how long have christmas lights been around and who invented them ? is he/she still alive?
2006-12-09 13:44:03 · 4 answers · asked by dyl47 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Other - Holidays
Actually, the use of light at this season originally comes from the Celtic religion. On the longest night of the year (which is why the birth of Jesus was put at this same time, i.e., it is an ancient time of mystery and worship) the Celts would light fires to drive the darkness away. As Christianity became the new state religion of Rome, it adopted a wide number of pagan rituals and practices (Mary as the goddess figure; the gods as saints; virginal clergy, etc). Christmas came at the same time as "Saturnalia", a major Roman festival, and also of "samhain", the Celtic festival of light. Christians combined the two and so we began to have light associated with Christmas.
2006-12-09 13:50:00 · answer #1 · answered by Isis 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christmas lights started hundreds of years ago when candles were used to put on trees.
2006-12-09 21:49:05 · answer #2 · answered by Flea© 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe it was Martin Luther, when he was walking in the forest one night, looked up and saw the stars through the trees. He incorporated this into showing God's love for us. He chopped down a tree, brought it home, and fastened tapers (old fashioned candles) on to it to mimic the stars.
2006-12-13 16:59:20 · answer #3 · answered by deniqua 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you mean the "electric lights on strings" themselves, or the idea of having lights during the midwinter holiday?
If the former, then 1882:
http://www.oldchristmaslights.com/history.htm
If the latter, then several hundred years:
http://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/yule/index2.html
2006-12-09 21:52:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