The origin of the Christmas tree for the new year. New Year tree: history and interesting facts
In this note we will talk about the origin of the European custom decorate the christmas tree and about how the features of this tradition changed at different stages of history. It will be mainly about traditions of Germany and France and, in particular, about the Alsatian and Lorraine regions, since it is the capital of Central Alsace that the city is considered the “official homeland” of the New Year tree, and neighboring Lorraine gave the world such a popular Christmas tree decoration as a glass ball.
Christmas or New Year tree- this is an image that combines numerous fairy tales, legends, childhood memories and for most people symbolizes a joyful moment when everyone, small and adults, get together to celebrate Christmas or New Year in a cozy atmosphere. We have a need, even in the most severe winter, to hope for renewal and light, and the origins of this need go back to the mists of time.
As an evergreen tree, the Christmas tree has always had a magical attraction for both pagans and Christians, being an object of desire, the embodiment of warm holidays and meetings with relatives and friends. The traditions of decorating the Christmas tree have changed in the course of European history and today are of interest as a kind of cultural monument, as a reflection of our past.
Ancient Origins of Christmas Traditions
The tradition of veneration and ritual use of trees is found among European nations already in antiquity. The tree was considered among the ancient peoples of Europe as a symbol of life and was often decorated with fruits, flowers, cereals. Thus, the Celts deified trees and believed that spirits inhabited them. And, for example, the Romans on the day of the winter solstice decorated their houses with branches of evergreen trees in honor of the god Janus.
Like many other pagan traditions, this custom was subsequently adopted by Christians, who only replaced the branches with whole freshly cut trees. In addition, the medieval Christmas mysteries contributed to the popularity of the “Christmas tree” among Christians, one of which was dedicated to the story of Adam and Eve, and, as a rule, a spruce decorated with red apples was used to depict the paradise tree.
The Legend of Saint Boniface and the Christmas Tree
According to some reports, the custom of setting up a decorated Christmas tree for Christmas originated in Germany. The "inventor" of the Christmas tree is considered Saint Boniface(675-754) - English bishop who was engaged in missionary work in Germany, preaching the Christian faith. According to legend, once in a certain Bavarian village Boniface met a pagan tribe worshiping the sacred oak of the god Thor (according to another version - Odin). To prove to the pagans the impotence of their gods, the saint cut down this oak, and, to the surprise of the Germans, no powerful spirits appeared from the felled tree to punish Boniface for his deed. Impressed by what they saw, many pagans converted to Christianity.
This legend has next continuation: before the eyes of the astonished pagans, a young Christmas tree grew in place of the felled oak (in fact, this part of the legend is not confirmed in the life of the saint and is considered a later attempt to Christianize the pagan tradition). Boniface explained to the pagans that the evergreen tree is a symbol of Christ and the strengthening of the Catholic faith, while the fallen oak marks the end of paganism. The next year, all the pagans in the area were already Christians and happily decorated the grown Christmas tree, celebrating the Christmas holiday, previously unknown to them.
According to another version, with the help of coniferous trees, the crowns of which have a triangular shape, St. Boniface tried to convey to the pagans the idea of the Trinity.
Christmas tree of the 16th century: Christian symbols
For Christmas celebrations in the 16th century, Europeans began to increasingly use instead of branches - common, as already mentioned, in the pagan tradition - whole young trees. Moreover, it was immediately recognized as the most suitable for this purpose. coniferous trees, because even at the beginning of winter they remain green and serve as the embodiment of hope for new life, on the renewal of nature.
The earliest documentary evidence preserved in the humanistic library tells that to decorate Christmas trees - which were called by the old German word Meyen- used at that time apples. These are fragrant and crispy. red apples to this day are known in Germany and Alsace under the name Christkindel Apfel("Christmas apples"). In Alsace, it is customary to collect them in October and store them until December-February.
The decoration of Christmas trees at that time was most often of an official nature, since these trees were mainly installed in the squares in front of churches, as well as in front of the town hall and workshop buildings. The outfit of the green beauty consisted of two symbolic elements: first of all apples, which reminded of the original sin of Adam and Eve, and secondly, host, or host (oublie), which served as an indication of the atonement of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the lyceum chapel of the Alsatian city of Ageno (Hagenau) ( Haguenau) a fresco of the 15th century has been preserved, in which this symbolism is visually embodied in the form of a tree, the crown of which is clearly divided vertically into two zones: on one side, apples hang on the tree, and on the other, wafers.
After Christmas trees began to appear in ordinary homes, the tree was first adopted hang to the ceiling beam, as previously done with "pagan" branches. After some time, the spruce began to be placed in a small tub filled with sand and gravel.
What kind Christmas decorations were the most common during that period, besides, of course, the aforementioned apples and wafers? Since the beginning of the 16th century, a Christmas decoration called Zischgold, which was made of thin metal plates or gilded strips, which gave the festive decoration of the Christmas tree even more shine.
Another similar type of Christmas decorations is lametta- gimp, or "rain", which in France is commonly called "angel hair" ( Cheveux d'ange). According to some reports, as early as the 15th century, Lyon craftsmen were making these brilliant Christmas decorations.
