When and where was the garland first lit. Christmas lights. The history of the electric garland

08.05.2019

No one New Year does not do without garlands. This item of decoration is undoubtedly present in every home during the New Year period. The garland is able to bring into your home a real festive atmosphere. But not all of us know the history of the appearance of this decorative element. Where did the garland come from? This is what we will talk about today.

If you delve into history, you can stumble upon a very old biblical legend, which tells how three trees wanted to congratulate Christ on the birthday of Christ. These were palm, olive and spruce. All these trees had something to give, but the spruce had nothing but prickly needles and resin. The palm tree and the olive tree mocked the spruce, and the Angel, who was watching all this action, decided to take pity on the spruce, and after a few seconds it sparkled with many lights. It was to these lights that the newborn Christ turned his attention.

Another important event, which is directly related to the garlands, was the discovery of the tomb by archaeologists in 2006. This tomb is located near the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. After excavation, they found eight sarcophagi and in one of them were found the remains of ancient garlands. They were an ornament made of interweaving gold threads and flowers. According to one version, such garlands were worn by relatives of the late pharaoh. After the death of the majestic rulers, they also dressed in such decorations. Before the excavations were carried out, scientists could see the ancient prototype of garlands only in ancient drawings.

As for when the electric garland nevertheless appeared, there is no exact answer to this question. According to one version, the authorship was assigned to Edward Johnson, who, as you know, was an assistant to Thomas Edison. According to another version of Ralph Morris. Edward Johnson first presented his invention in 1882. He connected eighty light bulbs and dyed them different colors. Unfortunately, the invited journalists, and there were quite a few of them, did not show much interest in this invention. Apparently they were expecting something incredible. Of all the journalists present, only one became interested, and then not for long. So, it would seem that a great invention was left without due attention.

The idea of creating a garland came to Ralph Morris in 1895. At that time he worked as a telephone operator. So, watching the flickering of light bulbs at work, he decided to decorate his Christmas tree in this way. Thanks to this, serial production of garlands was soon launched in America. In the future, the garland has already decorated the spruce in front of the White House in the United States. Thus, the garland has become a popular element of New Year's decor.

As for the appearance of garlands in Russia, they appeared only in 1938. This is primarily due to the First World War. At that time, Christmas tree decoration was considered a German custom and the idea was rejected. Garlands were allowed to be used only after the October Revolution at the end of 1935. Only this year, for the first time, people were able to celebrate the New Year with decorated Christmas trees that shone with hundreds of colorful lights.

Today, probably, in more than one house and not in one family, the celebration of the New Year and Christmas is not complete without the use of electric garlands. They decorate not only Christmas trees or pines, but also windows, doors, and some even completely their homes, imitating the famous Western tradition decorate your place of residence brighter than that of a neighbor. One way or another, but the electric garland has long been used by mankind as almost the main element of decoration. new year holidays. But how long ago? Let's dive into the history of this electrical device.

More in 1700, when Peter I brought a Christmas tree to Russia, and with it the tradition of decorating this tree with all kinds of candles and fireworks. By the way, at that time they were required attribute along with Christmas decorations, and this was controlled by the state to one degree or another. In Europe, burning candles began to be used even in the 15th century and originally they were not intended for decoration, but to scare away evil spirits. The electric garland came into our holiday use much later, when practical use electricity began to slowly penetrate the masses.

For the first time, the idea to replace traditional fire-dangerous candles and fireworks on a Christmas tree with their electric counterparts in 1895 put forward by the English inventor and part-time employee of one of the telephone companies Ralph Morris. By this time, electric bulbs began to be widely used as artificial lighting (the history of the electric bulb), and Morris only suggested hanging these bulbs in the form of a garland, connecting them to the electrical network. According to another version, though unverified, the first garland of electric light bulbs in 1882 made by the assistant of the great and unique Thomas Edison, Edward Johnson. But due to the complexity of the design, it did not receive practical implementation. But Morris managed not only to develop this idea, but also figured out the easiest way to implement it.

In the same 1895 one of the first working electric lights was used to decorate the Christmas tree in front of the White House in Washington, USA. Only in 1906 this idea was adopted by Europe and in particular by Finland. It was this year that several Finnish capital Christmas trees, by order of the then government, were decorated with electric light bulbs connected in a garland.

