When did Christians start using Christmas trees? And why?

Answer 1

Long Long ago and it wasn't untill after the use of tree's by Pagan worshippers, then the Christians adopted the tree for NON PAGAN CHRIST CHILD BIRTH CELEBRATIONS. For the rest of the story:History of the Riga Christmas Tree
When searching for the historical beginning of the first Christmas tree, one must go very deep into the past. Just like Santa Claus one finds that the first Christmas tree was combination of many different facts, legends and customs all starting in the Baltic countries and what is now Northern Germany. The first documented use of an evergreen tree in a Christmas celebration was in Riga, Latvia, in the year 1510 according to many sources.


Finland has Santa Claus. Russia has traditional handmade Christmas ornaments. Germany has Christmas markets. But arguably the most well-known of Christmas traditions -- decorating the Christmas tree -- may have its origin in Latvia. And it's all but unknown.

In the past, there have been stories about Martin Luther walking in the woods near Riga and he created the first Christmas Tree. But actually, the Riga tree reference and the Martin Luther Tree reference are two different occurrences.
Riga's First Christmas Tree

year 1510

The Martin Luther Tree was not the Riga Tree. In fact, little is known about the original Riga tree other than the fact that it was attended by men wearing black hats, and that after a ceremony, they burnt the tree.

This was a mixture of pagan and Christian custom, as were very many of the customs in Central/Northern Europe at that time.

The Martin Luther walk in the forest, believed to actually in Northern Germany and his lighted tree actually occurred several decades later.

In Latvia as in all of northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun as a part of pagan activities where people were living their life as they had done for hundreds of years before.

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. Holly berries were thought to be a food of the gods.

Answer 2

True Christians never started using Christmas trees.

Check the Bible. After Christ died, there's no mention of a Christmas tree.

Answer 3

In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. He did many good works there, and spent much time in Thuringia, an area which was to become the cradle of the Christmas Decoration Industry.

Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God's Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.

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Answer 4

Christians will do anything the other Christians do! Like putting put X-mas trees, yet the trees are a Pagan symbol!

Answer 5

I called mine a Winter Wonderland Tree this year & only put Icicles, snowflakes & a star ontop, but....
Since when is Christmas just not a regular Holiday & not really a Biblical observance anyway?
check the bible? Where in the bible does it say to observe Christ's birth? Christ was the perfect teacher & He showed others how to observe the days. Even after He ascended to the Father, there is no record, I'm aware of, that the desciples were teaching others how to observe Christ's birth as a day to observe yearly. One would be observing Christ's accomplishment on the cross, daily.

Answer 6

I don't know exactly when it happened, but I do know that Christians began doing this to integrate and assimilate pagans to worship God...it was easier for them to get pagans to do something that was familiar than it was to try to teach them something they didn't know or understand...it's like they were being tricked into thinking that they were doing the same things they were doing before only they were doing it for another 'god'. Not fair to pagans, but Christians got what they wanted...

Answer 7

Decorated trees were used LONG before xtians even existed. Nothing about xtianity is new....It's all copied from other religions.

Answer 8

I think it came from Germany.

Answer 9

I dont know b.c u can make em pretty..