Celeste - home of the Christmas tree?
Although christmas tree tradition, probably existed in Germany and Alsace from about the 12th century, the first written mention of the "Christmas tree" ( Meyen) in this region date back to 1521. This refers to the record of December 21, 1521, preserved in humanistic library ( Bibliotheque Humaniste) - an Alsatian city located between and. However, in those days, Celeste did not yet belong to France and was called in the German manner: Schlettstadt.
This historical entry in the account book reads: Item IIII schillinge dem foerster die meyen an sanct Thomas tag zu hieten"("4 shillings - to the forester for the protection of the fir trees from the day of St. Thomas" (December 21)). Having studied this fragment of the city archives, historians have concluded that it was in Alsace that the custom was born to decorate houses - first of all, of course, the houses of wealthy citizens - for Christmas with Christmas trees. As you can see, the authorities of Celeste were forced to spend money to ensure the protection of the forest from looting by local residents who sought to get the coveted Christmas tree.
Several other, later, archival records have also been preserved: for example, a record from 1546 tells that two workers were instructed to make a road into the forest so that it would be easier to get close to the fir trees and cut down the required number of trees. Another record shows that in 1555 the city authorities, trying to avoid abuses, introduced a ban on cutting down fir trees. Finally, a description was preserved, compiled in 1600 by Balthasar Bek, cupbearer of the city hall ( Balthazar Beck) (1580-1641) and dedicated to how the Christmas tree should be decorated and what were the other customs of that time associated with the celebration of Christmas in the main hall ( Herrenstube) of the town hall of Celeste (then still Schlettstadt).
In particular, Beck mentions that apples and wafers were used to decorate the Christmas tree. He also describes the custom of inviting the children of city council members, the councilors themselves, and other municipal workers, who were allowed to "shake" the tree and eat all the delicacies that decorated it. Celeste was soon joined by other Alsatian towns. So, in 1539, a Christmas tree was installed in the Cathedral of Strasbourg.
In fact, the right to be called " home of the Christmas tree contested by several other European cities. For example, a brief documentary evidence has been preserved that on the Christmas holiday on December 24, 1510 in Riga(Latvia) traders danced around a tree decorated with artificial roses before burning it (a clear echo of pagan traditions). There were also malicious Estonians who claim that the first Christmas tree was installed in Tallinn in 1441.
The debate over where the Christmas tree first appeared has not subsided to this day. sticks to his version, and Church of St. George in December, an annual exhibition dedicated to christmas tree stories. In addition, every December, the Celeste Humanist Library exhibits the same archival document from 1521, which, it is argued, proves that the Alsatian city was born the custom of decorating houses for Christmas with trees.
In any case, apparently, it was here that this custom was documented for the first time in history.
Late 16th - 17th century: Protestant tradition of decorating the Christmas tree
In the 16th century, the tradition of setting up a decorated Christmas tree for Christmas was firmly rooted in Germany, Austria, Alsace and Lorraine. Moreover, supporters reformation this custom was supported in every possible way, emphasizing the symbolism of spruce as the Paradise Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
At the end of the 16th century, under the influence of Protestant circles and the urban bourgeoisie, the custom of giving gifts on the occasion of the end of the year moved from St. Nicholas (December 6) on December 24. Since that time, the Christmas tree has always been at the center of the celebrations: it is under it that now they began to put gifts. In addition, with the light hand of the Protestants, the main character of Christmas is not St. Nicholas (who seemed to them too pagan character), but baby jesus (Christkindel), which over time became customary to be depicted as a young girl in a veil, dressed in a white robe and a golden crown with spruce branches and candles (one of the incarnations of St. Lucy). She distributes gifts to obedient children, while the terrible beech (grandfather with rods) ( Pere Fouettard, and in the Alsatian tradition Hans Trapp), in turn, treats mischievous people not with tangerines and sweets, but with a whip.
In the second half of the 16th century, the leaders of the Reformation refused to use the nativity scenes (Christmas scenes) adopted by Catholics for the celebration of Christmas, since Protestants do not have a doctrine of veneration of images. Instead of this Protestants began to develop traditions of decorating christmas trees- after all, this attribute of Christmas, unlike nativity scenes, does not directly depict either Christ or other biblical characters. Martin Luther proposed to consider the Christmas tree as a symbol of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.
The symbolism of the decoration of the Christmas tree during this period remains fundamentally Christian and does not raise any objections in the Lutheran camp. Moreover, devout Protestants, focused on an attentive attitude to the texts of the Old Testament, strongly defended the use of the appropriate decoration of the Christmas tree. Therefore, in addition to the traditional red apples and hosts, at the end of the 16th century, multi-colored paper wrappers in the form of roses and other colors.
These flowers are an allusion to the words the prophet Isaiah about the "root of Jesse"- the tree of Jesse, or family tree Jesus Christ ( Wed. “And a branch will come forth from the root of Jesse, and a branch will grow from its root.” The symbolism of this type of jewelry indicated the origin and birth of the Savior. In addition to this, the flowers on the tree were reminiscent of the words of an old Christmas carol. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (“A rose has grown”), written just in that era.