Soviet Russia lagged behind a little in this respect. Only in 1938 the first household electric garland came off the assembly line of one of the Soviet factories. Although it is known that the use electric garland brought from abroad in 1897 in the palace in Tsarskoye Selo.

Initially, the first Soviet garlands were ordinary light bulbs connected to each other with wires into a common electrical circuit. Only by the end of the 50s of the last century, garlands began to be produced in the form of various multi-colored figures. By the 1960s, it was already established production. Electric garlands of the most various forms and fastening structures were produced at once by several factories specializing in the manufacture of electrical appliances.

Cyber Jingle Bells
There is a biblical tradition about how they wanted to congratulate the born Christ on the birth of trees - palm, olive and spruce. But Eli had nothing to present to the baby, except for her prickly needles and sticky resin - and her tree friends ridiculed her. The angel watched what was happening and took pity on the modest tree, at the wave of his hand the stars from the sky decorated the thorny branches with many bright lights, and it was to them, the cheerful lights, that the awakened divine baby reached out.

We remember New Year's Eve from childhood
The cry that lifted the soul up: -
We came to the holiday today
Come on, Christmas tree, light up!
Again with us a colorful holiday,
And you have to have fun.
I give you this garland,
Let your Christmas tree light up!

New Year's lighting plays in creating a festive atmosphere and festive spirit key role. Without New Year's garlands on Christmas trees today it is simply impossible to imagine the New Year either at home or on the street. Modern new Year decoration designed to be illuminated by New Year's garlands and without them they are not able to play their role. And it turns out that garlands are the most important New Year's decoration.

"Fairy Lights" are ancient symbol good spirits - deceased ancestors protecting their relatives living on earth, or just good magical creatures - elves and fairies. This symbol is also rooted in prehistoric beliefs about other world that existed long before the advent of Christianity.

Thus, the tradition of lighting the New Year tree arose a very long time ago. She came to Russia in 1700 from Europe. It was then that Peter I, a lover of reforms, issued an order related to the use of ordinary candles as an indispensable Christmas tree decoration. Initially, wax candles were used for these purposes. This was extremely dangerous, since the risk of a fire increased many times over, but for the sake of creating new year atmosphere people made many sacrifices. Along with candles, the Christmas tree was decorated with fireworks, shiny toys and sweets.

It was a very risky undertaking, given that the needles have the ability to flare up rapidly. In order to avoid tragedies, the owners put a bucket of water next to the Christmas tree in advance, which helped to put out the flame from the candles in time. Because of this, our ancestors could not enjoy the magical moments, when beautiful lights lit up the Christmas tree decorated with sweets and decorated with sweets. Typically candles were lit for a short period on Christmas Eve itself and then extinguished.

Whatever fastenings for candles people came up with so that they could be placed at the very tips of the branches, away from the trunk, thereby avoiding fire, but the spruce trees still burned with enviable constancy. The first opportunity to avoid fire hazardous situations appeared only in late XIX century. Shortly before the original replacement for wax candles, Thomas Edison, a world-famous entrepreneur and innovator, invented the electric lamp. She laid the foundation for the garland, which was born 3 years later.

The first home electric Christmas tree garlands appeared a little over 130 years ago, on December 22, 1882, on the eve of Christmas, at the suggestion of close friend Thomas Edison, who headed his company, Edward Johnson, who arranged New Year's illumination in New York, i.е. just 3 years after Edison first lit his light bulb.

It is also believed that the idea to use electric garlands instead of wax candles belongs to the English telephone operator Ralph Morris. By that time, the filaments of electric light bulbs were already used in telephone switchboards, it only occurred to Morris to hang them on a Christmas tree.

Johnson pleased his children not only with bright Christmas tree lights. His tree not only sparkled beautifully, but thanks to the ingenious use of a small dynamo (another invention of Edison), which Johnson placed at the foot of the tree, rotated. In the basement there was a large dynamo that connected to a small one and turned it into a motor. Thus, a uniform rotation of the festive tree was achieved.

