The Christmas tree is an ornamental tree, usually a green conifer like a spruce, pine, or pine or an artificial tree with a similar appearance, linked to a Christmas celebration. Modern Christmas trees were developed in medieval Livonia (now Estonia and Latvia) and early modern Germany, where German Protestants brought ornamental trees to their homes. It gained popularity outside the Lutheran region of Germany and the Baltic states during the second half of the 19th century, initially among the upper classes.
The tree is traditionally decorated with "roses made of colored paper, apples, wafers, tinsel, [and] sweets". In the 18th century, it began to be illuminated by candles, which were eventually replaced by Christmas lights after the emergence of electrification. Today, there are various traditional ornaments, such as wreaths, knick-knacks, tinsel, and candy canes. An angel or star may be placed at the top of the tree to represent the Angel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity. Edible items such as gingerbread, chocolate, and other candies are also popular and tied or hung on branches with ribbons.
In Western Christian tradition, the Christmas tree is made varied on days like the first day of Advent or even up to Christmas Eve depending on the country; the same faith habits state that the traditional two days when Christmas decorations, like Christmas trees, are deleted is Twelfth Night and, if they are not lowered on that day, Candlemas, the last one that ends the Christmas season-Epiphany in some denominations.
The Christmas tree is sometimes compared to the "Yule-tree", especially in the discussion of its folkloric origins.
Video Christmas tree
History
Possible predecessors
The relevance of ancient pre-Christian habits to the 16th-century German initiation of the customs of the Christmas tree is disputed. Resistance to adat is often due to the Lutheran origin it should be.
Other sources have offered a link between the first documented Christmas tree in Alsace around 1600 and the pre-Christian tradition. For example, according to EncyclopÃÆ'Â|dia Britannica , "The use of evergreen trees, wreaths and wreaths to symbolize eternal life is an ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Hebrew custom.San worship is common among people European pagans and survivors of their conversion to Christianity in Scandinavian habits decorate homes and barns with green trees in the New Year to frighten demons and prepare trees for birds over Christmas. "
During the Roman mid-winter festivities in Saturnalia, the houses were decorated with a series of pine plants, along with other antecedent habits now associated with Christmas.
Modern Christmas trees are often traced to tree symbolism in pre-Christian winter rites, where Vikings and Saxons worship trees. The story of Saint Boniface that cut off Donar's Oak illustrates pagan practice in the 8th century among the Germans. The folklore version then adds to the detail that pine trees grow in the place of the felled oak trees, telling them about how its triangular shape reminds humanity of the Trinity and how it points to heaven.
Or, it is identified with the "paradise tree" of medieval mystery drama given on December 24, the memorial and the name of the days of Adam and Eve in various countries. In a game like that, a tree decorated with apples (to represent forbidden fruit) and wafers (to represent the Eucharist and redemption) are used as the setting for the game. Like a Christmas bed, the paradise tree is then placed in homes. The apple is replaced by a round object like a glossy red ball.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the early predecessors seemed to be referred to in the Cister Order of the Order around 1400, in AlcobaÃÆ'§a, Portugal. The high-sacristans local regiment of the Cistercian Order refers to what could be considered one of the oldest references to the Christmas tree: "Note on how to put the Christmas branch, scilicet: On Christmas Eve , You will find a large green branch of laurel, and you will reap a lot of red oranges, and place them in the branches that come from laurel, especially as you see, and in every orange you have to put candles, and hang Branches with a piece of rope at the stake, which will be a candle of altar-mor . "
The modern Christmas tree originated during the early modern German Renaissance. Its origins in the sixteenth century are sometimes associated with the Protestant Christian reformer Martin Luther, who is said to first add a burning candle to a cypress tree.
The first recorded Christmas tree can be found in the private stone carvings of a private home in Turckheim, Alsace (then part of Germany, now France), in 1576.
Georgia
The Georgians have their own traditional Christmas tree called Chichilaki, made of dried leaves of walnut or walnut formed to form a small conifers tree. This pale ornament is different in height from 20 cm (7.9 inches) to 3 meters (9.8 feet). Chichilakis is most common in the Guria and Samegrelo regions of Georgia near the Black Sea, but they can also be found in several stores around the capital Tbilisi. The Georgians believe that Chichilaki resembles the famous beard of St. Basil the Great, because the Eastern Orthodox Church recalled St. Basil on January 1st.