The following archival record in Old German belongs to 1605: “ Auff Weihnachten richtet man Dannenbäume zu Straßburg in den Stuben auf. Daran henket man Roßen auß vielfarbigem Papier geschnitten, Aepfel, Oblaten, Zischgold und Zucker“(“At Christmas, a fir tree is installed in the living room. The tree is decorated with paper roses, apples, wafers, gold leaves and sugar.”)
XVIII-XIX century: Christmas - children's holiday
During this period, the religious symbolism of the holiday begins to recede into the background. Instead of apples, a variety of round-shaped delicacies are being used to decorate Christmas trees (for example, stuffed nuts wrapped in gold or silver paper).
The place of guests is now occupied by gingerbread, sweets, waffles and traditional delirious (bredele, also bredela or bredle) - Christmas cookies made from gingerbread dough.
In Alsace, southern Germany and some parts of Switzerland, a special kind of delusions is spreading - the so-called springerle or sprangerly ( sprengerle or springerle), which are printed aniseed gingerbread, most often round or heart shaped. They are baked for Christmas, and this tradition has survived to this day.
In addition to the cookies themselves, special molds for baking these sweets are also sold in Alsatian cities. Ceramic relief forms, or "stamps" for creating a certain pattern on the test, can be bought in stores as a souvenir. Previously, such molds were made mainly of wood and decorated with carved scenes. Everyday life or compositions on biblical subjects. You can read more about traditional Alsatian sweets, souvenirs and folk crafts in the article “Folk crafts, customs and traditions of Alsace” .
The specific form of sweets used to decorate the Christmas tree gradually loses its significance in the 19th century and becomes more and more diverse. Since that time, the decoration of the Christmas tree and all the accompanying traditions are considered mainly the prerogative of children. Immediately after the end of the feast of the Epiphany, in early January, boys and girls are now invited to “shake” the Christmas tree and “harvest”, which little sweet teeth do with pleasure.
In the 19th century, gingerbread and delusions began to be additionally decorated with icing, and sometimes also with small colored sprinkles. On top of sugar or chocolate glaze, decorative pictures with various subjects are glued (these were chromolithographs, most often depicting angels or stars). A small wooden fence resembling a hedge is arranged around the trunk of the Christmas tree. front garden in front of a traditional peasant house. The space fenced off in this way symbolizes paradise lost due to the fall of man.
Hence the word Paradiesgartlein("Garden of Eden"), which this Christmas garden was called in Germany. As you can see, Christian symbolism is gradually gaining meaning again.
The Christmas tree comes to France and the UK
The support that the leaders of the Reformation gave to the “Christmas tree tradition” explains the rapid spread of the Christmas tree throughout Protestant regions Northern Europe, including Germany and Scandinavian countries. Do not forget that Alsace at that time was part of German world, as well as the neighboring duchies of Lorraine and Austria. All this time, during the 17th and 18th centuries, the tradition of putting a Christmas tree in houses at Christmas was developed in all the regions mentioned.
At the end of the 19th century, after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the tradition of decorating the New Year (Christmas) tree finally came to France. The honor of spreading this tradition belongs to the inhabitants Alsace and Lorraine who, not wanting to become Prussians, after the annexation of their regions to Germany, decided to leave for France, the “land of human rights”, which again became a republic.
Even before that, in 1837, the German wife of the heir to the French throne, Ferdinand Philip, Duke of Orleans, Lutheran Helena of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, ordered to install a Christmas tree in the Tuileries Garden, but then the tradition did not take root. (A century earlier, in 1738, another failed attempt In the French court, the tradition of the Christmas tree was introduced by the wife of Louis XV, Maria Leshchinskaya). Only the influx of immigrants from Alsace and Lorraine predetermined the mass distribution of the Christmas tree in France. (By the way, thanks to the same Alsatians, the tradition quickly spread to the United States).
Today a gigantic Christmas tree (sapin de Noel, arbre de Noel) can be seen on the central square of every major French city: in Paris and Rouen, on the Stanislav Square in Nancy and on the Place Kleber in the city of Strasbourg, which bears the proud name of the "capital of Christmas". Since about the 1930s, the custom of putting up a decorated Christmas tree at Christmas has been accepted in almost all French homes.
In the UK, the tradition of Christmas trees, which is typical, was also brought by the ubiquitous Lutherans, consort of Queen Victoria Prince Albert He is the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. On his initiative in 1841 in Great Britain(more precisely, in Windsor Castle) the first Christmas tree was installed. In 1848, an English newspaper published a photograph of a Christmas tree gathered around royal family, replicated soon in the form of numerous postcards. Court fashion quickly spread among the bourgeoisie, and then the common people. In the Victorian era, it was believed that the Christmas tree should have six tiers of branches and be set on a table covered with white linen. Then it was decorated with garlands, bonbonnieres and paper flowers.
