where did the tradition of christmas root from and how do evergreen tree play apart in it.?

Answer 1

http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm
http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htmNo one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?

The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.

In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.

In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”

The controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist sects.

Answer 2

If you are not a Christian, and study it based on historical accounts of cultural development, it comes from the Pagan Yule celebration. This was done on the Solstice, more of a natural holiday than a religious one, marking the point where the days begin to get longer and nights shorter again. I am not one hundred percent sure, but I would think that the evergreen tree is used because it is a symbol of persistence through winter. It is that one little green reminder that the world is still alive, even if the spring and summer plants are "sleeping" and covered with snow.

Answer 3

The short answer is that noone knows for certain. The earliest mention of Christmas trees at Christmas is relatively late on in Christianity and in areas which had been Christian for hundreds of years so any supposed pagan link is extremely unlikely (As an aside, the same goes for Christmas itself - no pagan link is proven, pagan origins are a Victorian myth). There is a very plausible Christian link. In Medieval Europe the custom arose of telling biblical stories through drama - through what are known as "Mystery plays". The best known these days are the passion plays (Oberramergau, for example). However, there were also Christmas plays - a hangover is, perhaps, the school nativity play. These plays would not simply depict the nativity. They would trace its origins through Old Testament stories. Christ is known as the second Adam who came to save us from the consequences of the sin of the first Adam. Some of the plays started with Genesis - the story of Adam and Eve in the garden in the midst of which stood - a tree. The tree was hung with fruit. The baubles we now decorate Xmas trees with are a hang over from - in some places they still use fruit.

Answer 4

Paganism....
Ever green is symbolic to some twisted story about life and death... I had the whole thing a while ago but toally forgot it..sorry!