Polish
There is an ancient pagan habit, associated with Koliada, from suspending fir branches, firs or pines called Pods? A? Niczka from the ceiling. Its branches are adorned with apples, nuts, cakes, colored paper, stars made of straw, ribbons and colored wafers. Some people believe that the tree has magical powers associated with harvest and success the following year.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, these traditions were almost completely replaced by the German custom of decorating the Christmas tree.
Estonia Estonia, Latvia and Germany
The habit of erecting ornamental trees in winter can be traced to the Renaissance Christmas celebrations in Northern Germany and Livonia. The first evidence of the ornamental trees associated with Christmas Day is the trees in guildhalls decorated with candies to be enjoyed by students and children. In Livonia (now Estonia and Latvia), in 1441, 1442, 1510, and 1514, the Brotherhood of Blackheads set up trees for a holiday at their guild house in Reval (now Tallinn) and Riga. On the last night of the holiday celebration, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square, where members of the fraternity danced around it.
A guild guild of Bremen from 1570 reported that a small tree decorated with "apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers" was set up in union homes for the benefit of union member children, who collected dainties on Christmas Day. In 1584, the minister and author of Balthasar Russow in his book Chronica der Provinz Lyfflandt (1584) writes of Tradition founded spruce is decorated in the market square, where the youths "go with a group of girls and women, first sing and dance there and then set the tree on fire".
After the Protestant Reformation, such trees were seen in the homes of upper-class Protestant families as partners of the Catholic Christmas crib. This transition from the union hall to the bourgeois family's home in the German Protestant part finally gave birth to a modern tradition as it developed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
18 to the beginning of the 20th century
German
At the beginning of the 18th century, the custom became common in the upper Rhineland cities, but has not yet spread to rural areas. Candle candles, expensive items at the time, were found in endorsement from the late 18th century.
Along the Lower Rhine, the predominantly Roman Catholic region, the Christmas tree is largely regarded as a Protestant custom. As a result, it remains limited to the upper Rhineland for a relatively long period of time. The custom eventually gained wider acceptance beginning around 1815 by the Prussian officials who emigrated there after the Vienna Congress.
In the 19th century, the Christmas tree was taken as an expression of German culture and the German text, especially among foreign emigrants.
The decisive factor in winning public popularity was the decision of the German army to place a Christmas tree in its barracks and military hospital during the Franco-Prussian War. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the Christmas tree appeared in the church, this time in a new, brightly lit form.
Adoption by European nobility
At the beginning of the 19th century, custom became popular among the nobility and spread to the royal palace all the way to Russia. Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg introduced the Christmas tree to Vienna in 1816, and that custom spread throughout Austria in the following years. In France, the first Christmas tree was introduced in 1840 by the duchesse d'OrlÃÆ'Â ans. In Denmark, a Danish newspaper claimed that the first demonstrated Christmas tree was lit in 1808 by Wilhemine countess of Holsteinborg. It was the old Countess who told the story of the first Danish Christmas tree to the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in 1865. He had published a fairy tale named The Fir-Tree in 1844, recounting the fate of a pine tree used as a tree Christmas.
English
Although the tradition of decorating homes with evergreens has long been established, the habit of decorating an entire small tree was not known in England until about two centuries ago. At a time of personal union with Hanover, George III's wife born in Germany, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, introduced a Christmas tree at a party she gave to children in 1800. The habit did not initially spread far beyond the royal family. Queen Victoria as a child is familiar with her and a tree is placed in her room every Christmas. In his journal for Christmas Eve 1832, the delightful 13-year-old daughter writes:
After dinner... we then went to the living room near the dining room... There were two large round tables in which placed two trees hung with lights and sugar ornaments. All prizes are placed around the trees...
After Victorian marriage with her cousin, Prince Albert, in 1841, the custom became wider as the wealthy middle-class family followed the fashion. In 1842 newspaper ads for the Christmas tree clarified their smart cachet, German origins and associations with children and gift-giving. A picture book,
Their use in public entertainment, charity bazaars and in hospitals made them more familiar, and in 1906 a charity was set up specifically to ensure even poor children in the slums of London 'who have never seen a Christmas tree' would enjoy that year. The anti-German sentiment after World War I briefly reduced their popularity but the effect was only short-lived and by the mid-1920s the use of Christmas trees had spread to all classes. In 1933, restrictions on imports of foreign trees led to "rapid new industrial growth" as the growth of Christmas trees in England became commercially viable due to the large demand. By 2013 the number of trees grown in the UK for the Christmas market is about 8 million and their displays at home, shops and public places are a normal part of the Christmas season.
