Why a tree? Versions. The story of the Christmas tree: why it is customary to decorate the Christmas tree for the New Year
We all love the beautiful and fabulous custom of decorating a Christmas tree for the New Year holidays. This worldwide tradition has a very rich history, and without it one can hardly imagine the celebration of the main winter holidays. Why do we dress up the spruce and how did this custom appear?
N.N. Zhukov, Yolka.
According to an old legend, the spruce has become a symbol of Christmas at the request of the heavenly powers. When the Savior was born in Bethlehem, in a wretched cave, a new bright star lit up in the dark sky accompanied by the singing of angels. Heeding the divine sign, not only people, but also animals and plants rushed to the cave. Everyone tried to show the newborn their sincere joy and bring some gift. Plants and trees gave the Baby their fragrances, flowers, fruits and leaves.
Johann Bernhard Schmelzer "Christmas Dream" 1833.
Spruce also hurried to the joyful event from the far north. She came very last and, embarrassed, stood aside. Everyone asked her in surprise why she didn’t come in. Spruce replied that she really wanted to enter, but she had nothing to give to the Divine Child, and she was afraid to frighten Him or prick him with needles. Then the plants shared their gifts with the Fir, and red apples, nuts, bright flowers and green leaves began to flaunt on its branches. Spruce was very happy, thanked everyone, and quietly approached Jesus. The baby smiled when he saw a beautiful, multi-colored, kind Spruce, and then the star of Bethlehem shone even brighter above its very top ...
According to another, similar legend, the proud Olive and Palm did not let the Spruce to the Baby, laughing at its prickly needles and sticky resin. The modest Christmas tree did not object and looked sadly into the light, fragrant cave, thinking about her unworthiness to enter it. But the Angel, who heard the trees talk, took pity on the Spruce and decided to decorate its branches with heavenly stars. The spruce shone splendidly and entered the cave. At that moment Jesus woke up, smiled and held out his hands to her. The spruce rejoiced, but was not proud, and for its modesty the Angel rewarded a kind tree, making it henceforth a sign of the bright holiday of Christmas.
In ancient times, people deified nature and believed in the existence of spirits living mainly in forests on coniferous trees. It was believed that it was the supernatural forest creatures that cause severe frosts, send blizzards and confuse hunters, and the spirits behave especially boldly on long December nights. And therefore, in order to protect themselves and their property from the tricks of forest creatures, people tried to appease them in every possible way: they decorated them with various fruits and treats, pronounced special conspiracies and performed mysterious rituals. In addition, the evergreen tree has symbolized life itself since ancient times.
Europeans are convinced that the head of the German Reformation, Martin Luther, also helped spread the custom of decorating the Christmas tree. One day, on Christmas Eve, on a frosty starry night, he was returning home through the forest and, deciding to surprise the family, brought a tree. It was decorated with candles and bows. After this incident, many began to take an example from him.
Biczó, András Christmas Tree Twig.
The first written certificate of decorated Christmas trees, dated 1605, reads as follows: "In Strasbourg, at Christmas, they bring spruce trees to their homes, and on these trees they put roses made of colored paper, apples, waffles, gold foil, sugar and other things." ...
At the beginning of the XIX century. this beautiful German custom began to spread throughout Northern Europe. In England, France, America, everywhere to put and decorate Christmas trees began only in the middle of the 19th century.
Carl Larsson.
At the same time, the tree became a Christmas tree in Russia. True, the decree of Peter I on the eve of 1700, securing the postponement of the New Year to January 1, also read: "On large streets, near deliberate houses, in front of the gates, put some decorations from trees and branches of pine, spruce and cereal." But the Christmas tree as a decoration for the house has not yet been discussed. The Germans living in Russia observed their customs, but the Russians were in no hurry to adopt them.
Carl Larsson, Christmas Tree Confett.
There is a mention in the literature that the first Christmas tree in Russia was arranged by Nicholas I in the late 1830s. At that time, the Russian nobility was fond of German literature and Western manners. They contributed to the spread of the tradition ... Petersburg confectioners of Swiss origin, offering ready-made decorated trees and sweets with Christmas tree symbols for the holiday. By the late 1840s, the tree had become a common feature of the Christmas holiday. Trees were decorated with colored paper crafts, fruits, sugar and tinsel.
M. Matveev 1981.
By the way, there is also a legend about New Year's tinsel. For a very long time there lived a kind woman who had many children, they were very poor, and she had to work very hard. On the evening before Christmas, the woman decorated the tree, but she had very few decorations. At night, spiders crawled onto the branches of the Christmas tree and weaved a web. Seeing this, and pitying the poor mother, Jesus Christ blessed the tree, and the web turned into silvery tinsel ...
Blish Carolyn.