It is curious that even before the appearance in the UK, the tradition of Christmas trees took root in Canada. And only in the 20th century did this custom finally penetrate into the main Catholic countries of Europe - Italy and Spain.
Christmas tree decorations of the New Age: the invention of the glass ball and other innovations
In the middle of the 19th century, natural products used to decorate the Christmas tree began to be replaced with artificial ones. In 1858, a terrible drought broke out in the northern Vosges and Moselle, and the harvest of apples and other fruits turned out to be extremely poor, so that the locals did not have the opportunity to decorate Christmas trees with live fruits. And then glass blower from the Lorraine village of Götsanbrück ( Goetzenbruck), which is near Meisenthal (Meisenthal), came up with the idea of making glass balls in the form of apples and other fruits. Thereafter glass christmas decorations gained popularity far beyond Alsace.
Town Meisenthal(Meisenthal) in Lorraine and today is famous for the skill of its glaziers. For over 20 years (from 1867 to 1894), the head of the Nancy Art School, Emile Galle, worked at this glass factory: first, the designer studied with the local masters, and then, having become a mature artist himself, closely collaborated with the factory when creating his magnificent works. Today in Meisenthal you can visit International Art Glass Center (Center International d'Art Verrier) and get to know the work of glassblowers better. But this center is not just a museum, but a creative workshop where they regularly experiment with new modern ideas without forgetting, of course, traditions. One of the main types of manufactured products are glass balls- almost the most popular Christmas tree decoration today. In addition to balls, local craftsmen make glass decorations in the form of bells, Christmas trees, cones, nuts, birds and many other images.
Apart from glass balls, in the 19th century, a rich arsenal of Christmas decorations was replenished with numerous angels dressed in gold or silver foil. Also, gilded spruce trees were often used to decorate Christmas trees. cones and stars of gilded straw and white Bristol board (made from premium paper). Later there was a tradition to place on top of the Christmas tree star- a symbol of the Bethlehem star, which showed the magi the way to the birthplace of Christ. Alternatively, the top of the Christmas tree is sometimes decorated with a spire ( cimier oriental) or a figurine of a golden angel with a Latin inscription Gloria in Excelsis Deo("Gloria").
But the main innovation of this era was the custom of lighting the Christmas tree with festive lights. Initially, for this purpose, they used, of course, candles- despite the risk of fire (by the way, the first person who came up with the idea to decorate the Christmas tree with candles was, as it is believed, Martin Luther enchanted by the beauty of the starry sky). But since wax was quite expensive, candles were often replaced with oil-filled walnut shells with a small floating wick on the surface - or flexible candles that could be wrapped around fir branches. The illumination was not only decorative, but also symbolic, recalling the birth of Christ, who is the light of the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, electric garlands appeared, which at first few people could afford, they were so expensive.
In the 20th century, there were also widespread artificial christmas trees, which were first invented in the 19th century in Germany. Numerous fans of artificial spruces today claim that they are cheaper, safer and more convenient than real trees. As for the environmental aspect, disputes continue on this issue: there is no consensus on what causes more harm to nature: cutting down natural trees (the advantage of which is that they are biodegradable) or the production of artificial Christmas trees from polyvinyl chloride with not always safe supplements.
Christmas tree in Catholic countries
Only in the 20th century did the custom of decorating a Christmas tree come to the main Catholic countries of Europe - Italy and Spain. For example, in vatican The tradition of the Christmas tree appeared only in 1982 at the initiative of John Paul II, elected pope four years earlier. At first, not all representatives catholic church approved of this custom, but gradually the tree became an integral part of the celebration of Christmas in the Vatican, and today not a single Christmas is complete without a magnificent tree in St. Peter's Square in Rome.
During the reading of the prayer by the Angel of the Lord on Sunday, December 19, 2004 Pope John Paul II explained to the believers as follows The meaning and symbolism of the Christmas tree: “[...] a traditional Christmas tree is often installed next to the nativity scene - this is also very ancient tradition associated with the glorification of the value of life. In winter, this evergreen spruce becomes a symbol of immortality. It is at her trunk that gifts are usually placed. This symbol also has a great Christian meaning, because it reminds of the Tree of Life and the image of Christ - the highest gift of God to mankind. Thus, the Christmas tree carries the message that life does not stop for a moment and that it is a gift, not material, but valuable in itself, a gift of friendship and love, brotherly mutual assistance and forgiveness, the ability to share and sympathize.».
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Today, there are no specific prescriptions for how the Christmas tree should be decorated. It can be lavish decoration or an ascetic, simple outfit. It can be a modern designer Christmas tree that allows a person to show his imagination as much as possible. In any case, this evergreen tree remains a symbol of the Christmas holidays and unforgettable childhood memories.
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Used sources .
1700
Tsar tree
We borrowed the custom of putting up a Christmas tree for the New Year in Western Europe. This fact is considered a textbook truth. But with the author of tradition, everything is not so simple.
There is a historical stereotype: Peter I, introducing a new chronology, due to which January 1 came not in 7208, but in 1700, at the same time decided to adequately celebrate the reform.
