Pagan Christmas Tree

One christmas tradition was that st.

Pagan christmas tree. To celebrate the return of life at the beginning of winter s decline. However in pre christian pagan cultures the holly was associated with the god of winter the holly king doing his annual battle with the oak king. Until the mid nineteenth century the christmas tree was seen as a primarily pagan tradition in the united states. They adorned the tree with brightly color bulbs and balls to represent their worship of the sun.

The tree was an oak once sacred to the former pagans. Although the specific practices were different in each country and culture the symbolization was generally the same. They began to worship the evergreen tree as it was the one tree that remained green during the winter. Holly was known as a wood that could drive off evil spirits as well so it came in handy during the darker half of the year when most of the other trees were bare.

A common reason given by those wishing to force a tie in between pagan superstitions and christmas is that evergreen plants warded off sickness evil spirits and witches or that the sun god became weakest near the winter solstice and evergreen trees showed that he would soon be returning to strength and vigor 9 other cultures associated evergreen boughs with certain gods for the norse it was balder or as symbols of everlasting life 10 but the association of a tree with prosperity and long. Winfred cut down a deciduous tree in the presence of some newly baptized christians. The early puritan settlers did not accept the german tradition initially because of its cultic roots. In 1659 a law was established in massachusetts outlawing the celebration of christmas with the exception of church attendance.

Similarly in ancient rome the festival saturnalia was celebrated from december 17 through december 23. It miraculously split into four pieces revealing an evergreen tree growing from the center of the oak stump. Dating back centuries before christ cultures brought evergreen trees plants and leaves into their homes upon the arrival of the winter solstice which occurs in the northern hemisphere between december 21st and 22nd. The slightly longer answer is that a lot of modern pagans find a way to blend the christmas traditions of their childhood with the pagan beliefs they ve come to embrace as adults.

Pagan origins of the christmas tree ancient egyptians used to decorate the temples dedicated to ra the god of the sun with green palm during the winter solstice. So yes you can have a family yule celebration and still have a holiday tree roast chestnuts on the open fire and even hang stockings with care by the fire.