In the late 1920s, the Christmas tree in Russia was banned along with the celebration of Christmas and even the New Year. But in 1936 she returned as an attribute of the New Year holidays and I hope she will not leave us again.
Ekaterina Elizarova
Historically, at the end of each year, the entire planet celebrates the New Year and Christmas holidays. The approach of these holidays is felt when New Year's logos and toys appear on the shelves of stores, in shopping centers, on the streets of cities and villages. The Orthodox church, which is also customary to decorate with New Year trees, is no exception during these holidays.
But do not church canons and rules contradict this, and is it advisable to put the Christmas tree in the narthex or near the iconostasis? Let's try to figure it out.
Exploring the historical symbolism of coniferous trees (spruce and pine), you discover the fact that they have a deep ancient history. In ancient Egypt, it was customary to decorate different trees on New Year's Day and to make sacrifices to their Gods. In pagan times, it was believed that the spirits of the ancestors were in the trees. Evergreen trees were special. The ancient Germanic tribes decorated their homes with pine needles on the day of the solar equinox. In the Slavic tribes, it was customary to dance, sing and have fun near the Christmas tree in order to awaken the spring warmth and sun.
The exact historical period when exactly the tree began to be considered a New Year's tree has not been established. But already since the Middle Ages, this tree has come into wide use, both in secular and church society.
The first written mention of the Christmas tree, we attribute to the XVI century. In the German city of Strasbourg, both the poor and the rich decorated their meals with colorful paper, fruits and sweets. Gradually, this tradition was adopted by Great Britain, and subsequently by the whole of Europe. In 1819, the tree appears in Hungary, in 1820 - in Prague, in 1829 - in Scandinavia, in 1840 - in the Russian Empire.
In some cities, it was customary not to put the Christmas tree, but to hang it from the ceiling with branches down, as a symbol of the stairs from heaven, which was lowered on the day of the Nativity of Christ. The tradition of celebrating Christmas and New Years with a Christmas tree was brought to the American continent by German settlers, as well as mercenaries who took part in the war of independence.
In the vastness of the Russian Empire, the introduction of the Christmas tree as a symbol of the New Year took place under Peter I. In historical documents we find a decree: “Now from the Nativity of Christ comes the year 1699, and the next January from the 1st date will come a new 1700 year and a new century-old century, and for that good and useful purpose, the Great Sovereign indicated henceforth to count in the Orders and in all affairs and fortresses of January to write with from the 1st of the Nativity of Christ in 1700. And in the sign of that good beginning and the new capital century in the reigning city of Moscow, after the due thanksgiving to God and the prayer service in the church and to whom it will happen in his home, along the big and passable noble streets, noble people and the spirits of other people in front of gates to make some decorations from the trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper against the samples, which are made at the Gostin Dvor and at the lower pharmacy, or as it is more convenient and decent, depending on the place and gate, it is possible to do it ".
So the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree smoothly passed from Catholicism and Protestantism to the Orthodox Church. Although both the Holy Scriptures and the canons do not say anything about the custom of setting a Christmas tree for the holiday of Christmas, however, in the church tradition it was this coniferous tree that was endowed with religious symbolism. The Christmas tree is perceived as an image of the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil", under which the whole history of mankind began, and New Year's toys are a symbol of the forbidden fruit. The star, which is often placed at the top of the tree, is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the way for the Magi to the newborn God. The candles burning on the tree symbolize the souls of deceased ancestors who continue to live, because they are immortal.
The tradition of decorating a tree for Christmas exists today in many countries of the world. The inhabitants of Mexico traditionally decorate the palm tree, in New Zealand they put a pokutkala tree, which is special for that area, which blooms with red flowers at Christmas. In Shanghai, toys are hung from willow and bamboo branches. You can understand that Christmas has come in Israel by looking at the decorated cypress branches. Africans celebrate by decorating baobab trees.
As for the Orthodox Church, during the Christmas holidays it becomes similar to the cave in which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was born. In the overwhelming majority of churches during the Christmas period, it is customary to put nativity scenes depicting the icon of the Nativity of Christ. Any coniferous tree is also part of such a symbolic den. The coniferous tree is evergreen, which means that it symbolizes eternal life, which was brought with the birth of Jesus Christ.
We know from history that conifers were very often used for the construction of the temples themselves. Gifts that are placed under the tree symbolize the gifts of the Magi who came to bow to the newborn baby. At the top, it is customary to put a cross or an image of the Bethlehem star, which led the Magi to Christ.
In conclusion, it should be said that the basis of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ is the beginning of the salvation of the entire human race. We must remember that the Christmas tree can easily turn into a pagan worship tree that adorns our home. Without prayer, good deeds and glorification of the Lord, the Christmas tree will become the atheistic attribute that it was.