The most cited historical document on New Year's Eve is Peter's decree: "Along the large and passing streets, noble people and at the houses of deliberate spiritual and worldly rank in front of the gate, make some decorations from trees and branches of pine and juniper, and meager people, each even with a tree or a branch on or put a gate over your temple."
Everything is so, but in our understanding, the cheerful king did not command to arrange New Year trees. Yes, and the German Christmas tradition of his "some decorations from the trees" did not fully correspond. In addition, people are used to celebrating the evening of Basil of Caesarea on the night of December 31 to January 1. Other names: "Generous" (they walked like on Maslenitsa, even the term appeared: "Caesarian" pig, which was fried whole), Vasiliev Evening.
It can be assumed that full-fledged Christmas trees, decorated with sweets and toys, still stood in our capital at that time. But most likely - only in the homes of foreigners living in Moscow, primarily German Lutherans, who preserved their customs in a foreign land.
Since 1704, Peter I moved the New Year celebrations to St. Petersburg. There they walked like a king, and the appearance at the New Year's masquerade balls of the nobles was mandatory.
After the death of Peter the custom began to die. There were no special persecutions against Christmas trees. The problem was that Peter's idea did not really take root among the people. During the reign of Peter the Great, it was purely urban entertainment. They generally forgot to explain to the village why it is necessary to hang apples and gingerbread on Christmas trees.
In addition, not the whole country immediately switched to the Peter's calendar. The people of ancient times in Russia met the onset of the new year on March 1. And so it continued until the end of the 15th century. In 1492, the Russian Orthodox Church decided to postpone the New Year to September 1.
To put it mildly, we got used to it. And the foundations are always broken with difficulty.
For example, in the Arkhangelsk province, the New Year is still celebrated three times. The first two (according to the new and old style) - with the whole country, and on September 14 Pomeranian is also celebrated New Year.
Besides spruce branches in Russia, they often paved the path along which they carried the deceased to the churchyard. Therefore, the Christmas tree was somehow not very associated among the peasants with fun and celebration.
Finally, at Orthodox Church there was little desire to promote the Lutheran custom among the masses. Perhaps, only those who would now be called restaurateurs kept the most staunchly Peter's testaments. The roofs of many taverns in Russia were decorated with Christmas trees. By the way, after the New Year holidays, they didn’t take them off at all. The very expression "to go under the Christmas tree" in those days meant going to a drinking establishment.
1819
Second coming
The second "campaign" of the New Year tree to Russia was again undertaken from Germany. But this time - more successful. In 1817, Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich married the Prussian princess Charlotte, baptized in Orthodoxy under the name of Alexander. The princess persuaded the court to adopt the custom of decorating New Year's table bouquets of fir branches.
In 1819, at the insistence of his wife, Nikolai Pavlovich put up for the first time a Christmas tree of respectable size in the Anichkov Palace. In 1825, a public Christmas tree was installed in St. Petersburg for the first time.
In those days, there were no toys yet, the Christmas tree was decorated with fruits and sweets. 
"Under the Christmas tree", which was installed in the capital on December 24, on Christmas Eve, they also arranged a royal banquet. The archives preserved the menu: soups, pies, seasoned beef, roast with salad, pickles (the emperor simply adored them), Swedish jelly, Welsh rabbit meat, Norwegian cod, abbey-style lamprey, ice cream.
In the villages, the Christmas tree still did not take root. But the new fashion simply captured the cities, the Christmas tree hype began: expensive Christmas tree decorations were ordered from Europe, children's rooms were arranged in rich houses. New Year's parties. "Christmas tree" was no longer called taverns, but a Christmas holiday for children with the distribution of gifts.
Under Alexander III, a foundation was laid new tradition: members of the imperial family performed at New Year's "corporate parties". As a rule, the emperor with the grand dukes went to the arena of the cuirassier regiment for the Christmas tree for the lower ranks of His Majesty's own convoy, the consolidated guards battalion and the palace police. A fantastic detail: the next day, the Christmas tree was repeated for the ranks who were on guard the day before. Agree, some simply unrealistic concern for the subjects.
1915
Elka is an enemy of the state
This continued until World War I, which Russia entered in 1914. An active anti-German campaign began in the country. In the spring of 1915, Nicholas II approved the "Special Committee for Combining Measures to Combat German Dominance", closer to winter, the liquidation of German colonies in the Volga region, southern Ukraine and the Caucasus began, as well as the forced resettlement of colonists to Siberia.
On the eve of 1915, German prisoners of war in the Saratov hospital held a holiday with a traditional Christmas tree. The press called it a "blatant fact", the journalists were supported by the Holy Synod and Emperor Nicholas II. The king called the tradition "enemy" and categorically forbade her to follow.
Actually, there was something paranoid about this ban. Okay, if only the enemy soldiers were having fun under the tree. But ours, too!
Here are the entries from the diary of Nicholas II: "I went to the military hospital to the sick Christmas tree", "in Alix's new room there was our own Christmas tree with a lot of wonderful mutual gifts ...".
