NotEinstein
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The date for Christmas came about because of its proximity to the winter solstice. The winter solstice was celebrated for hundreds of years before Christianity by pagans. When Christianity began to spread, early missionaries and popes used already existing holidays so the new religion would not disrupt the lives and traditions of the existing culture. Too much change too quickly could turn people against Christianity. In the winter, when most other plant life was losing its leaves or dying, only the evergreen trees remained strong. For this, evergreen trees were celebrated as a source of life in the winter months. Some pagan people hung fruits from the evergreen trees to ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming year. Candles were also lighted in asking for the light and warmth of the sun to return in due time.
The evergreen tree celebration continued unchanged for many centuries during Christmas. In the German city of Geismar, the evergreen tree became the symbol of St. Boniface. It is said that without St. Boniface, the tradition of the evergreen tree may have died out. Martin Luther, the founder of the protestant sects of Christianity, noted the celebration of the evergreen tree and advocated its use among Protestants to replace the Catholic nativity scene. Martin Luther proclaimed the tree was a symbol of the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden. By 1570, people began to decorate their Christmas trees with a variety of objects including fresh and dried fruits, nuts, hard-baked breads, and paper flowers. During the 18th and 19th century in England, fruits were slowly replaced by glass bulbs and globes, starting the tradition of adorning the tree with the type of ornaments we still use today.
 Posted 5371 day ago
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