07.01.2017The Nativity of Christ is the most important among the twelve feasts of the Orthodox Church. We know from the Gospel that the Blessed Virgin Mary, before the birth of her Son, came to Bethlehem with the righteous Joseph. In those days, a population census was taking place, and there were a lot of people in the city. Joseph and Mary had nowhere to spend the night, and they settled in a cave, where the shepherds usually sheltered with their sheep in bad weather and spent the night. The born Infant Christ was put in a cattle feeder - a manger. An angel appeared to the shepherds who were not far from the cave and announced the great joy of the birth of the Savior; they also had a vision of many angels who glorified God. The shepherds were the first to come to worship Christ. The event of the coming into the world of the Savior, born of the Virgin Mary, is very important for the entire human race. All the writings of the Old Testament are permeated with the expectation of the Messiah, who will save people from sin and death, reconcile with God after the fall of Adam. This great day for the entire Christian world has always been accompanied by beautiful folk customs. It is considered one of the main family holidays.
In the first place in the festive celebration, of course, is the divine service - the all-night vigil and the liturgy, which, according to tradition, is performed at night. It is believed that you cannot sleep - the night is special, Christ is born. Liturgical texts: stichera, irmos, troparia of the canon - reveal the dogmatic meaning of this great holiday. They are masterpieces both in meaning and in poetics and melody, because they were written by the saints with the grace of God.
But the feast of the Nativity of Christ does not remain within the framework of a liturgical, church celebration. This event, to a greater or lesser extent, affects all strata of society, walks through the streets in decorations, folk festivals, songs, gathers and unites people in various events, congratulations and gifts. Temples, streets, houses are filled with various attributes characteristic of this great holiday. The Nativity of Christ revives in the souls of people kindness, love for each other, faith in miracles.
Although in Russia the main civil winter holiday is the New Year, all the same, even non-church people do not ignore the triumph of the born Savior. Let in the slightest manifestation, in a simple greeting "Merry Christmas!"
An invariable companion of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ is the Christmas tree. Lush and fluffy Christmas trees are considered the most beautiful. Fir trees are used to decorate churches, from fir branches they make decorations for icons, large fir trees with garlands and balls are placed in squares and streets. And, of course, the Christmas tree is brought into the house, where it immediately gives a feeling of celebration, creates a festive atmosphere. On the day before Christmas Eve, colorful bulbs, toys, sweets, garlands are hung on the tree. Gifts are placed under the tree.
Nowadays, most people bring into the house and decorate Christmas trees just for the New Year. But it was not always so. Before the Petrine era, the New Year in Russia fell on September 1, and even earlier - on March 1. However, Peter I, wishing to keep up with the West, forbade the celebration of the New Year in the fall, postponing the holiday to January 1 by a special decree. Then he introduced decorations "from trees and branches of pine, spruce and juniper." The decree was not specifically about the tree, but about trees in general.
At first, they were decorated with nuts, sweets and fruits, and they began to decorate the Christmas tree much later, from the middle of the 19th century. At that time, Russia lived according to the Julian calendar, and Christmas was celebrated until the New Year - December 25, so it was customary to decorate Christmas trees just for Christmas.
In Europe, this custom came from Germany. The first mention of spruce is associated with the monk Boniface, who preached a sermon on Christmas to the Druids. To convince idolaters that the oak is not a sacred tree, he cut down one of the oak trees. Falling, this oak knocked down all the trees on its way, not affecting only the young spruce. The monk glorified the spruce as the tree of Christ, and later it became the main attribute of the holiday. The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree spread to Germany and the Scandinavian countries in the 17th century. The first Christmas trees were decorated with fresh flowers and fruits, as well as figures and flowers cut from colored paper. Later, sweets, nuts and other foods were added, followed by Christmas candles.
Such a load was too heavy for the tree, and German glassblowers began to produce hollow glass Christmas tree decorations to replace fruit and other heavy decorations.
Wax candles were also an indispensable attribute of New Year's tree decoration up to the spread of electricity. It was a very dangerous decoration, so buckets of water were always kept in living rooms in case of fire. The first electric garland appeared in 1895 in the United States and decorated the Christmas tree in front of the White House. The idea to use electric garlands instead of wax candles belongs to the English telephone operator Ralph Morris.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in view of the political events that were taking place at that time, and in particular the entry of Russia into the First World War, in our country the Christmas tree ended up in exile - in 1914 an active anti-German campaign began. The Holy Synod called the Christmas tree "an enemy, a German idea" alien to the Orthodox Russian people, and issued a decree prohibiting the arrangement of trees in schools and gymnasiums.