In 1882, journalists from the Detroit Post and Tribune visited the home of the great inventor in New York and saw a real miracle there that would surprise no one today: bright electric lights on a Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was not so high, its height was a little less than two meters. But everyone entering the room was dazzled by its splendor and even more by the novelty of the idea. The Christmas tree was decorated with one hundred and twenty electric lights and balls different colors. Light bulbs were also multi-colored. At first, only whites lit up, then whites and reds, and then it was the turn of whites with yellows and other colors. Bright tinsel shone with light bulbs and all this together created a hitherto unseen effect. decorated Christmas tree became one of the symbols of the Edison companies.

A month later, Electrical World magazine, popular in those years, wrote about Edison's Christmas tree. The enthusiasm of journalists knew no bounds. The tree in Edison's house was called by them "the finest Christmas tree in New York." 2 years later (in 1884) by a newspaper New York Times published a detailed report on this topic.

Soon, electric lights began to replace the usual candles from the trees. Because Johnson's Christmas tree made such a big impression on the public, the Edison company tried to bring its electric Christmas lights to market. There was only one problem: the price of light bulbs and the services of an electrician to install it. New Year's miracle was too high for the general public. The price was exorbitant - $300, which in terms of modern prices is $2000! However, wealthy people organized Christmas parties to show off their electric tree.

According to another version, the idea of an electric garland came to the mind of the telephonist Ralph Morris in 1895. Regularly observing the chains of electric light bulbs in telephone switchboards, Morris came up with the idea to hang strings of light bulbs on a Christmas tree. His idea was quickly picked up and, in 1895, the first New Year's electric garland was made in the USA, which decorated the fir tree in front of the White House in the USA.

It is said that in 1895, US President Grover Cleveland (Grover Cleveland) ordered a Christmas tree decorated with Edison illuminations for the White House (though, according to some sources, this happened as much as 30 years later, on December 25, 1923). From that moment on, electric lights began to steadily displace traditional candles (rather flammable) from the Christmas trees.

In 1903, the General Electric Company managed to reduce the cost of producing electric Christmas lights, but for the average consumer they remained as inaccessible as before. But their production has become massive. You could buy or rent them in the city department stores, provided that ... the city had electricity at all. Garland "Festoon" was only eight colored light bulbs in porcelain cartridges. It plugged into a regular outlet on the wall. General Electric never managed to patent its development.

There is a legend that a fifteen-year-old teenager named Albert Sadacca, after reading about the tragic fire Christmas tree candles in New York in 1917, persuaded his family to open new business, the essence of which was the production of New Year's electric garlands according to affordable price. At first, despite the marketing campaign, sales were low. As electricity took root in homes, electric lights became more common. So quite unexpectedly, Albert Sadakka became the head of the NOMA Electric Company, which was estimated at millions of US dollars. Large companies, including General Electric, the most famous in this market segment, also started producing Christmas tree garlands. And already in the 1930s, electric New Year's illumination became a common Christmas tree decoration. NOMA Electric Company only in 1965 lost its position under the onslaught of competition.

The next appearance of outdoor Christmas trees with electric garlands was in Finland in 1906.

In Russia, electric garlands most likely appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. Since at that time electric lamps were very expensive, economical customers were offered to rent New Year's illumination. At that time, the business of decorating Christmas trees with electric lights was much more complicated than it is now and before the start of mass production of factory garlands, they were always assembled from wires and lamps according to the requests, sizes of the Christmas tree and the financial capabilities of a particular customer. The garlands themselves, of course, were not as exquisite as they are now.

In the USSR, garlands began to be produced only in 1938, because they had previously been subjected to ideological persecution. The year was 1916, the world was engulfed by the First World War, when the wrath of the Holy Synod fell upon the New Year's trees, which considered holiday trees"German custom" and forbade their use. Less than ten years later, the spruces again found themselves outside the law - in 1924, after the October Revolution, Christmas itself fell under the ban, which they began to call the "priest's holiday", and everyone who wanted to keep the custom was punished. Of course, in such a deep ideological struggle, Christmas tree garlands could not survive. The former popularity of the New Year returned only in 1935, after Stalin uttered a phrase that later became famous - "Life has become better, life has become more fun." And the first New Year tree in the Hall of Columns was held in 1937.