North America
This tradition was introduced to North America in the winter of 1781 by Hessi soldiers stationed in the QuÃÆ' Â © bec (1763-1791) province to besiege the colony against the American attack. General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel and his wife, Baroness von Riedesel, had a Christmas party for the officers at Sorel, delighting their guests with spruce trees decorated with candles and fruits.
The Christmas tree became very common in the United States in the early nineteenth century. The first image of the Christmas tree was published in 1836 as a front picture for The Stranger's Gift by Hermann Bokum. The first mention of a Christmas tree in American literature is a story in the 1836 edition of Token and Atlantic Souvenir, titled "New Year's Day," by Catherine Maria Sedgwick, where she tells the story of a German waiter decorating her mistress tree. Also, pieces of wood from the British Royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, originally published in Dec. 1848, Illustrated London News, copied in the United States at Christmas 1850, at Godey's Lady's Message . Godey's copied it exactly, except to remove the Queen's tiara and Prince Albert's mustache, to remake the engraving into the American scene. The re-published Godey image becomes the first widely circulated image of a green Christmas tree decorated in America. The art historian Karal Ann Marling calls Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, who are crossed out of their royal decoration, "the first influential American Christmas tree". The folk cultural historian Alfred Lewis Shoemaker states, "Throughout America there is no more important medium in spreading the Christmas tree in the 1850-60 decade than the Godey's Lady ." The picture was reprinted in 1860, and by the 1870s, putting up a Christmas tree became more common in America.
Several cities in the United States with German connections claimed the country's first Christmas tree: Windsor Locks, Connecticut, claimed that a Hessian soldier installed a Christmas tree in 1777 when imprisoned in Noden-Reed House, while "First Christmas Tree" in America claimed by Easton, Pennsylvania, where the German settlers were reputedly founding Christmas trees in 1816. In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, noted the use of Christmas trees in 1821, causing Lancaster to also claim the first Christmas tree in America. Charles Imgard, a German immigrant living in Wooster, Ohio, is said to be the first to popularize the practice of decorating a tree with candy canes.For 1847, Imgard cut the blue pine trees from the forest outside the city, ordered the villager of Wooster m embild the stars, and place the trees in his house, decorate them with paper ornaments, gold beans and Kuchen. German immigrant Charles Minnegerode accepted his position as professor of humanities at the College of William & amp; Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1842, where she taught Latin and Greek. Entering the social life of Virginia Tidewater, Minnigerode introduces the German custom of decorating cypress trees at Christmas at St. Law's professor's home. George Tucker, thus becoming one of the many influences that prompted Americans to adopt such practices at that time.. An 1853 article on Christmas customs in Pennsylvania defines them as mostly "German origin," including the Christmas tree, which is "planted in earthen-filled flower pots, and its branches are covered with gifts, especially snacks, for the younger ones. family members." This article distinguishes between customs in different countries however, claiming that in New England generally "Christmas is not much celebrated", while in Pennsylvania and New York.
When Edward H. Johnson was vice president of Edison Electric Light Company, the predecessor of Con Edison, he created the lightest first electric Christmas tree in his New York City home in 1882. Johnson became "Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights".
The lyrics sung in the United States for the German song
1935 to present
In Russia, the Christmas tree was banned after the October Revolution but was later restored as New Year fir tree ( ???????? ? Novogodnyaya yolka ) in 1935. It became a full secular icon from New Year holidays, for example, the crown star is considered not as a symbol of Bethlehem Star, but as a Red star. Decorations, such as airplane statues, bicycles, space rockets, cosmonauts, and Russian fairy tales, were produced. This tradition continued after the fall of the Soviet Union, with the New Year holidays greater than Christmas (7 January) for the vast majority of Russians.
A special TV A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) was especially influential on pop culture around the Christmas tree. The Aluminum Christmas tree was very popular in the early 1960s in the US. They were censored in a Charlie Brown show and considered a symbol of the commercialization of Christmas. The term Charlie Brown Christmas tree , depicts every small tree that looks bad or defective, also comes from a special TV 1965, based on the appearance of a Christmas tree Charlie Brown.
