Christmas decorations have been around for centuries and are a tradition for many families around the world. Christmas decorations date back as far as 2,500 years ago in ancient Rome in a celebration called Saturnalia.
Saturnalia was a festival that was held in mid-December that celebrated and honored their agricultural sun God. Similar to Christmas, the citizens would decorate trees, light candles, have feasts, and give presents to each other. This tradition was then passed down to future generations which is why it is a tradition today.
One of the most famous Christmas decorations is the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was traditionally decorated with natural decorations like pine cones, berries, and nuts. Decorations like candles and ornaments were later introduced when Germans came to America and introduced many of their traditions, like popcorn on a string and paper stringers. In an article from Weston Nurseries it says, “In the 1800s, German immigrants brought the tradition to America, who made their own interpretations. Early ornaments were made out of whatever items that families had available to them – fruit (especially apples), nuts, strings of popcorn, cranberries, paper streamers, candles, and metal foil” (https://www.westenonnurseries.com).
Throughout the Christmas season, many people all over the world hold the tradition of decorating the exterior of their houses with lights to add to the Christmas spirit. Before electric LED lights, people would decorate their Christmas trees with burning candles to bring light to the tree. Additionally, the candles would be placed near windows by European Christians to symbolize and proclaim that the house was a Christian house and that other Christians were welcome to come worship with the residents. Following the invention of the lightbulb, Thomas Edison released the first outdoor electric Christmas lights in 1800. This was a pivotal point in history and marked the beginning of outdoor Christmas light decorations.
Another famous Christmas decoration is a flower called the Poinsettia. The Poinsettia is a large flower with big red petals and small yellow buds in the middle. Poinsettias originate from Mexico and were first introduced when U.S. Ambassador Joel Roberts Poinsett brought them over from Mexico and introduced them to American culture.
However, not all Christmas decorating traditions are the same. Christmas is celebrated in various ways in countries all over the world. Due to the warm weather in India, trees like firs, spruces, and pines are harder to come by, leading to families decorating mango and banana trees as their Christmas trees. In Germany, families hide pickle ornaments in trees to lead children on a little scavenger hunt to find the pickle. According to germanyway.com,, “The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.” (https://www.german-way.com).
Christmas is a very special time of the year for many families and is an important part of American culture. We must pay our thanks to countries like Germany and Italy for influencing the Christmas tradition and making it what it is today.