The first Soviet Christmas tree illumination was called simply and tastefully - YOG-1 - and consisted of 2 parallel circuits of ten 13-volt light bulbs with a conical flask, painted with red, yellow, green and blue-violet colors, with the design of their carbolite cartridges in the form of traditional candles on clothespins for attaching to branches. The YOG-1 garland included 3 spare lamps and instructions for finding and replacing a burned-out lamp. Such a circuit solution was determined by the voltage of the household lighting network of 127 volts used at that time.

However, on January 8, 1919, the Soviet authorities in Samara arranged a Christmas tree for proletarian children from orphanages, where electric garlands also appeared, obviously expropriated from the bourgeoisie. “You should have seen the joy of the kids at the sight of a Christmas tree filled with lights and candles, which was decorated with many toys. The kids had incredible fun. They recited poems, acted out small skits, sang, danced, etc. ”, wrote the newspaper Commune on January 12, 1919.

Garlands made before the 90s of the XX century, as a rule, have replaceable lamps included in one common wire line. In the USSR, garlands produced at the Moscow Electric Lamp Plant were equipped with cartridges with small-sized lamps made in the form of lanterns, rockets, and various figures. Other Soviet garlands, made on ordinary lamps, have figured plastic shades in the form of "Pushkin lanterns", space rockets and other figures. Talk about Christmas tree garlands The USSR is possible ad infinitum. Here are just a few photos taken from ChristmasHeaven.ru:

Electric garland with light bulbs-figures stylized as Chinese lanterns, USSR, 1950-60s

An electric garland with light bulbs-figures: a piglet, a bear cub, a car, an airship, the "queen of the fields" - corn, etc., USSR, 1950-60s

Electrogarland "Cosmos", USSR, Kiev cable plant "Ukrkabel", 1960-70s

Electric garland "Candle", USSR, Kiev cable plant "Ukrkabel", 1970s

Electric garland "Polish Lantern", USSR, "MELZ", 1970s

Electric garland with bulbs in the form of multi-colored Christmas balls decorated with curlicues, USSR, MELZ, 1970s

Electric garland "Christmas tree lanterns", USSR, Voronezh plant of electrovacuum devices, 1970s.

Electric garland "Forest Fairy Tale", USSR, Voronezh plant of electrovacuum devices, 1970s

Electrogarland "Golden Flashlight", USSR, Voronezh Electrotechnical Plant, 1980s

Electric garland "Flowers", USSR, 1980s

If for production Christmas decorations there are separate factories where specially trained craftsmen work, then the production of garlands was mastered, as an additional industry, by enterprises that had nothing to do with Christmas tree decorations. For example, the Moscow Electric Lamp Plant produced all kinds of incandescent lamps, including those for the Kremlin stars, and radio tubes, the Nalchik NPO Telemekhanika produced radio-electronic equipment, and the Voronezh Plant of Electrovacuum Devices was the USSR's largest manufacturer of kinescopes for televisions.

In most garlands, since the 60s, small bulbs with an E10 screw base (13.5 V, 0.16 A) have been used. Minimal amount bulbs in a garland designed for 220 V - 18 (this is how Cosmos, Candle, Droplet and most unpretentious garlands of the late 80s were released), but more often the garland was made with a margin of safety - for 20 bulbs. The exceptions are garlands with figurine bulbs, as well as "Polish" and "Moscow" lanterns - they have 15 bulbs each, but the parameters of the bulbs are different. In the 80s, a lot of garlands appeared with non-standard bulbs: not with a threaded base, but with wire contacts, and almost every model uses a special type of bulb. When burned out, finding a replacement can be problematic. In the 80s, the production of garlands was put on stream, their design was no longer approached “with soul”, therefore, the products do not differ in beauty and originality. It is not always even clear what, in fact, the plafond depicts: either a flower or a star. Almost the only material for the ceiling lamps is plexiglass - sometimes colored, however, more often - transparent, and ordinary light bulbs are placed inside, roughly painted with quickly fading paint. In the early 90s, garlands were no longer produced in our country, they were replaced by Chinese-made products.

With the advent of LED electric garlands at the beginning of the 21st century, the age of electric garlands with incandescent lamps has ended. LED garlands (and with microbulbs) are much safer, consume little electricity, the design is more diverse, the possibilities are much wider. Currently, electric garlands are mainly produced in the form of non-separable electrical products with ultra-small lamps pressed into cable branches. In addition, the combination of several wire harnesses with an electronic control unit in a garland allows you to create a variety of lighting effects (the most common of them is “running lights”). Some garlands, intended mainly for the decoration of trade enterprises, also have microchip musical synthesizers that play one or more programmed melodies. Such products are now overwhelmingly produced at enterprises in China.

