In 1848, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert (another German transplant) captured the imaginations of royal watchers around the world when the Illustrated London News published an illustration of their family gathered around a decorated Christmas tree. But it was another British queen who made Christmas trees the seasonal icon they are today.

Queen Charlotte-the princess of a German duchy who married King George III in the mid-18th century- is thought to have introduced the first Christmas tree to the royal household. Trees become trendy in the United Kingdom By the 18th century, Cusack says, Christmas trees were all over Europe. German emigrants took these traditions with them as they resettled in other countries. Cusack says that Protestant reformer Martin Luther is often credited with being the first to put lights on the Christmas tree-with candles rather than today’s electric lights, which were invented in 1882-after a nighttime stroll through the forest with twinkling stars above. Still, the tradition caught on among German families and slowly evolved through the years to what we know today. Cusack doesn’t believe there’s any substance to those theories instead, she says, “The Christmas tree was intended to be religiously neutral in the context of Christianity.” Others believe the Christmas tree evolved from Christmas pyramids, wooden structures decorated with evergreen boughs and religious figures. Some suggest that it was inspired by the paradise tree, a symbol of the Garden of Eden that featured in a medieval play about Adam and Eve. ( Related: Read the surprisingly tangled history of the origins of Santa Claus.)įolklore offers a number of different explanations for the meaning of the tree. (Now part of France, the region was considered German territory at the time.) Historical records indicate that a Christmas tree was raised in the Strasbourg Cathedral in 1539-and that the tradition had grown so popular throughout the region that the city of Freiburg banned felling trees for Christmas in 1554. Instead, Cusack says it’s more likely that the Christmas tree as we know it was born in the Alsace region during the 16th century. But that hasn’t stopped these two countries from fighting for bragging rights-and in Riga’s Town Hall Square, a plaque commemorates the spot of the first Christmas tree. Gustavs Strenga of the National Library of Latvia in Riga told the New York Times in 2016 that the guild’s festivities were likely unrelated to Christmas. Historians have cast doubt on both claims. Photograph by Ikars Kublins, Alamy Stock Photo Here’s a look at how the Christmas tree evolved into a modern icon-and inspired new customs along the way.Ī Christmas tree towers outside St. But while Christmas trees appear around the world, their origins are traced to regions with abundant evergreen forests-especially those in northern Europe.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when and where these pagan traditions morphed into the tradition as we know it: Several countries claim to be the birthplace of the Christmas tree, and there are competing mythologies that seek to explain what it all means.

“Evergreens at midwinter festivals were traditional since the ancient world, signifying the victory of life and light over death and darkness,” writes Carole Cusack, professor of religious studies at the University of Sydney, in an email. Christmas trees are a strange tradition, if you think about it: Every December, people in regions around the world head to the nearest forest, chop down a tree, drag it into their homes, adorn it with lights, baubles, and tinsel-then unceremoniously drag it to the curb in January.īut evergreen boughs have been essential seasonal decor since ancient times as part of pagan winter solstice celebrations.