Today, New Year's celebration is impossible to imagine without a Christmas tree decorated with toys and garlands. This fluffy and prickly beauty brings a feeling of approaching triumph to every home, and the smell of needles instantly enlivens childhood memories associated with fun and gifts.
Few can imagine a New Year's holiday without a Christmas tree, but the tradition of dressing it up has appeared relatively recently. Not everyone knows what ways this custom came to us, and when exactly it is necessary to put a Christmas tree.
The origins and features of the holiday
New Year's Eve and the period of Christmas time - the darkest and mystical time. According to the beliefs of the ancient peoples who inhabited Europe, it is at the end of the year that nature dies to be reborn, and the old calendar is replaced by a report of new days. It was believed that evergreens in this period have a special vitality. To get a part of it, all family members touched the Christmas tree brought to the house, and it was customary to touch its branches with its branches.
The very first information about the New Year holidays dates back to the 16th century. It was then that the guild organizations and guilds from the Aleman region of Alsace began to arrange Christmas celebrations for their children. Then a small fluffy Christmas tree or pine tree was hung from the ceiling and decorated its branches with sweets and toys. At the end of the holiday, children were allowed to shake gifts from the branches.
By the middle of the XVII century, the beautiful tradition of decorating the Christmas tree on the eve of the Christmas holidays was fully formed, and New Year trees standing on the floor and decorated with all kinds of toys appeared in all wealthy houses in Germany and Austria. They put a Christmas tree 1-2 days before Christmas to please the children and bring the atmosphere of a happy holiday to the house.
In the 1840s, the custom to plant a festively decorated tree appeared in Russia. At first, he did not have much success, but, over time, New Year trees appeared at Christmas markets, and in the homes of nobles, and in rural clubs.