In frosts, the orange smell is stronger!
Considers the railing spruce paw,
Scratching the wall, losing needles,
I dived into the apartment, woke up in paradise.

A box of toys... Their time does not age,
And the cook on the branch cooks again,
The rocket takes off, the ship floats,
The lantern is silvering... The New Year has come!

But somehow it happened that there is no more means
Light a garland that illuminated childhood:
There is a lack of lamps in it with the stamp "USSR"
A Chinese masterpiece took its place.

Garland divit foreign coloring
And she knows foreign tales,
The lights are dancing, the fabulous light is dancing,
It is a pity that my fairy tales are not in her memory.

They are often referred to as "disposable" because they save on everything in their manufacture. Here and low-quality plastic, and thin, easily torn wires, hardly designed for a voltage of 220 V, a flimsy plug, and the garlands themselves consist of the simplest colored light bulbs that are of no interest. The main distinguishing feature Chinese garlands - blinking. But this function is explained not so much from an aesthetic point of view (continuous flickering, on the contrary, seems annoying to many), but from a technical point of view: with continuous burning, the polyethylene cartridges of Chinese garlands quickly melt.

In particular, as LIGABusinessInform correspondent reported in December 2011 (hardly what has changed in a couple of years), out of 25 samples of tested New Year's garlands sold in retail chains Kyiv, not one passed the test, that is, did not answer regulatory documents fire safety and electromagnetic compatibility standards. Almost all such hazardous products are convinced by Alexander Pichugin, v.o. General Director of the state enterprise (SE) Ukrmetrtestandard, comes from China. At the same time, according to him, this case it is mainly about counterfeit and contraband products.

If desired, flashing could also be achieved from Soviet garlands if they were connected through a special interrupter device. Several types of interrupters were produced, for example, in the form of a robot or an owl with burning eyes. The device was placed under the Christmas tree and allowed you to turn on 2 or more garlands at once and adjust different modes blinking.

Now, with the widespread use of LED technology, LED garlands are becoming more widespread, as well as (as “high-tech”) fiber optic (light guide) ones. In addition to the external effect, LED garlands also have other important advantages. They are absolutely safe to use and do not pose any threat in terms of both fire safety and electrical safety.

Also, such garlands can be powered from the USB ports of your PC. The hi-tech garland is elegant and festive at the same time. In anticipation of cold weather, it becomes more and more relevant. The monitor, braided with the soft light of a garland, will pleasantly contrast with the wet and dank weather outside the window, creating a feeling of comfort. And for those who like to work at night, with a cup of strong coffee, the unobtrusive light of the bulbs will also alleviate the strain on the eyes.

Well, now, tips for choosing a good electric garland:

1) And the most important thing: do not buy a garland on a dubious type of street collapses and markets. There can be many unpleasant surprises: at best, a hand-bought decoration will not work, at worst, a Christmas tree decorated with such a garland will burst into flames right during the celebration of the New Year.

2) A good garland should consist of at least 10 luminous elements, at least three colors. The voltage of each light bulb should not exceed 26 volts, and the power of the entire garland should not exceed 65 watts (higher power may be a fire hazard). be sure to study the product safety certificate, since the reference to the fire certificate indicated in it serves as a guarantee against fire.

3) The length of the garland should correspond to the size of the Christmas tree itself, so that the "extra" light bulbs on the floor are not lying around, and the wire is not stretched. Ideally, the length of the wire from the last bulb to the plug should be at least one and a half meters, and the cross section of the wire itself should be at least 0.5 square millimeters, the insulation should be dense and flexible.

4) Pay no less attention to the connection points of the wire with the plug, with the mode switch, with light bulbs. The insulation must be dense and durable everywhere. The light bulb mode switch box must also be strong, otherwise it will quickly break, opening access to bare wires.

5) B last years garlands are becoming more and more common LED lamps: they have lower energy consumption, they do not heat up, but they greatly outperform their more primitive counterparts in brightness.