Or here is the daily routine of Nicholas II on December 31, 1913. At 15 o'clock the tsar went to the military hospital and to the infirmary of the hussar regiment for the Christmas tree ... At 23 o'clock 30 min. We went to the regimental church for a New Year's prayer service.
Well, what does the "enemy tradition" have to do with it ?! In principle, in this scenario, the tsar was obliged to declare himself an enemy of the Russian people.
1919
Father Frost
without browning
After the revolution, the ban was lifted. The German proletariat, even under ecclesiastical influence alien to the revolution, by definition could not be considered an enemy of Soviet power. And most importantly, Lenin loved the Christmas tree.
However, encroachments on tradition were in those days. Even during the life of the leader, many of his associates, prominent party members, tried to declare the Christmas tree a "bourgeois prejudice." But they could not do anything with this religious relic. How to forbid "prejudice" if the leader himself personally arranged a Christmas tree for children in Sokolniki?
At the same time, he sometimes showed miracles of heroism. January 6, 1919, when he was driving from the Kremlin to Sokolniki for the first New Year children's holiday, the car was stopped by the raiders of the famous Moscow bandit Yakov Koshelkov. They literally threw Ilyich out of the car, put a revolver to his temple, rummaged through his pockets, took away money, documents, "browning" (Lenin's armed guard and his personal driver did not resist, so as not to endanger the life of the leader). Koshelkov did not recognize Lenin, which he later regretted very much: he told his accomplices that if he had taken Lenin hostage, they could demand that the entire Butyrka be released in exchange for him. Well, the ransom is solid money.
However, he did not regret it for very long, the Chekists found and killed all the raiders in a few months. "Browning" Ilyich, by the way, was returned. But, of course, that's not the point. Lenin, having experienced stress, immediately took a new car and arrived at the children's Christmas tree. He joked, danced round dances, treated them with sweets, handed each a gift - a pipe and a drum. Well, real grandfather Freezing.
Even in new year's eve In 1924, when Ilyich was mortally ill and he had three weeks to live, N. K. Krupskaya arranged a traditional Christmas tree. But after the death of the leader, the Christmas tree was dealt with. Our great-grandfathers heard such verses:
Only the one who is a friend of the priests,
The Christmas tree is ready to celebrate.
You and I are enemies of the priests,
We don't need Christmas!
Since 1926, decorating a Christmas tree has already been considered a crime: the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks called the custom of installing the so-called Christmas tree anti-Soviet. In 1927, at the 15th Party Congress, Stalin announced the weakening of anti-religious work among the population. An anti-religious campaign began. The party conference of 1929 canceled the "Christian" Sunday: the country switched to the "six-day period", the celebration of Christmas was forbidden.
It is strange that it never occurred to anyone that such formulations actually declared Lenin a malicious anti-Soviet, an obscurantist and simply a criminal.
1935
Used hands to axes
Why, just eight years later, the authorities suddenly radically changed their attitude to the Christmas tree - a mystery. It is believed that the rehabilitation of the Christmas tree began with a small note in the Pravda newspaper, published on December 28, 1935. It was about the initiative to organize for the New Year children nice Christmas tree. The note was signed by the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Postyshev.
To everyone's surprise, Stalin agreed.
And although there were no uncoordinated initiatives in Pravda, officials were in no hurry to organize Christmas trees. Even when they were allowed, many met the New Year 1936 without the forest beauty. Just to be on the safe side: someone took the offer as a provocation. The rest prudently decided that before chopping firewood - in the sense: cutting down Christmas trees - it would be wiser to first follow the fate of both the initiator of the Christmas tree rehabilitation and the initiative itself.
The fates were different. At the Christmas tree - well, at Postyshev - not very much. In the late 30s, he was transferred from Ukraine to the post of 1st secretary of the Kuibyshev regional party committee. Arriving in the area, he organized an unprecedented campaign of arrests. Personally "debunked" a large number of enemies of the party and the people, sending thousands of people to camps or to execution. Then he himself was arrested. On February 26, 1939, by the military collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR, he was sentenced to death and shot on the same day. In 1955 he was rehabilitated.
Some historians call Postyshev "the man who returned the Christmas tree to the people." The thesis is not indisputable.
Nikita Khrushchev in his memoirs will clarify that Postyshev, before writing a note to Pravda, addressed Stalin personally with the idea. He reacted somewhat uncharacteristically, and therefore - mysteriously. Khrushchev writes that the leader, almost without hesitation, answered Postyshev: "Take the initiative, and we will support it."
Which is thought provoking. Firstly, in the party hierarchy, Postyshev was, to put it mildly, not a very significant figure. Secondly, Stalin never made landmark ideological decisions on the spur of the moment. The decision, most likely, was carefully thought out and prepared. And hardly anyone else, except for the leader himself.