After the 1917 revolution, the trees were renewed again for several years. At the end of January 1918, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree translating Russia into the Gregorian calendar, which "overtook" the Julian calendar by 13 days. But the Orthodox Church did not accept this transition and announced that it would celebrate Christmas, as before, according to the Julian calendar. Since then, Orthodox Christmas in Russia began to be celebrated on January 7, that is, after the New Year. Since 1925, a planned struggle against religion and with Orthodox holidays began, the result of which was the final cancellation in 1929 of the celebration of Christmas in the country. Christmas Day has become a regular working day. Along with the Christmas holiday, the tree was also canceled, already firmly "fused" with it. The Christmas tree, which the Orthodox Church once opposed, now began to be called the "priest's" custom. And then the tree "went underground": it was secretly continued to be erected for Christmas, the windows were tightly curtained.
Fir trees were allowed only at the end of 1935. This happened at the suggestion of the first secretary of the Kiev regional party committee Pavel Postyshev and was approved by Joseph Stalin. We can say that this coniferous tree has become a symbol of a new holiday, which has received a simple and clear formulation: "The New Year tree is a holiday of a joyful and happy childhood in our country." Arranging holidays - Christmas trees - is becoming mandatory for the children of employees of institutions and industrial enterprises. The connection of the Christmas tree with Christmas has been consigned to oblivion. The Christmas tree has become an attribute of the national holiday of the New Year, and now for most Russian people the tree is associated with the New Year. So the Christmas tree became a New Year's.
Christmas wreath
Fir branches are used to create another decoration for the home - a Christmas wreath. Usually it is made not very large so that it is convenient to hang it on the front door, but also not very small so that it can be seen from afar that guests who come with Christmas greetings are welcome in this house. Such wreaths are very diverse, as far as imagination suffices. They are decorated with colorful ribbons, pine cones, flowers, angel figures, apples, artificial snow, snowflakes and stars. If you place a bell in the center of the wreath, then when you open the front door, it will certainly ring and notify the owner of the arrival of guests.
A Christmas wreath is also made to decorate a festive meal - candles are placed on it.
Initially, the Christmas wreath appeared in Western countries as a decoration in the pre-Christmas time. For Catholics and Lutherans, the time of the pre-Christmas period, during which they prepare for the holiday, similar to the period of the Nativity Fast in Orthodox countries, is called Advent. On the first of the four Sundays of Advent, the first candle is lit, the next week the second, then the third and fourth.
The Christmas wreath was introduced by the Hamburg Lutheran theologian Johann Wychern, who fostered several children from poor families. On Advent, the children constantly asked the teacher when Christmas would come. So that children could count the days until Christmas, in 1839 Wychern made a wreath from an old wooden wheel, decorated with twenty-four small and four large candles. Every morning in this wreath, he lit one small candle, and on Sundays - a large one.
This wreath is also called "Advent wreath". The consecutive lighting of the candles symbolized the growing expectation of the birth of Christ, who is the "Light of the world."
The Christmas wreath with four candles is associated with the globe and the four cardinal points. Its circle also symbolizes the eternal life that the resurrection will grant.
The Christ Child was born in Bethlehem, in the cave of the shepherds. In Church Slavonic, a cave is a nativity scene. Such a nativity scene as a three-dimensional image of the event of the Nativity of Christ on Christmas Eve is installed in a temple or in a churchyard.
The nativity scene has no standards either in size or in the number of characters. Only the scene at the manger remains constant, where the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph bowed over the born Christ Child. The nativity scene is decorated with fir branches, flowers and luminous garlands.
The composition of the nativity scene can depict not one particular moment of the Nativity of Christ, but a set of events; most often it depicts together the worship of the shepherds and the worship of the Magi, which, according to Christian tradition, occurred at different times. Other plots of the Gospel story may also be present: the flight of Joseph and Mary with the Child to Egypt, the wise men on the way, the wise men at Herod.
In Orthodox churches, sometimes instead of the main characters - the Holy Family - the icon of the Nativity is used, while other participants in the scene are represented by three-dimensional figures.
As additional characters, an ox and a donkey may be present near the Infant, which, according to legend, warmed the Infant with their warm breath. Despite the fact that this element of the plot is absent in the canonical Gospels, these animals can already be seen in early Christian images. Among the shepherds with sheep, one of the shepherds is often depicted carrying a lamb on his shoulders or in his hands as a symbol of the Lamb of God.
Depending on the scale of the den, regional traditions and the author's imagination, other characters may be included in the composition of the den, for example, the servants of the Magi, their camels, horses and even elephants, numerous inhabitants of Judea, various animals and birds. In traditional nativity scenes of Catholic countries, instead of a cave, a hut or other structure that could be used by shepherds is often depicted. In most cases, it bears the features of regional architecture. This is because there is no direct mention of the cave in the canonical Gospels. It speaks only of the manger in which the Christ-Child lay. In the Orthodox tradition, a cave is invariably depicted, which is determined by the traditions of iconography.