Bonus. Soviet garlands today

Today it is quite difficult to find a Soviet-era electric garland as an alternative to Chinese consumer goods. And yet, for many, such garlands have been preserved from childhood or youth. And someone is looking for rarities through acquaintances, flea markets or Internet auctions. Often such old garlands turn out to be non-working, but it is not at all difficult to put them in order. If you decide to give a second life to a garland found in your grandmother's attic, be patient. First of all, you should think about safety: the soldering points, where the wire is attached to the contacts of the cartridge, oxidize from time to time, the wire itself frays, and the PVC insulation leaves, exposing the metal. Do not be too lazy to re-solder all the wires, having achieved reliable contact and eliminating the exposure of the wire: on a Christmas tree decorated with conductive “rain”, this is very dangerous.

The most common light bulbs (E10, 13.5 V, 0.16A) can still be found in radio parts stores today. In no case do not short-circuit or cut off a cartridge with a burned-out lamp: if the number of lamps in a garland decreases, the load on the remaining ones will increase, and they will quickly fail. There should be at least 18 lamps, and preferably 20. And if you come across trimmings of the second copy of the same garland, you can solder 22 more - the garland will become almost eternal.

Another trick. Surely, many people remember the main "scourge" of Soviet garlands: the bulbs are connected in series, when one burns out, the entire garland goes out, and it is very difficult to find a burned out one. Look in the markets and the collapse with every little thing for a battery-powered probe screwdriver. The LED installed in such a screwdriver responds to an electromagnetic field. Turn on the burned-out garland in the network, after unraveling it and stretching it across the floor. Bring the tip of the screwdriver alternately to the wires coming from the plug. At one of the wires, the LED will light up; move the screwdriver further along the garland, watching the LED. When you pass a burnt out light bulb, the LED will turn off; replace light bulb.

By the way, if the appearance of your garland does not suit you very much, then it can be improved

To improve you will need:

Plain multi-colored garland with thin bulbs
- plastic tennis balls - 2-3 packs (buy at a sports store or borrow from Kournikova);
- a drill with a not very thick drill;
- vise (with the help of a vise, you can improve not only the garland ...).

1. We drill a hole in each ball. To do this, we clamp the ball in a vise, making a gasket out of a soft cloth.

2. We insert the bulbs into the holes of the balls and carefully glue them, making sure that the ball does not come into contact with the glass of the bulb.

3. This is how the finished garland looks like. It remains only to hang it.

Confused?...
So the authorities of the British city of Brighton are also confused. On Christmas Eve 2012, they were slipped such a decoration of the city, and by the way, for a rather large amount of money - 100,000 pounds sterling.
Trying to save face, officials are balancing between statements that “nothing terrible happened” and that there were no indecent pictures at all. For example, Brighton Mayor Jason Kitcat told The Mirror: “This video is a creative prank and it makes people laugh and thousands of people start talking about Brighton in the run-up to Christmas. Same good news for the city and good news for merchants!” Another city hall official noted that pornographic compositions and obscene inscriptions were just a montage, a “fake” created by the authors of the video with the help of computer technology: “This is a prank, a joke. In reality, they (Christmas decorations) look different. But it's funny. We take it as foolishness."

And this is already the CIS bunglers decorated. I wonder what they wanted to portray?

How to hang a garland correctly?

1. The main thing in a garland is its safety.

Dad climbed to fix the garland,
Bare wires - grab it!
Santa Claus laughed at him for a long time,
Whatever was left was carried away in a bag.

Therefore, even before hanging the decoration, carefully check it: the insulation on the garland should not be damaged, in case of any scuffs, visible damage, it is strictly forbidden to connect it according to fire safety rules. In addition, if it is hung on the street, it is necessary to additionally check the tightness of all connections and contacts. When plugged into an outlet, the garland should in no case spark or smell like burnt rubber. After connecting the garland to the mains, it is necessary to check it in all existing modes of operation (most often the control unit for the garland modes fails).