1937
Star and champagne
Postyshev was still alive when Christmas trees began to light up throughout the country. The first - in 1937 in Moscow, in the Hall of Columns. Instead of the golden star of Bethlehem, a new one appeared - red. The image of Santa Claus in a long fur coat, a high round hat and with a staff in his hand was performed by the famous entertainer Mikhail Harkavy in those years. By the way, the tradition of celebrating the holiday with champagne is also associated with his name. The debut of "Soviet champagne" took place on January 1, 1937, when in the Kremlin, at a festive reception for the Stakhanovites, Harkavy drained a glass of sparkling wine for the first time under the chiming clock. Champagne, we note, we have just begun to produce. In 1937, the first 300,000 bottles were bottled. Not everyone got it for the New Year.
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 horns, faces of members of the Politburo. During the war - pistols, paratroopers, orderlies, Santa Claus with a gun. They were replaced by toy cars, airships with the inscription "USSR", snowflakes with a hammer and sickle. Under Khrushchev, toy tractors, corn cobs, and hockey players appeared. Then - cosmonauts, satellites, characters of Russian fairy tales.
The Snow Maiden appeared in the early 1950s. The image of the granddaughter of Santa Claus was invented by the winners of the Stalin Prizes Lev Kassil and Sergey Mikhalkov. From that moment on, domestic new year tradition may be considered completed. Since then, no fundamental changes have been noticed in the celebration of the New Year. Well, except that instead of a star, various politically neutral peaked tops are increasingly being used. Mostly Chinese design and workmanship.
In Europe, the tradition of celebrating the New Year with a green beauty began in Germany with an ancient German legend about trees blooming magnificently during the winter cold. Soon the decoration of Christmas trees became fashionable and spread to many countries of the Old World. In order to avoid mass deforestation, in the 19th century, artificial spruce trees began to be produced in Germany.
The New Year tradition came to Russia on the eve of 1700, during the reign of Peter I, who was ordered to switch to a new chronology (from the Nativity of Christ) from January 1, 1700 and to celebrate the New Year on January 1, and not September 1 . The decree said: “... On the large and passing streets, noble people and at houses of deliberate spiritual and worldly rank in front of the gates make some decorations from trees and branches of pine and juniper ... and meager people, even if a tree or a branch on the gate or over the temple [house ] put your own ... "
After the death of the king, the prescriptions were preserved only regarding the decoration of drinking establishments, which continued to be decorated with Christmas trees before the New Year. Taverns were identified by these trees. The trees stood near the establishments until the next year, on the eve of which the old trees were replaced with new ones.
The first public Christmas tree was installed in the building of the Ekaterininsky railway station (now Moscow) in St. Petersburg only in 1852.
At different times, Christmas trees were decorated in different ways: first with fruits, natural and artificial flowers, to create the effect of a flowering tree. Later, the decorations became fabulous: gilded cones, surprise boxes, sweets, nuts and burning Christmas candles. Soon handmade toys were added: children and adults made them from wax, cardboard, cotton wool and foil. And at the end of the 19th century, wax candles were replaced by electric garlands.
During the First World War, Emperor Nicholas II declared the Christmas tree tradition "enemy". After the October Revolution, the ban was lifted, but in 1926 the power of the workers and peasants again eliminated the "Christmas tree" tradition, considering it to be bourgeois.
Only in 1938, a huge 15-meter Christmas tree with ten thousand decorations and toys appeared in Moscow, in the Hall of Columns of the House of the Unions. It began to be installed annually and held there for children new year holidays called "Christmas trees". Since 1976, the main New Year tree of the country has become a tree installed in the State Kremlin Palace.
By the 1960s, the Christmas tree had become familiar and loved by every family. And its decoration - with glass balls, toys and paper garlands - one of the main family ceremonies.
The holiday of the Christmas tree was originally intended for children and was to remain forever in the memory of the child as a day of mercy and kindness. The festive tree was prepared by adults without fail in secret from children. To this day, the New Year's mystery and gifts miraculously appearing under the Christmas tree remain the main magic of childhood.
The custom of isolating a Christmas tree from all the trees and decorating it for the holiday was born among the inhabitants of Germany. The Germans believed that the spruce is a sacred tree, in the branches of which the good "spirit of the forests" lives - the defender of truth. Turning green at any time of the year, she personified immortality, eternal youth, courage, fidelity, longevity and dignity. Even her 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 different gifts"for the 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 dressed in this way warded off evil spirits and evil spirits. They decorated the Christmas tree and toys.
And already from Germany, this custom has spread to other countries. Some scholars believe that the first Christmas tree was decorated in the 16th century in Alsace (formerly part of Germany, but now part of France).
In our country, the fate of the Christmas tree was not easy. And before an elegant New Year tree began to appear in our houses, by order of Peter I, the dwelling was decorated simply 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 gostiny yard. The decree was not 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. Decorated spruce first lit up with lights in 1852 in St. Petersburg in the premises of the Ekaterininsky railway station
The first public Christmas tree, according to contemporaries Another version of the first Christmas tree. It is believed that the very first Christmas tree was installed in Riga in 1510. Evidence of this is not only the documents found in the archives of Riga, but also the oldest in the world Christmas tree toy. True, there are still disputes 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 still 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 caps. But after the holiday, the tree was burned.
