shining tree. He looked at her and smiled at her and extended his arms to her.

The tree rejoiced, but did not become proud, and with its radiance tried to illuminate the ashamed ones standing in the shade of the olive and palm trees. She paid for evil with good.

And the angel saw this and said:

You are a good tree, a dear Christmas tree, and for this you will be rewarded. Every year at this time you, as now, will show off in the radiance of many lights, and children and adults will, looking at you, rejoice and have fun. And you, modest green tree, will become a sign of a merry Christmas holiday.”

Natalya Sarmaeva for Women's magazine"Lovely"

The custom of selecting a Christmas tree from all the trees and decorating it for the holiday was born among the inhabitants of Germany. The Germans believed that spruce was a sacred tree, in whose branches lived the good “spirit of the forests” - the defender of truth. Green at any time of the year, it personified immortality, eternal youth, courage, fidelity, longevity and dignity. Even its cones were a symbol of the fire of life and restoration of health. It was on the largest Christmas tree in the forest that every year, at the end of December (when the “sunny” year began), people “hung various gifts"for spirits, to make them kinder, to get a rich harvest. Ancient Europeans hung apples from green spruce branches - a symbol of fertility, eggs - a symbol of developing life, harmony and complete well-being, nuts - the incomprehensibility of divine providence. It was believed that spruce branches decorated in this way warded off evil spirits and evil spirits. They decorated the Christmas tree with toys.

And already from Germany this custom spread to other countries. Some scientists believe that the first Christmas tree was decorated in the 16th century in Alsace (which previously belonged to Germany, but is now part of France).

In our country, the fate of the Christmas tree was not easy. And before a decorated New Year tree began to appear in our homes, by order of Peter I, the home was simply decorated with Christmas tree branches. After the decree of Peter I “On the celebration of the New Year” according to the European model, our ancestors for the first time decorated their houses for the New Year with branches of pine, spruce and juniper according to the samples that were exhibited in the royal guest courtyard. The decree did not talk specifically about the Christmas tree, but about trees in general. At first they were decorated with nuts, sweets, fruits and even vegetables, and they began to decorate the Christmas tree with toys and garlands much later, from the middle of the 19th century. In the 30s of the 19th century, Christmas trees were put up for the holiday only in the houses of St. Petersburg Germans. The decorated spruce first lit up with lights in 1852 in St. Petersburg in the premises of the Ekaterininsky Station

The first public Christmas tree, according to contemporaries

Another version of the first Christmas tree. It is believed that the very first New Year tree was installed in Riga in 1510. Evidence of this is provided not only by documents found in the Riga archives, but also by the oldest Christmas tree decoration in the world. True, there is still debate about where exactly the first Christmas tree appeared - according to some sources, it was installed somewhere between Riga and Tallinn, according to others, it was in Tallinn. But in 2010, the prime ministers of Latvia and Estonia agreed that the first New Year's forest beauty was installed in Livonia. Unfortunately, very little is known about the first Riga Christmas tree. It is known that it was installed in front of the famous house of the Blackheads. She was dressed up with slings in black hats. But after the holiday the tree was burned.

The custom of decorating the New Year tree came to us from Germany. There is a legend that the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree was started by the German reformer Martin Luther. In 1513, returning home on Christmas Eve, Luther was fascinated and delighted by the beauty of the stars that strewn the sky so thickly that it seemed as if the crowns of the trees were sparkling with stars. At home, he put a Christmas tree on the table and decorated it with candles, and placed a star on top in memory of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to the cave where Jesus was born.

In the 18th-19th centuries, the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree spread not only throughout Germany, but also appeared in England, Austria, the Czech Republic, Holland, and Denmark. In America, New Year trees also appeared thanks to German emigrants. At first, Christmas trees were decorated with candles, fruits and sweets; later, toys made of wax, cotton wool, cardboard, and then glass became a custom.