The three-dimensional depiction of the events of Christmas takes its origin from St. Francis of Assisi, who in 1223 seated people and animals in a cave, creating a vivid picture of the holiday. Since then, the tradition of creating Christmas sketches has become an annual event. Over time, figures of a smaller scale began to be carved out of wood, from which skilfully executed compositions were made. At first, nativity scenes were exhibited only in churches, but over time, their content became more and more thorough, showing in detail the life of an Italian peasant, and as a result, the nativity scenes were taken out into the street and began to be shown outside the temples. Then the noble inhabitants began to compete with each other, whose nativity scene is more skillful, thus influencing the development of this kind of applied art.
In Russia, the arrangement of nativity scenes began to spread from the 17th century.
Star of bethlehem
The unchanging companion of the event of the Nativity of Christ in iconography is a bright star, which, according to the Holy Scriptures, appeared "in the east" and led the Magi to the Bethlehem cave. Theophylact of Bulgaria writes about the star that it "was a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star." Since the Magi were engaged in the science of the stars, God led them to Christ with this familiar sign for them. In addition, she shone brightly during the day, walked when the Magi walked, and stopped when they stopped.
When building a den, the Star of Bethlehem is often placed over the Christ Child lying in a manger.
The star, as a symbol of the holiday, also occupies an important place in the decoration of Christmas trees, crowning the top of the tree. Even in the Soviet period, the star on the trees remained, only it was gradually replaced from the eight-pointed Bethlehem to the five-pointed one.
Christmas treat
An important stage in the celebration of the Nativity of Christ is the meal. Since the holiday of Christmas is preceded by a long forty-day fast, believers after the service go home to break their fast. For a festive meal, a plentiful treat is prepared in advance, which is comparable to the Easter one. There are meat dishes, various salads, dairy products, and a wide variety of pastries. The table is covered with a festive tablecloth, and lighted candles are placed on it for greater comfort.
The main and obligatory dish for the Christmas table in many European countries is the Christmas goose, Christmas turkey or duck. Usually they take a large bird so that there is enough food for all the participants in the feast. Goose is prepared in Germany, Denmark, Greece, Russia. According to the classic recipe, a fat goose is baked whole in the oven, seasoned with potatoes and vegetables, apples and prunes are also used. The finished dish is cut directly on the festive table.
Christmas turkey is more common in England and the USA. In Russia, the tradition of baking large poultry or large pieces of meat entirely is associated with the peculiarities of the design of the Russian oven, which made it possible to successfully cook large-sized products.
Many different baked goods are prepared for Christmas. There are flat gingerbread cookies that have a unique flavor. They are made completely different: in the form of stars, and in the form of Christmas trees, and in the form of animals. Gingerbread cookies are decorated with multi-colored glaze, given to each other, and also hung as delicious decorations on the Christmas tree.
But perhaps the most coveted decoration on the Christmas table is baked goods in the shape of a lamb or lamb. The very idea of depicting lambs is very ancient, it is about two thousand years old. During archaeological excavations of temples of early Christianity in the ancient catacombs, scientists find images of lambs on the walls. Ancient Christians depicted such lambs on the walls as a symbol of Jesus Christ, because in many places in the Holy Scriptures He is called "the Lamb of God." Therefore, beautiful lambs are baked for the Christmas holiday.
The Christmas lamb tastes like a cross between a cupcake and a cake. You can add raisins or candied fruits to the dough. Such lambs are baked in special forms. After the finished product has cooled, it is recommended to cut off the bottom a little so that the lamb stands flat on the festive table, and sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
Present
It is customary to give each other gifts at Christmas. Of course, with the substitution of New Year for Christmas in the Soviet period for many of our fellow citizens, the tradition of giving gifts has shifted to New Year's Eve. But church people understand that, despite all the importance of the date of January 1 as the beginning of the year, the beginning of a new stage in public civic life, still a festive mood, spiritual and spiritual exultation are more appropriate after the end of fasting, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ.
When the baby Christ was born, the wise men brought Him gifts: gold, incense and myrrh. They foresaw the birth of the Messiah, and when they saw a special star in the sky, they went after it and came to the poor Bethlehem manger. Their names were Caspar, Melchior and Belshazzar. The Eastern sages presented gold to Christ as a royal gift, showing that Jesus was born to be King. Frankincense is a gift to Christ as God. He is also a priestly symbol, since Jesus came to become the new Teacher and true High Priest. Smyrna was an indication of the atoning sacrifice of Christ for all mankind, since it was used to anoint the body of a deceased person. In the image of the gifts presented by the Eastern sages to Christ, a tradition arose to give each other gifts for Christmas.