The Christmas tree has long been considered a symbol of Christmas and New Year. But how did she become one?
There is no mention of a tree dressed up for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ in the New Testament. There is a mention that at the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem, people met him with palm branches. The palm tree in Christianity was a symbol of victory over death. In Hawaii, the palm is still used as a Christmas tree. And in the USA (Florida) the Christmas palm is grown. It got its name from the fact that its bright red fruits ripen just in time for December.
The first mention of the Christmas tree is found in the ancient Germanic legend of Saint Boniface. To prove the superiority of Christianity, he wanted to demonstrate the impotence of the pagan gods and cut down the sacred Tree of Odin (Torah), while saying: "Christian fir will grow on the roots of the felled oak of paganism". Fir sprouted from a stump as a symbol of Christianity...
In Livonia (the territory of modern Estonia) in the 15th century, the Brotherhood of the Blackheads set up a large Christmas tree on the main square of Rivel (modern Tallinn), and the inhabitants arranged festivities around it with dances.
The 16th-century Bremen Chronicle describes decorating Christmas trees with "paper flowers, pretzels, dates, nuts, and apples" at Christmas.
In Germany, there was an ancient custom to decorate a Christmas tree in the forest with the help of patches and wax candles; various rituals were held near such a tree. Spruce was identified with the world tree, and tradition christmas decoration fir trees were common. Later, trees began to be installed in the house.
As the population of Germany was baptized, many rituals and customs began to be filled with Christian content. This also affected the custom of decorating Christmas trees, timed to coincide with Christmas. The Christmas tree officially became the Christmas tree, it was also called the "Klaus tree".
Very little documentary evidence of those times remains. The debate about the "first Christmas tree in Europe" even led to a diplomatic conflict between Tallinn and Riga.
However, the first "official" Christmas tree is attributed to Martin Luther, who installed a tree in his house for Christmas. Luther saw it as a symbol of the Tree of Life in Eden.
New Year tree in Russia.
In Russia, the first mention of New Year trees dates back to the time of Peter I. In his decree on the transfer of the New Year from September 1 to January 1, “following the example of all Christian peoples”, it was ordered to launch rockets, light fires and decorate the capital with needles: “For large streets, near deliberate houses, in front of the gates, put some decorations from trees and branches of pine, spruce and cerebellum against the samples that are made at Gostiny Dvor. And “meager people” were offered “everyone, at least put a tree or branch on the gate or over his temple ... but stand on that decoration of January on the first day.”
Needle decorations were ordered to be installed not indoors, but outside - on gates, roofs of taverns, streets and roads. Thus, the Christmas tree turned into a detail of the New Year's cityscape, and not the Christmas interior, which it later became.
After Peter's death, the custom was forgotten for a long time. Only taverns were still decorated with Christmas trees. Drinking establishments were identified by these Christmas trees. Christmas trees decorated roofs or gates all year round, only in December the old Christmas trees were replaced with new ones. Taverns even began to be called "Christmas Trees" or "Ivan Yolkins".
In the 19th century, the first Christmas trees appeared in St. Petersburg, in the houses of the Germans who lived there.
The first official Christmas tree in Russia was arranged by Nicholas I at the request of his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, born Princess Charlotte of Prussia. On December 24, 1817, on her initiative, a home Christmas tree was installed in the personal chambers of the imperial family in Moscow, in 1818 - in the Anichkov Palace.
At Christmas 1828, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna arranged a "Children's Tree" for her five children and nieces in the Great Dining Room of the Palace. The children of some courtiers were also at the feast. Christmas trees decorated with gilded apples, sweets and nuts stood on the tables. There were gifts under the trees.
Until the 1840s, the custom of putting up a Christmas tree in Russia was not widespread, palace Christmas trees were an exception. For example, neither A. S. Pushkin nor M. Yu. Lermontov mention Christmas trees in their works when describing the Christmas festivities. In the mid-1840s, there was an explosion - the "German innovation" began to spread rapidly throughout St. Petersburg. The whole capital was engulfed by the “Christmas tree hype”. The custom became popular along with the fashion for the works of German writers and, above all, Hoffmann, whose "Christmas tree" works "The Nutcracker" and "Lord of the Fleas" were very popular in Russia at that time.
Since the late 1840s, the sale of Christmas trees began. They were traded by peasants near the Gostiny Dvor. Subsequently, this seasonal craft belonged to Finnish peasants and gave them a lot of extra money, because Christmas trees were expensive.
The metropolitan nobility quickly moved away from the model of small German Christmas trees and arranged competitions: who had a larger, thicker, more elegant, richly decorated Christmas tree. In those days, they tried to decorate Christmas trees with sweets: nuts, sweets, cookies, curly gingerbread, fruits. After the end of the holiday, the decorations of the Christmas tree were sorted out for souvenirs and for eating. In wealthy homes, Christmas trees were often decorated with expensive decorations: earrings, rings and rings, as well as expensive cloth and ribbons.