In Russia, the tradition of decorating the New Year tree appeared thanks to Peter I. Peter, who in his youth was visiting his German friends for Christmas, was pleasantly surprised to see a strange tree: it looked like a spruce, but instead of pine cones there were apples and candies on it. The future king was amused by this. Having become king, Peter I issued a decree to celebrate the New Year, as in enlightened Europe.

It prescribed: “...On large and well-traveled streets, for noble people and at houses of special spiritual and secular rank, in front of the gates, make some decorations from trees and branches of pine and juniper...”.

After the death of Peter, the decree was half forgotten, and the Christmas tree became a common New Year’s attribute only a century later.

In 1817, Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich married the Prussian princess Charlotte, who was baptized in Orthodoxy under the name Alexandra. The princess convinced the court to accept the custom of decorating New Year's table bouquets of fir branches. In 1819, Nikolai Pavlovich, at the insistence of his wife, first put up a New Year's tree in the Anichkov Palace, and in 1852 in St. Petersburg, in the premises of the Ekaterininsky (now Moscow) station, a public Christmas tree was decorated for the first time.

A Christmas tree rush began in the cities: expensive Christmas tree decorations were ordered from Europe, and children's New Year's parties were held in rich houses.

The image of the Christmas tree fits well into the Christian religion. Christmas decorations, sweets and fruits symbolized the gifts brought to the little Christ. And the candles resembled the lighting of the monastery in which the Holy Family stayed. In addition, a decoration was always hung on the top of the tree, which symbolized the Star of Bethlehem, which rose with the birth of Jesus and showed the way to the Magi. As a result, the tree became a symbol of Christmas.

During the First World War, Emperor Nicholas II considered the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree to be “enemy” and categorically forbade it.

After the revolution the ban was lifted. The first public Christmas tree under Soviet rule was organized at the Mikhailovsky Artillery School on December 31, 1917 in St. Petersburg.

Since 1926, decorating a Christmas tree was already considered a crime: the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks called the custom of erecting the so-called Christmas tree anti-Soviet. In 1927, at the XV Party Congress, Stalin announced the weakening of anti-religious work among the population. An anti-religious campaign began. The 1929 party conference abolished the “Christian” Sunday: the country switched to a “six-day week”, and the celebration of Christmas was prohibited.

It is believed that the rehabilitation of the Christmas tree began with a small note in the Pravda newspaper, published on December 28, 1935. We were talking about the initiative to organize a nice Christmas tree for children for the New Year. The note was signed by the Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Postyshev. Stalin agreed.

In 1935, the first New Year's Eve was organized children's party with a dressed up forest beauty. And on New Year's Eve 1938, a huge 15-meter tree with 10 thousand decorations and toys was erected in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions, which has since become traditional and was later called the main tree of the country. Since 1976, the main Christmas tree began to be considered the Christmas tree in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (since 1992 - the State Kremlin Palace). Instead of Christmas, the tree began to be put up for the New Year and was called New Year's.

At first, Christmas trees were decorated in the old fashioned way with sweets and fruits. Then the toys began to reflect the era: pioneers with bugles, faces of Politburo members. During the war - pistols, paratroopers, paramedic dogs, Santa Claus with a machine gun. They were replaced by toy cars, airships with the inscription “USSR”, snowflakes with a hammer and sickle. Under Khrushchev, toy tractors, ears of corn, and hockey players appeared. Then - cosmonauts, satellites, characters from Russian fairy tales.

Nowadays, many styles of decorating the Christmas tree have appeared. The most traditional of them is decorating the Christmas tree. colorful toys made of glass, electric bulbs and tinsel. In the last century, natural trees began to be replaced by artificial ones, some of them very skillfully imitated living spruce trees and were decorated in the usual way, others were stylized and did not require decorations. A fashion arose for decorating New Year trees in a certain color - silver, gold, red, blue, and the minimalist style in Christmas tree decoration became firmly in fashion. Only garlands of multi-colored lights have remained an invariable attribute of Christmas tree decoration, but even here, light bulbs are already being replaced by LEDs.