- 1935 to serve
Christmas tree public
Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has become commonplace in many towns, towns, and department stores to install public outdoor Christmas trees, such as Macy's Great Tree in Atlanta (since 1948), Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City, and a large Christmas tree in Victoria Square in Adelaide. The use of fire retarders allows many indoor public areas to place the original tree and obey the code. Applicant licensed fireproof solution sprays trees, marks trees, and gives certificates for inspection. The original trees are popular with sophisticated visual displays around the world. Leading global retailers like Apple often put the original tree in their storefront. In 2009, Apple placed two firs of Fraser pine in every retail company.
The National Christmas Tree of the United States has been lit every year since 1923 in the White House South Lawn. Today, the National Christmas Tree lighting is part of what has become the premier holiday event at the White House. President Jimmy Carter just lit a crown star on a tree in 1979 to honor America held hostage in Iran. The same thing happened in 1980, except that the tree was fully lit for 417 seconds, one second for every day the hostages were in captivity.
During most of the 1970s and 1980s, the world's largest decorated Christmas tree was installed annually on the property of the National Enquirer in Lantana, Florida. This tradition grew into one of the most spectacular and celebrated events in South Florida's history, but was stopped at the founder's death in the late 1980s.
In some cities, a charity event called Festival of Trees was held, where several trees were decorated and displayed.
Christmas tree gift is also often associated with the end of hostilities. After the signing of the Armistice in 1918, the city of Manchester sent a tree, and £ 500 to buy chocolates and cakes, for children from the much-bombed city of Lille in northern France. In some cases, the trees represent special memorial gifts, such as at Trafalgar Square in London, where the City of Oslo, Norway presents trees to the people of London as a token of appreciation for British support for the Norwegian resistance during the Second World War; in Boston, where the tree was a gift from the province of Nova Scotia, as a token of appreciation for the rapid spread of supplies and rescue to the explosion of the 1917 munitions vessel that flattened the city of Halifax; and at Newcastle on Tyne, where the main national Christmas tree is an annual gift from the city of Bergen, thanks to the part played by soldiers from Newcastle in liberating Bergen from the Nazi occupation. Norway also annually gives Christmas tree gifts to Washington, D.C. as a symbol of friendship between Norway and the US and as an expression of gratitude from Norway for aid received from the US during World War II.
- General Christmas Tree
Chrismon Tree
A "Chrismon tree" is a Christmas tree decorated with Christian symbols explicitly in white and gold. First introduced by Lutheran North America in 1957, this practice quickly spread to other Christian denominations, including Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, and Reformed.
"Chrismon" (plural "Chrismons") was adopted for this type of Christmas decoration and described as portmanteau " Chris t- mon ogram" (Kristogram).
Maps Christmas tree
Habits and traditions
Setting up and deleting
Both the setting and retrieval of the Christmas tree are associated with a specific date. Traditionally, the Christmas tree is not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve (24 December) or, in the tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve rather than the first day of Christmas, December 23, and then removed the day after Twelfth Night (5 January); to have trees before or after these dates is even considered bad luck, and to avoid bad luck from affecting the inhabitants of the house, the tree should be left until after the next Twelfth Night passes.
In many areas, it is customary to organize one's Christmas tree early in the Advent season. Several families in the US and Canada will be putting up a Christmas tree a week before Thanksgiving Day (Thursday the fourth of November), and Christmas decorations may appear earlier in retail stores, often the day after Halloween (31 October). In Canada many families wait until after Memorial Day, to show respect for the fallen soldiers. Some households do not plant trees until the second week of December, and leave them until January 6 (Epiphany). In Germany, traditionally the tree was installed on December 24 and dropped on January 7, although many started a week or two earlier, and in Roman Catholic homes the tree could be kept until February 2 (Candlemas).
In Italy, Ireland and Argentina, along with many countries in Latin America, the Christmas tree is installed on December 8 (Pure Uncleared Day) and is allowed until January 6th. In Australia, the Christmas tree is usually installed on December 1, which occurs about 2 weeks before the summer school holidays (except South Australia, where most people put up trees after the end of November after the completion of the Adelaide Christmas Pageant, other countries as the official time Christmas decorations and in the Santa Claus store began to appear) and left until it was lowered. Some traditions show that the Christmas tree can be kept until no later than February 2, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Candlemas), when the Christmas season is effectively closed. Superstition says that it is a bad sign if the green Christmas plant is not removed by Candlemas Eve.