The Mother of God carefully preserved the gifts of the Magi all her life. Shortly before Her Assumption, She handed them over to the Jerusalem Church. Frankincense and myrrh, brought by the Magi separately, were later combined into small balls of dark color. About seventy of them have survived. This union is very symbolic: incense and myrrh, brought to God and Man, are united as inextricably as two natures - the Divine and the human - were united in Christ.
Also, the custom of giving Christmas gifts comes from ancient stories about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The feast of St. Nicholas of Mirliki is celebrated on December 19, shortly before Christmas. It is known from his life that he helped the poor and needy. The story of how he helped a poor man who had three daughters and fell into despair because he could not feed them stands out in particular. Saint Nicholas helped the desperate man by throwing a sack of gold into his house three times, and the girls were then able to get married. Saint Nicholas tried to help people, while remaining unnoticed. From here, the tradition subsequently went to leave gifts under the tree at night while everyone was asleep. In the Western tradition, Nicholas the Wonderworker became the prototype of the well-known character - Santa Claus.
In the Russian literary tradition, Santa Claus appeared in 1840. In the tale of V.F. Odoevsky's "Moroz Ivanovich" Santa Claus from Slavic mythology and the fabulous Morozko are turned into a kind, but fair educator and mentor. For quite a long time, Moroz Ivanovich and the celebration of the New Year existed separately. Their unification took place in the second half of the 19th century, when the first attempts were made in Russia to create an original “Christmas grandfather” who would give gifts to Russian children, like St. Nicholas to their Western peers. The familiar image of Santa Claus was formed by the beginning of the 20th century. The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards Father Frost was ambiguous. Indeed, in its origins, this is a pagan image of the forces of nature - winter and frost, and it is also a magician, which is contrary to Christian teaching. On the other hand, it is a well-established cultural tradition.
Religious canons do not impose any special restrictions and prescriptions for Christmas gifts to relatives and friends. It is believed that gifts must necessarily carry something warm, personal, spiritual. They should in no way be formal. And how nice it is to find something special for a loved one and bring him joy! When the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree arose, it did not immediately become associated with gifts. The first to tie gifts to the Christmas tree were Queen Victoria of England and her husband Albert. In 1841, they installed an ornate Christmas tree for their children and hung gifts on the branches.
Christmas sock
Today, many people in our country are adopting the curious Western custom of hiding gifts in Christmas socks. In European countries, it is customary to hang a boot or sock for gifts by the fireplace or near the bed. This custom goes back to different interpretations of the same story about the help of St. Nicholas to a poor man with three daughters. One of these legends says that the saint allegedly threw gold coins into the chimney of the poor sisters' house, which fell into stockings that were drying by the fireplace. So European children leave their socks by the hearth, hoping to find something pleasant in them in the morning. Whatever the history of the emergence of Christmas socks is connected with, both adults and children really like this way of giving gifts, largely due to the fact that these products become a bright element of the festive decor.
Christmas socks can be made independently from felt or any dense fabric, or knitted from thick woolen threads. In order for the sock to become a truly festive decorative element, it will need to be additionally decorated. For example, on top, the product can be decorated with white fluffy fur or shiny rain, decorated with embroidery, satin ribbons, lace, figurines of deer or snowflakes and bells. If socks are made for several family members, then they are made personalized, embroidering names with beautiful letters.
Christmas socks are intended not only for giving gifts, but also for decorating the interior, so you can hang them anywhere: near the child's bed, above the door, on the wall, on the window frame, and even make garlands out of small socks.
Caroling
The time from the feast of Christmas to the Epiphany of the Lord is called Christmastide - holy days. Orthodox people, united by the joy of the Savior who came into the world, visit each other, exchange gifts and congratulations. Singing expresses a festive mood.
On Christmastide days, special ritual songs are sung, composed over the centuries by the Russian people - these are carols. The tradition of caroling was especially common in villages and towns. Initially, the history of caroling in Russia was associated with pagan gods. So, the sun was considered a deity, and on the day of the winter solstice, the "birthday" of the sun, the peasants went to sing songs with wishes of health, happiness, wealth and a good harvest. Later, when Russia became Christian, the pagan tradition was filled with new content, and caroling was timed to coincide with the Nativity of Christ. Biblical motives appeared in carols, and people began to praise the birth of Christ.
Carollers were called mummers, as they dressed up in fur coats and sheepskin coats inside out, on their faces were animal masks, and in their hands - bags for collecting gifts. Ahead of the procession was a man carrying a shining star on a pole or stick as a symbol of the holiday.
But the most important thing in this procession is carol songs. As a rule, a carol is a small Christmas story about the greatest event in the gospel history - the coming into the world of Christ, the glorification of the born Savior.