It is difficult to imagine the most anticipated holiday of the year, loved by children and adults, without such a classic attribute as the New Year tree. The history of the tradition that commands us to decorate this tree for the holiday goes back centuries. When did people start decorating evergreen trees in Russia and other countries, what made them do it?

What does the Christmas tree symbolize?

Inhabitants ancient world sincerely believed in the magical powers that trees possessed. It was believed that spirits, evil and good, were hiding in their branches, which should be pacified. It is not surprising that trees became objects of various cults. they worshiped them, addressed prayers to them, asked for mercy and protection. So that the spirits would not remain indifferent, they were presented with treats (fruits, sweets), which were hung on the branches or laid out nearby.

Why were not the pines, eucalyptus, oaks and other species decorated, but the Christmas tree? The New Year's story contains many beautiful legends on this topic. The most truthful version is that the coniferous beauty was chosen due to its ability to remain green, no matter what time of year it came. This made the inhabitants of the ancient world consider it a symbol of immortality.

History of the Christmas Tree: Europe

The custom as the inhabitants know it modern world, developed in medieval Europe. There are different assumptions about when exactly the history of the New Year tree began. Initially, people limited themselves to small branches of pine or spruce that were hung in the house. However, gradually the branches were replaced by entire trees.

If you believe the legend, the history of the New Year tree is closely connected with the famous reformer from Germany. While walking in the evening on Christmas Eve, the theologian admired the beauty of the stars shining in the sky. Arriving home, he placed a small Christmas tree on the table and decorated it using candles. To decorate the top of the tree, Martin chose a star that symbolized the one that helped the wise men find the Baby Jesus.

Of course, this is just a legend. However, there are also official mentions of the Christmas tree, falling approximately on the same time period. For example, it was written about in French chronicles for the year 1600. The first New Year's trees were miniature in size; they were placed on tables or hung from walls and ceilings. However, in the 17th century, houses already had big Christmas trees. Deciduous trees, which were previously also used to decorate homes before the holidays, were completely forgotten.

Christmas trees in Russia: ancient times

It is believed that the first who tried to make this tree a symbol of the change of year was Peter the Great. In fact, even the ancient Slavic tribes treated coniferous vegetation with special trepidation; they already had a kind of “Christmas tree”. The story goes that our ancestors, in the depths of winter, held dances and sang songs near this tree. The goal for which all this was done was the awakening of the spring goddess Zhiva. She was required to interrupt the reign of Santa Claus and rid the earth of its icy shackles.

Christmas trees in Russia: Middle Ages

Peter the Great really tried to consolidate in our country such a wonderful custom as the New Year tree. The story tells that the emperor first saw the decorated tree in the house of German friends with whom he celebrated Christmas. The idea made a huge impression on him: a spruce tree decorated with candies and fruits instead of ordinary cones. Peter the Great ordered the meeting in accordance with German traditions. However, his heirs forgot about this decree for many years.

In this case, the question arises: where did the New Year tree come from in Russia? This would not have happened for a long time if Catherine the Second had not ordered to put up trees during the holidays. Nevertheless conifers were not decorated until the mid-19th century. It was then that the Germans, who missed this cheerful tradition in Russia, installed the first decorated Christmas tree in St. Petersburg.

Unfortunately, I made a sweetheart for almost two decades family tradition illegal. The Soviet government declared the decoration of coniferous trees a “bourgeois whim.” In addition, at this time there was an active struggle with the church, and the spruce was considered one of the Christmas symbols. However, many inhabitants of Russia at that time did not abandon this beautiful custom. It got to the point that the tree began to be installed secretly by the rebels.

What events does the history of the New Year tree in Russia consist of? Briefly speaking, already in 1935 the tradition became legal again. This happened thanks to Pavel Postyshev, who “allowed” the holiday. However, people were categorically forbidden to call the trees “Christmas”, only “New Year’s”. But the first day of January was returned to its status as a day off.

