THE CHRISTMAS TREE: Doesn't it have pagan origins? Pagan beliefs r separate from the main relig. in the world?

Answer 1

Yes. Christianization of Paganism is the reason why the Christmas tree used in current Christian practices.

Answer 2

The Christmas Tree was indeed a pagan custom...but it was a little different than the modern day interprtation. The Christmas Tree, at one point in time was known as the Yule Tree. Around the middle of Midwinter people would go out searching for firewood and the only things that was still green amongst the snows of the cold north were the firs. (aka Christmas Tree) it was seen as life amongst the cold desolate winter. However a true Yule Tree was the biggest fattest piece of wood that would be great burners int he fireplace. (The Yule Log) It would be decorated before the Solstice with whatever was available and then the night of the Solstice would be reduced to being burned for the warmth and community it offered. It was said luck and blessings would be with the Yule Log as long as it was still lit and burning, that was the reason the biggest one was brought back-in tact.

Religions and civilizations have changed the traditions slightly depending on their need. But it is still a fir still decorated and still disposed of after it's ceremonial use.

the tree was proof of life in the absolute worst part of existance, the dead of winter. lights are the modern version of candles that were symbollic of the many stars from the sky (the only real part of the fire portion of the ancient ways of the north to reamin). Bulbs or globes are modern from the apples that were decorated on the tree. Apples were a symbol of fortune in the Roman Saturnalia fest of the south that got intermingled once Rome took a hold of the Germanic traditions. Apples were also a symbol of Apollo from the Greek myths that had a huge popularity in Rome.

Also of note. Christmas Trees in most of Europe and America were unheard of until the English Queen married a German King and the German refused to give up his Christmas traditions of Germany (the tree) So once everyone discovered how interesting the tree was, all the socialites wanted to be like the Queen and began errecdting their own Christmas Trees for greedy reasons. And voilla! Hallmark occations were born.

Answer 3

Not really. Pagans wouldn't cut a tree just to decorate it for two weeks. The yule log is from pagan traditions. The rumor of the Christmas tree starts around the time of Martin Luther ( in Germany, I think ) Dr. Luther was walking in the woods one night and saw the stars twinkling through the branches of a fir tree. He thought it to be so lovely that when he got home, he chopped down a fir tree and put candles in it. Not very smart, in my opinion, but, people have been doing it this way for a long time.

Many modern day Judeo-Christian customs are based on pagan origins. Judaism is still an animal sacrifice religion, There isn't a temple alter to do it at, though. The Sabbath table has become the temporary alter for bread and wine offerings. Communion is based on the pagan rite of passage of pouring ox blood on the initiate priest of the pagan god Mithra.

Answer 4

Yes

"The christmas tree is a reminder of Yggdrasil, the world tree upon which Odin hung in the ordeal that won him the runes."

It also explains why things were originaly hung from them.

It's from one of the Pagan Northern religions.

As a side track to a previous answer. Paganism pre dates Christianity by a good few thousand years

Answer 5

Yes. Christmas trees are a pagan tradition, which is why I don't understand why so many people became offended by large Christmas trees that were placed in big cities around the countries. There are no religious connotations with this American tradition. Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to earth to ransom His church.

Answer 6

Christmas is a Pagan holiday. It is a widely known fact that jesus was born in March. Think about it, woudl shepherds be out in the middle fo their feilds at night in the middle of winter? it'd be too cold.

Christmas was originally a Roman Holiday, called Saturnalia, which was a kind of Sun festival that was celebrated during the winter. During Saturnalia, Roman men would feast, get drunk, and have sex with other Roman men. People acted so crazy during Christmas that the Protestant Church banned it until the 1800's.

Answer 7

Yes, just about everything having to do with Christmas and Easter have their roots in pagan celebrations, which were around LONG before Christianity. The Christians adopted all of it in order to lure pagans into abandoning their beliefs and taking up Christianity because, afterall, they still get to keep their celebrations.

It was highly manipulative and wrong.

As atheists, our family celebrates Christmas because it was around before Christianity.

"The tilt of the earth's access is the reason for the season."

Answer 8

Indeed it has a pagan origin. You know it came to Britain thanks to Queen Victoria's darling husband Albert! The tannenbaum (Christmas tree) Wouldn't have hit britain if it hadn't been for him.

I'm a catholic and remember many Christmas when all my father's parents would have for Christmas was a crib. My other grand-parents had both crib and Christmas tree. I have both! I love a victorian tree you see but then, and if you think about it ... Such trees have angels, little nativity scenes and mine certainly has, same as my grand-parents had! My gran used to make us (Grand-children) sit and make an anegl each, paint it and then she would put them on the Christmas tree. One angel per grand-child so and although it originates from paganism ... You could say that it was adapted to suit religion, mine certainly!

Answer 9

The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost 1,000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time.

The above is an extract from the website below, give it a read as it provides a lot of useful information on the history of the christmas tree.

I also found this:

The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of the ancient pagan idea that the evergreen tree represents a celebration of the renewal of life. In Roman mosaics from what is today Tunisia, showing the mythic triumphant return from India of the Greek god of wine and male fertility, Dionysus (dubbed by some modern scholars as a life-death-rebirth deity), the god carries a tapering coniferous tree. Medieval legends, nevertheless, tended to concentrate more on the miraculous "flowering" of trees at Christmas time. A branch of flowering Glastonbury thorn is still sent annually for the Queen's Christmas table in the United Kingdom.

In Britain, the Christmas tree was introduced by King George III's German Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, but did not spread much beyond the royal family. Queen Victoria as a child was familiar with the custom, in her journal for Christmas Eve 1832, the delighted 13-year-old Princess wrote: "After dinner...we then went into the drawing-room near the dining-room...There were two large round tables on which were placed two trees hung with lights and sugar ornaments. All the presents being placed round the trees...". After her marriage to her German cousin, Prince Albert, the custom became even more widespread. In 1847, Prince Albert wrote: "I must now seek in the children an echo of what Ernest [his brother] and I were in the old time, of what we felt and thought; and their delight in the Christmas-trees is not less than ours used to be". The generous Prince Albert also presented large numbers of trees to schools and army barracks at Christmas. Images of the royal family with their Christmas tree at Osborne House were illustrated in English magazines, initially as a woodcut in the Illustrated London News of December 1848, and copied in the United States at Christmas 1850 (illustration, left). Such patriotic prints of the British royal family at Christmas celebrations helped popularise the Christmas tree in Britain and among the anglophile American upper class.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree

Answer 10

Most christmas traditions have pagan origins. christmas was also placed in December for the sole purpose of overshadowing Pagan holidays.