In our time, the tradition of caroling is reviving, carols are sung not only in churchyards, but also throughout the city, Christmas fairs and folk festivals are held with the invariable "mummers" singing carols. “To glorify Christ”, that is, to sing some liturgical chants and carols, go to Orthodox friends, to familiar priests, as well as to children's festive evenings, where, moreover, performances on the theme of the holiday are staged.
Christmas cards
No matter how long the holidays associated with the New Year and Christmas are, but not all friends and acquaintances can be visited, not everyone can get on the phone even in our age of development of the Internet and video communication. Therefore, another good tradition that still has not lost its relevance is the sending of Christmas greeting cards to different parts of the world.
Father, bless! Please tell me how long ago and where did the tradition of the Christmas tree come from in Orthodoxy, what is it connected with?
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:
The tradition connects the emergence of the custom of putting a fir tree in houses on the feast of the Nativity of Christ with the name of the apostle of Germany, St. Boniface (+ June 5, 754). Preaching among the pagans and telling them about the Nativity of Christ, he cut down an oak dedicated to Thor, the god of thunder, to show the pagans how powerless their gods were. The oak fell down and knocked down several trees, except for the spruce. Bonifatius called the spruce the tree of the Christ Child. Apparently, at first, the spruce was placed on the feast of the Nativity of Christ without decorations. She herself, slender, beautiful, exuding a thick pleasant smell, was a decoration of the house. The custom of decorating spruce appeared after the Reformation in Protestant countries.
In Russia, the establishment of the Christmas tree, apparently, dates back to the time of the reign of Peter the Great. The Orthodox Church celebrated the beginning of the New Year on September 1 in memory of the victory won by Constantine the Great over Maxentius in 312. In 1342, under Metropolitan Theognostus, it was decided to start both the church and civil year on September 1, which was confirmed at the Council of 1505 d. The celebration of the new civil year and the church year were closely intertwined.
The year 1700 was celebrated in Russia twice. First September 1st. And on December 20, 1699, Peter I adopted a decree "on the celebration of the new year." He ordered to postpone the beginning of the year from September 1 to January 1, 1700. At the same time, Peter I ordered that houses be decorated with “pine, spruce and juniper branches, according to the samples exhibited in the Gostiny Dvor; as a sign of joy, it is imperative to wish each other a Happy New Year. " Fiery fun was arranged on Red Square.
The custom introduced by Peter I took root with difficulty. Even at the beginning of the 19th century, Christmas trees were erected only in the houses of St. Petersburg Germans. The Christmas tree in Russia became a ubiquitous decoration only at the end of the 19th century. However, in the 40s of the same century, she began to enter the life of Russian society. This can be judged by the story of F.M. Dostoevsky Christmas tree and wedding published in the September 1848 issue of Otechestvennye zapiski: “The other day I saw a wedding ... but no! I'd better tell you about the Christmas tree. The wedding is good; I liked it very much, but the other incident is better. I don’t know how, looking at this wedding, I remembered this Christmas tree. This is how it happened. Exactly five years ago, on New Year's Eve, I was invited to a children's ball. "
Putting and decorating a Christmas tree at Christmas was a favorite pastime not only for children, but also for adults. In the story of A.P. Chekhov. Boys(1887) Katya, Sonya and Masha with their father are preparing decorations for the Christmas tree: “After tea, everyone went to the nursery. The father and the girls sat down at the table and went to work, which was interrupted by the arrival of the boys. They made flowers and fringes for the Christmas tree out of multi-colored paper. It was a fun and noisy job. Each newly made flower of the girl was greeted with enthusiastic cries, even cries of horror, as if this flower was falling from the sky; dad admired too. " The Christmas tree was set up not only at home, but also in the city squares: “Before Christmas, three days before, in the markets, in the squares, there is a forest of Christmas trees. And what trees! As much as you want in Russia. Not like here - stamens. At our tree ... as it warms up, spreads its paws, - thicket. It used to be a forest on Teatralnaya Square. They are standing in the snow. And the snow will fall - I have lost my way! Guys, in sheepskin coats, like in the forest. People walk, choose. The dogs in the trees are like wolves, really. Bonfires are burning, warm up. Smoke in pillars "(I. Shmelev. Summer of the Lord).
In the first collection of poetry by O.E. Mandelstam Stone(1913) captured his adolescent experiences:
Are burning with gold leaf
There are Christmas trees in the woods;
There are toy wolves in the bushes
They look with terrible eyes.
Oh, prophesying my sorrow,
Oh quiet freedom of mine
And the inanimate firmament
Always laughing crystal!