Decorations
Christmas decorations are decorations (usually made of glass, metal, wood, or ceramics) used to decorate a Christmas tree. The first trees are decorated with apples, candy bars and cakes in the form of stars, hearts and flowers. Glass grains were first made in Lauscha, Germany, as well as wreaths of glass beads and lead figures that could be hung on a tree. The popularity of this decor grew into the production of glass figures made by highly skilled craftsmen with clay molds.
Tinsel and some type of garland or ribbon are usually used to decorate a Christmas tree. Silver-based tinsel was introduced later. The delicate and colorful Christmas ornaments of Christmas Ornaments are a specialty of glass factories in the Thuringian Forest, especially in Lauscha at the end of the 19th century, and have since become a major industry, complete with the names of famous designers. Trinkets are other common decorations, consisting of small hollow glass or plastic balls coated with a thin metal layer to make them reflective, with a further layer of thin pigmented polymers to provide color. Lighting with electric lights (Christmas lights or, in England, fairy lights) is usually done. Tree-tops, sometimes angels but more often stars, complement the decor.
In the late 1800s, an artificial white Christmas tree was made by wrapping pieces of cotton around the leafless branches that created the appearance of a snow-laden tree. In the 1940s and 1950s, popularized by Hollywood films in the late 1930s, flocking was very popular on the West Coast of the United States. There is a home grouping equipment that can be used with a vacuum cleaner. In the 1980s some trees were sprayed with hairy white flocks to simulate snow.
- Decoration
Production
Every year, 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America, and 50 to 60 million are produced in Europe. In 1998, there were about 15,000 farmers in America (one third of them "pick and cut" fields). In the same year, it is estimated that Americans spend $ 1.5 billion on Christmas trees. By 2016, it has risen to $ 2.04 billion for natural trees and $ 1.86 billion more for artificial trees. In Europe, 75 million trees worth EUR2.4 billion ($ 3.2 billion) are harvested each year.
Natural tree
The most commonly used species are firs ( Abies ), which have the benefit of not spilling the needles while drying up, as well as maintaining good foliage and aroma colors; but species in other genera are also used.
In northern Europe the most commonly used are:
- Norway tidied Picea abies (original tree, generally the cheapest)
- Silver silver Abies alba
- Nordmann fir Abies nordmanniana
- The Noble Fire Abies procera
- Serbian contaminant Picea omorika
- Pine Tree Pine sylvestris
- Stone pine Pine pinea (like a small tree on the table)
- Swiss Pine Pine cembra
From America, America, America, America Selatan yang paling umum digunakan adalah:
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
- Balsam fir Abies balsamea
- Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
- Grand fir Abies grandis
- cemara Guatemala Abies guatemalensis
- Api Mulia Abies procera
- Fir merah magnificent Abies
- White fir Abies concolor
- Pinus Pinyon Pinus edulis
- Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi
- Pohon pinus Pinus sylvestris
- Pinus batu Pinus pinea (seperti pohon kecil di atas meja)
- Pinus Pulau Norfolk Araucaria heterophylla
Some other species are used for lower levels. Less traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as the giant sequoia, Leyland fir, Monterey cypress and east juniper. Various types of pine trees are also used for Christmas trees (including blue fir and, less commonly, white pine trees); but the sprays start losing their needles quickly after they are cut, and the pine needles are often sharp, making the decor uncomfortable. Pine Pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States; However, the color of winter faded. The long white pine tree is also used there, though it is an unpopular Christmas tree in most countries, also because of its faded winter colors and limp branches, making decoration difficult with all the lightest ornaments. Norfolk Island pines are sometimes used, especially in Oceania, and in Australia, some species of the genus Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also sometimes used as Christmas trees. However, by far, the most common tree is the Monterey pine. Adenanthos sericeus or Albany wool bushes are generally sold in southern Australia as a living Christmas tree. Hemlock species are generally considered unsuitable as Christmas trees due to poor needle retention and inability to support heavy lamps and ornaments.
