Why do people have Christmas trees?
During the holiday of Christmas, lots of people put up a special Christmas Tree in their home, which is almost always an evergreen tree (like pines and firs) that they then decorate with ornaments and lights!
Today's Christmas Tree traditions go back to Germany in the 1500s (about 500 years ago), when families set up trees in their homes to resemble the tree used in a religious play that was popular at Christmastime.
In the U.S., the custom was brought over from Germany, although it didn't become really popular until the 1800-1900s.
Today, the Christmas Tree is one of the most well-known and loved symbols of Christmas!
by Mya Kagan (Whyzz writer)
Exploration
Ornaments!
If your family celebrates Christmas and puts up a Christmas tree, what are some of your favorite ornaments that you use for decoration every year? Do you use round ornaments made of glass or plastic? Do you make your own ornaments every year? Try cutting out some special paper snowflakes, or drawing some nice pictures of Santa for your tree this year! What other similar traditions do you know about from other cultures where people decorate for special reasons??
Further Information
Before the "modern" Christmas Trees we use today, which started in Germany in the 1500s, evergreen trees had already been used as part of celebrations around the same time of year for a very long time. Many ancient cultures like the Egyptians and Romans used evergreen trees and branches as symbols and in customs and celebrations, since these trees remained green during winter when almost everything else was not!