2. If everything is in order, you can start decorating. As a rule, a ribbon garland is hung on the Christmas tree, starting from the top of the head and moving down with encircling movements. If you have a mesh garland, it is better to decorate a wall or a door or a window with it. However, the tapered mesh will also look good on a Christmas tree: just put it on top of the tree. When hanging a garland on a Christmas tree, make sure that the cord does not get tangled in the needles, and that the light bulbs do not shine deep into the tree, but outward. Remember that at first the spruce is decorated with a garland, and only then with toys. Try not to keep the Christmas decorations tightly pressed to the light bulbs or the cord. If there are small children or animals in the house, or you are expecting young guests, you should not wrap the lower branches of the Christmas tree with a ribbon garland so that unconscious kids or kittens do not pull the wire. After the garland is hung, make sure it is well secured and will not fall off the tree (or wherever you hang it).

3. You can hang a New Year's garland according to the eastern teachings of Feng Shui. It is believed that the bright light created by the iridescent lights can activate the energy. But what will be the strength of this energy - destructive or creative, depends on the location of the lights, that is, the bulbs of the garland. If you want to move your personal relationships off the ground, warm up career success, hang a garland in the western part of your apartment. If you need to improve financial situation, place the lights in the east. It is better to leave the southern and northern parts without decoration: according to Feng Shui, these are unfavorable places for light energy, they can turn the flame of love into fires of quarrels, and even attract thieves to the house.

garland snakes
Glass beads of light
Fluffy neck stronger
Squeezing in the arms.

The garland is snaking -
twisted centimeter,
Damaged in a year
rack spine.

Free, got out
Broke out, shone
Spreading the stiff rings -
Decided to live.

For every garland
Green pedestals
Important as important to people
holidays for the soul.

Moment Catcher

How to hang a garland on a window

1. The garland can be light or heavy, bulky or elegant. The choice of how to attach it depends primarily on this. Secondly, it is determined by the characteristics of the material from which the window elements are made and which covers the nearest wall. Below are a few options for you to choose from. The main thing is to attach the garland beautifully, safely and at the same time make sure that it does not interfere.

2. The easiest way is to use any part of the window, as well as the ceiling and wall. The key here is to be smart. You can use the cornice and even curtains. However, you need to be mindful of safety. Do not use electrical wires or any elements that may not withstand the weight of the garland for fastening. In general, no matter which method of fastening you choose, always remember to be careful. The garland must be attached securely and not pose a danger to you and your guests.

3. If it is impossible to attach a garland to a window without additional efforts, then you need to think about how you can hang it. To do this, try to choose a material that will securely hold the garland and at the same time minimally damage the window elements and the wall. If light garland you can use double sided tape. Maybe glue would work too. True, it will not be so neat.

4. If the garland is bulky and heavy, then you will probably have to use nails. You can fasten the garland itself with them, or you can attach loops of thread or wire that are suitable in size to it. And hang the loops on the carnations.

5. There is another option. Drive small carnations into the cornice, attach threads to them and use the threads to hang the garland to the desired height.

6. We recommend the following option to those who often decorate rooms for holidays and parties or like to celebrate holidays beautifully in their apartment. In hardware stores, you can buy a special glue gun - a device that works with hot glue. They can make fasteners quickly and accurately.

The garland sparkles in the window opening
A bouquet of colorful lights.
Light and solemn in a gray house,
As in a church from hundreds of candles.

Again I languish in anticipation of a fairy tale,
And I believe, as before, in goodness.
We often change sinister masks
Only on a holiday with an open face.

Increasingly, the delight of a distant childhood,
Intertwined sadness interferes.
Nothing will save: neither oblivion, nor flight,
I will plunge into my thoughts.

You be my straw in the unsteady pool,
Be a muse in the coming year.
A simple smile brings me joy
I live in this hope.

I love the hustle and bustle of New Year's shopping,
The last days of spree.
The skeleton of a glass ball is so fragile
How ridiculous is our life.

You can make an original lamp from a garland:

Or drown her with the tree in the pool
as they did in Mariupol.

No, this is not an accident. The Christmas tree was drowned on purpose, and the garlands are also special, waterproof on batteries. Height artificial christmas tree was about one and a half meters. The green beauty delighted the pool visitors with New Year's lights from 6 am to 9 pm throughout the New Year holidays.

"Swung" with a garland? Time to have a bite to eat

HAPPY AND SAFE TO YOU
NEW YEAR!

A solemn moment: the flooding of the Varyag Christmas tree in the Neptune pool

Long time ago lovers noisy holidays could only light the Christmas tree with Christmas candles. But in 1882, Edward Hibberd Johnson invented the New Year's garland, and thereby not only brought the holiday to new level but also saved many lives.