Some trees, often referred to as "living Christmas trees", are sold alive with roots and soil, often from plant nurseries, to be kept in nurseries in planters or planted later outdoors and enjoyed (and often decorated) for years or decades. Others are produced in containers and sometimes as topiary for porches or terraces. However, if done incorrectly, the combination of root loss is caused by excavation, and the indoor environment of high temperature and low humidity greatly disadvantages the health of the tree; In addition, the warmth of the indoor climate will bring the tree out of its natural winter dormancy, leaving little protection when it is laid back outside to the cold outer climate. Often the Christmas tree is a great attraction for living animals, including mice and spiders. Thus, the survival rates of these trees are low. However, when done correctly, replanting provides a higher survival rate.
The European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally growing, unshakable trees, while in North America (outside the west where trees are often harvested wildly on public lands) there is a preference for short-shaved trees with denser foliage, but lacking space for hanging decorations.
In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are grown commercially on tree farms. Almost all Christmas trees in the United States are planted on Christmas tree farms where they are cut after about ten years of growth and new trees are planted. According to the agricultural census of the United States Department of Agriculture 2007, 21,537 farms produce conifers for cutting Christmas trees in America, 5,717,09 square kilometers (1,412,724 hectares) grown on Christmas trees.
The life cycle of the Christmas tree from seed to tree is 2 meters (7 feet), depending on species and care in cultivation, between 8 and 12 years old. First, the seeds are extracted from a cone harvested from an older tree. These seeds are usually grown in the nursery and then sold to Christmas tree farms at the age of 3-4 years. The development of the remaining trees is highly dependent on climate, soil quality, as well as cultivation and how trees are nourished by Christmas tree growers.
Artificial tree
The first artificial Christmas tree was developed in Germany during the 19th century, although there have been several earlier examples. These "trees" are made using goose-green feathers, as a response by the Germans to the continued deforestation. The Feather Christmas trees range in size from small trees of 2 inches (51 mm) to large trees (2,500 mm) sold in department stores during the 1920s. Often, tree branches are tipped with red berries that act as candle holders.
Over the years, other styles of artificial Christmas trees have evolved and become popular. In 1930, the US-based Addis Brush Company created the first artificial Christmas tree made out of bristles. Another type of artificial tree is the aluminum Christmas tree, which was first produced in Chicago in 1958, and later in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where the majority of the trees are produced. Most modern-made Christmas trees are made from recycled plastic from packaging materials used, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). About 10% of artificial Christmas trees use PVC virgin resin suspension; although most artificial plastic trees can not be recycled or biodegradable.
Other trends have evolved in the early 2000s as well. The fiber optic Christmas tree comes in two main varieties; one resembling a traditional Christmas tree. One Dallas-based company offers a "holographic mylar" tree in many colors. Tree-shaped objects made of materials such as cardboard, glass, ceramics, or other materials can be found used as table decorations. Artificially inverted Christmas trees became popular for a short time and were originally introduced as a marketing gimmick; they allow consumers to get closer to ornaments for sale at retail stores and open floor space for more products. Artificial trees became increasingly popular by the end of the 20th century. Users of artificial Christmas trees insist that they are more comfortable, and, because they can be reused, much cheaper than their natural alternatives. They are also considered more secure because natural trees can be a significant fire hazard. Between 2001 and 2007, sales of artificial Christmas trees in the US jumped from 7.3 million to 17.4 million. It is currently estimated that about 58% of Christmas trees used in the United States are artificial while figures in the UK are indicated around 66%.
- Artificial tree
Environmental issues
The debate about the environmental impact of artificial trees is ongoing. Generally, natural tree growers argue that artificial trees are more harmful to the environment than their natural counterparts. However, trade groups such as the American Christmas Tree Association, continue to argue that artificial trees are more harmful to the environment, and maintain that the PVCs used on Christmas trees have excellent recyclable properties.
Living trees are usually planted as plants and replanted after they are cut, often providing suitable habitats for wildlife. Alternately, live trees can be donated to animal breeders such as goats who find that the trees that are not contaminated by additive chemicals are excellent animal feed. In some cases, the management of Christmas tree plants can lead to poor habitat because it sometimes involves heavy pesticide input. Concerns have arisen about people cutting down old and rare conifers, such as Keteleeria evelyniana and Abies fraseri , for the Christmas tree.