First Christmas trees for children

A year after the forest beauty returned to the homes of people celebrating main holiday year, a large-scale celebration was organized, held in the House of Unions. This officially began the history of the New Year tree in Russia for children, for whom this celebration was organized. Since then, similar events have traditionally been held in children's institutions with the obligatory distribution of gifts and the calling of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden.

Kremlin Christmas tree

Kremlin Square has been one of the favorite places to celebrate the New Year for Moscow residents for many years. All other Russians do not forget to turn on the TV to admire the majestic Christmas tree, decorated in honor of the arrival of the New Year. The first installation of a coniferous tree, symbolizing eternal life, on Kremlin Square took place back in 1954.

Where did the tinsel come from?

Having understood the history of the appearance of the main thing, one cannot help but become interested in its decorations. For example, such a wonderful tradition as the use of tinsel also came to us from Germany, where it appeared in the 17th century. In those days, it was made from real silver, which was cut thinly, becoming a silvery “rain”, thanks to which the Christmas tree shone. The history of the appearance of modern products made of foil and polyvinyl chloride in Russia is not precisely known.

It’s interesting what’s connected with Christmas tinsel beautiful legend. In ancient times, there lived a woman who was the mother of many children. The family was chronically short of money, so the woman was unable to properly dress up new year symbol, the tree was left practically without decorations. When the family fell asleep, the spiders created a web on the tree. The gods, to reward the mother for her kindness to others, allowed the web to become shining silver.

Back in the middle of the last century, tinsel was only silver. Currently, you can purchase this decoration in almost any color. The characteristics of the materials used for manufacturing make the products extremely durable.

A few words about lighting

As already mentioned, it was customary not only to decorate coniferous trees brought into the house for the New Year, but also to illuminate them. For a long time, only candles were used for these purposes, which were securely attached to the branches. The debate about who exactly came up with the idea of using garlands is still not over. What does history say about how the New Year tree with modern lighting appeared?

The most common theory says that the idea of lighting the evergreen beauty with electricity was first expressed by the American Johnson. This proposal was successfully implemented by his compatriot Maurice, an engineer by profession. It was he who first created a garland, assembling this convenient structure from a large number of small light bulbs. Humanity first saw a holiday tree illuminated in this way in Washington.

The evolution of Christmas tree decorations

It’s hard to imagine a modern New Year tree without garland and tinsel. However, it is even more difficult to refuse elegant toys that easily create a festive atmosphere. It's interesting that the first Christmas decorations in Russia they were edible. To decorate the symbol of the New Year, dough figures wrapped in foil were created. The foil could be golden, silver, painted in bright colors. Fruits and nuts were also hung on the branches. Gradually, other available materials began to be used to create decor.

Some time later, glass products, mainly produced in Germany, began to be imported into the country. But local glassblowers quickly mastered the manufacturing technology, as a result of which bright toys began to be created in Russia. In addition to glass, materials such as cotton wool and cardboard were actively used. The first ones were distinguished by their significant weight; by the beginning of the 20th century, craftsmen began to produce thin glass.

Around the beginning of the 70s, people had to forget about unique jewelry designs. “Balls”, “icicles”, “bells” were stamped on conveyors by factories that used the same technologies. Interesting specimens came across less and less often; the same toys hung in different houses. Fortunately, these days, finding truly original Christmas tree decorations is no longer a difficult task.

A few words about the star

Decorating a tree for the holiday is fun with your child, who will love the story of where the Christmas tree came from. The story of its appearance in Russia will become even more interesting for children if you don’t forget to tell them about the star. In the USSR, it was decided to abandon the classical one that showed the way to the baby Jesus. Its alternative was a red ruby item, reminiscent of those placed on the Kremlin towers. Sometimes such stars were produced along with light bulbs.

Interestingly, there is no analogue of the Soviet star in the whole world. Of course, modern products for decoration Christmas tree top look much more attractive and interesting.

This is a brief summary of the life of the New Year tree, the history of its appearance in Russia as a classic attribute of the holiday.