How it all started

That year, 36-year-old Edward Johnson, like all residents of his native New York, was busy decorating the room and the New Year tree on the eve of the holiday. But this time, he decided to slightly improve the lighting technology using electricity, which was then gaining popularity in Manhattan.

Almost 3 years have passed since Thomas Edison introduced the first light bulb, but not everyone was as familiar with it as Johnson, who worked with him in Menlo Park. He hired the 24-year-old Edison while working for the Automatic Telegraph Company in 1871, but new employee turned out to be so brilliant that soon the roles changed, and the boss became a subordinate of the famous inventor. Johnson became vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company and lead power generation engineer. He soon presented his first work with light bulbs to the people of Manhattan.

Now, on Christmas Eve, the creator was preparing to go down in history. Ever since Martin Luther King, Jr., who planted in our minds the idea of bringing stars down from the sky to sparkle among the trees, people have been decorating christmas trees wax candles. It looked beautiful and romantic, but it was definitely extremely dangerous. Every year with the advent of the New Year, magazines wrote about hundreds of tragic cases when the tree was suddenly engulfed in fire, burning houses to the ground, and sometimes their inhabitants.

The Secret of the New Year's Miracle

By replacing candles with electric bulbs, Johnson not only saved people from the risk of burning out in a fire, but also brought elegant multi-colored flicker into the picture of the holiday. A reporter from the Detroit Post and Tribune who visited Edison's neighbor wrote about 80 iridescent red, white and blue lights, no larger than walnut decorating the inventor's Christmas tree. The remaining 28 bulbs flickered on two garlands located under the ceiling.

Breakthrough!

This was a real New Year's revolution! The lights were lit in turn with an interval of 10 seconds, which created a picture of "dancing stars". Electricity was fed from the office where Addison worked to a lever in his house that made the garland turn on. “I must admit, it was an incredible sight! the reporter wrote. “There is hardly anything that can be so beautiful.”

The garland is long chain, consisting of homogeneous objects. It can be paper figures, balls, flowers, small lights. Such decorations make a New Year or Christmas tree simply chic. The tradition of using garlands is very ancient.

In the Roman Empire flower garlands decorated the streets where the celebrations took place. Most often, roses were used for these purposes. To this day, echoes of Roman traditions have come down as mistletoe garlands, which are popular in Catholic countries.

December coniferous wreaths with candles first appeared in Germany. Pre-Christian Germans decorated the windows of their houses with such living lights. Later wreaths "migrated" to entrance doors. Today, this decoration is as popular as Christmas trees.

The main colors of Christmas garlands are green, gold and red. The first symbolizes living foliage, which will soon adorn all trees. Gold color is a way to bring wealth into the house. But red has a very subtle meaning. It symbolizes the blood of Christ. During the existence of the USSR, residents of the countries that were part of it saw communist symbols in the red lights of garlands. In those days red five pointed stars replaced on Christmas tree crowns Bethlehem luminaries blue color with seven rays.

Fashionable during the Soviet era, garlands of candy wrappers, vanilla dryers, apples and tangerines are again at the peak of popularity today.

Garlands can be made independently from sweets and paper. Creative people create very beautiful lanterns in the style of chinoiserie or art deco. These Chinese New Year decorations are not only very showy, but also useful: they drive away negative energy and attract the positive. There are many types of paper lamps. The most beautiful can be called sky lanterns - Hum Loy and Hum Fey. They are made from heat resistant material. A burner is placed inside these lanterns. Then the wicks are set on fire and the flashlight is released into the sky. As a result, entire constellations-garlands appear in the sky.

Christmas trees in pre-revolutionary Russia decorated with many wax candles. Burning lights created a special festive atmosphere, but they were a source of increased fire danger. Therefore, with the advent of electric garlands, candles ceased to be Christmas decorations.

Modern LED and fiber optic garlands differ significantly from their electrical predecessors, invented back in 1882 by Edward Johnson. They are more reliable, functional and elegant. Such decorations can be used in the cold and even in the water.

But most interesting invention modernity are garlands of waterfalls. They are installed in the form of aqua panels and are beautiful, environmentally friendly and healthy decorative elements.