The original or cut tree is only used for a short time, but can be recycled and used as mulch, wildlife habitat, or used to prevent erosion. The original trees are carbon neutral, they do not release more carbon dioxide by being cut down and removed from what they absorb when they grow. However, emissions may occur from agricultural and transport activities. An independent lifecycle assessment study, conducted by an expert company in sustainable development, states that natural trees will produce 3.1 kg (6.8 liters) of greenhouse gases annually (based on purchases of 5 km (3.1 miles) from the home ) while the artificial tree will produce 48.3 kg (106 pounds) during its lifetime. Some people use Christmas trees or live pots for several seasons, giving a longer life cycle for each tree. Live Christmas trees can be bought or rented from local market farmers. Rents are taken after the holidays, while the purchased trees can be planted by the owners after use or donation for the adoption of local trees or urban reforestation services.
Most artificial trees are made from recycled PVC recycled sheet using tin stabilizer in recent years. In the past, lead was often used as a stabilizer in PVC, but is now banned by Chinese law. The use of lead stabilizers in Chinese import trees has been an issue of concern among politicians and scientists over the past few years. A 2004 study found that while in general artificial trees pose few health risks from lead contamination, there is a "worst case scenario" in which major health risks for young children exist. A 2008 United States Environmental Protection Agency report found that when PVC on an artificial Christmas tree that was beginning to decline. The report stipulates that of the 50 million artificial trees in the United States, about 20 million are 9 years or older, the point at which dangerous levels of lead contamination is achieved. A professional study of the real-life and artificial Christmas tree lifestyle assessment reveals that one should use an artificial Christmas tree for at least 20 years to leave the environmental footprint as small as a natural Christmas tree.
Religious issues
The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records showing that the Christmas tree was placed in Strassburg Cathedral in 1539, under the leadership of the Protestant Reformer Martin Bucer. In the United States, "the German Lutherans carry the Christmas tree decorated with them, the Moravians put a candle burning on the trees." When decorating a Christmas tree, many people placed stars on the top of the tree symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem, a fact recorded by The School Journal in 1897. Professor David Albert Jones of Oxford University wrote that In the 19th century, became popular for people to also use angels to top the Christmas tree to symbolize the angels mentioned in the stories of the Nativity.
Under the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of state atheism in the Soviet Union, after its founding in 1917, the celebration of Christmas - along with other religious festivals - was banned as a result of the Soviet anti-religious campaign. The Militant Atheist League encourages schoolchildren to campaign against Christmas traditions, including being a Christmas tree, as well as other Christian holidays, including Easter; The league sets an anti-religious holiday to be the 31st of each month as a substitute. With a Christmas tree banned in accordance with Soviet anti-religious laws, people replaced the previous Christmas customs with New Year's trees. In 1935 the tree was brought back as a New Year tree and became a secular holiday, not a religion.
Pope John Paul II introduced the custom of the Christmas tree to the Vatican in 1982. Although initially disagreed by some as out of place at the center of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican Christmas Tree has become an integral part of Vatican Christmas celebrations, and in 2005 Pope Benedict XVI talks about it as part of a normal Christmas decoration in Catholic homes. In 2004, Pope John Paul called the Christmas tree a symbol of Christ. This very ancient custom, he said, exalts the value of life, as in what winter is green a sign of life that never dies, and reminds Christians of the "tree of life" of Genesis 2: 9, the image of Christ, God's supreme gift to humanity. In the previous year he said: "At the bedside, the Christmas tree, with twinkling lights, reminds us that with the birth of Jesus, the tree of life has grown again in the wilderness of mankind.Box and trees: valuable symbols, time of the real meaning of Christmas. "Catholic Church Officials of the Book of Blessings have a service to bless the Christmas tree in a home. Likewise the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Anglican Family Prayer Book , which has the implication of The Rt. Reverend Catherine S. Roskam of Anglican Communion, has long had rituals titled "Blessing of a CrÃÆ'¨che", and Blessing of a CrÃÆ'¨che for use in church and home.
In 2005, the city of Boston renamed pine trees used to decorate Boston Common a "Holiday Tree" rather than "Christmas Tree". The name change attracted a bad response from the public and it was reversed after the city was threatened with several lawsuits.
The Chrismon Tree is a variety developed in 1957 by a Lutheran laywoman in Virginia, as a special version of religion suitable for church Christmas celebrations, although most Christian churches continue to display traditional Christmas trees in their shrines during Christmas time..
See also
References
External links
- Christmas tree in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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