With the beginning of the persecution of Orthodoxy, the Christmas tree also fell out of favor. It became dangerous to put it in the house. But on December 28, 1935, the newspaper Pravda published an article "Let's organize a good Christmas tree for the children for the New Year!" Its author was the secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) P.P. Postyshev. From January 1933 he was the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine with the task of "unconditionally fulfilling the grain procurement plan." Postyshev together with V.M. Molotov was the organizer of the famine that carried away 3.5-4 million people in Ukraine (including hundreds of thousands of children). Two years later, he shows special concern for the children to have fun in the new year: “In pre-revolutionary times, the bourgeoisie and bourgeois officials always arranged a Christmas tree for their children for the new year. Children of workers with envy through the window looked at the Christmas tree sparkling with colorful lights and the children of the rich, having fun around it. Why do we have schools, orphanages, nurseries, children's clubs, palaces of pioneers depriving the children of the working people of the Soviet country of this wonderful pleasure? Some, not otherwise than the "left", benders denounced this children's entertainment as a bourgeois venture. Follow this misjudgment of the Christmas tree, which is great fun for children, to end. Komsomol members, pioneer workers should arrange collective Christmas trees for children for the new year. In schools, orphanages, in pioneer palaces, in children's clubs, in children's cinemas and theaters, there should be a children's tree everywhere. There should not be a single collective farm where the board, together with the Komsomol members, would not arrange a Christmas tree for their children on the eve of the new year. City councils, chairmen of district executive committees, village councils, and public education bodies must help arrange a Soviet Christmas tree for the children of our great socialist homeland. Our children will only be grateful to the organization of a children's Christmas tree. I am sure that the Komsomol members will take the most active part in this matter and eradicate the absurd opinion that the children's tree is a bourgeois prejudice. So, let's organize a merry meeting of the New Year for children, arrange a good Soviet Christmas tree in all cities and collective farms! " This was the period of the "godless five-year plan" (1932 - 1937). They actively created ceremonies for new holidays in order to completely abolish Orthodox holidays. At the top of the tree, a five-pointed star appeared instead of the Bethlehem star.
Decades have passed. Millions of children again saw the guiding star of Bethlehem over the decorated Christmas tree. And under it is the Divine Infant, Who was born so that the spiritual night would end for us.
He slept, all radiant, in an oak manger,
Like a month a ray in the hollow hollow.
He was replaced with a sheepskin coat
Donkey lips and ox nostrils.
We stood in the shadows, as if in the gloom of a barn,
Whispering, barely finding words.
Suddenly someone in the dark, a little to the left
He pushed the sorcerer away from the manger with his hand,
And he looked back: from the doorway to Virgo,
As a guest, the star of Christmas looked.
(Boris Pasternak. 1947)
Spruce is a world tree, a symbol of immortality and eternal life, rebirth, non-fading, health, longevity, loyalty, integrity, honesty, patience. And at the same time - a symbol of death, communication with the afterlife. The ancients believed that the trees were inhabited by spirits who needed to be propitiated with gifts. Evergreen spruce occupied a special place among the trees. On it every year, at the end of December (when the sunny year began), people hung up various gifts for the spirits. The ancient Germans decorated the fir-tree with ribbons, amulets, apples, eggs; candles were lit at the foot - so they appeased the forest spirits and prayed to the gods to grant a happy year.
Tradition says that the first decorated Christmas trees appeared in Germany in the 8th century. The first mention of spruce is associated with the monk Saint Boniface, who preached a sermon on Christmas to the Druids. To convince idolaters that the oak is not a sacred tree, he cut down one of the oak trees. Falling, this oak knocked down all the trees in its path, except for the spruce. Boniface interpreted this as a miracle and exclaimed: "Let this tree be the tree of Christ."
With the arrival of the Reformation, Protestants began to "evangelize" folk customs. For the first time, decorating a Christmas tree for Christmas began in Germany in the 16th century. On Christmas Eve, the tree was installed in the church on the choir and decorated with apples. When playing scenes about Adam and Eve, she symbolized the tree of Paradise and reminded of the tempting fruit. Over time, other decorations were added, each of which made sense. Unleavened dough cakes symbolized communion, fruits - redemption, apples - fertility, eggs - well-being and harmony, nuts - the incomprehensibility of Divine Providence. The top of the tree was decorated with an eight-pointed star in memory of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the way to the Magi who went to bow to the newborn Savior. The bells on the tree were reminiscent of those that the shepherds hung on their sheep. Candles and lanterns were symbols of the stars and bonfires that illuminated the path of the shepherds on that Holy Night. Gradually, believers replaced spruce branches in their homes with whole trees, decorated in the above way. Martin Luther wrote: "as the eternal God was incarnated in the form of a little baby, so the eternal green spruce comes to our house in order to proclaim the joy of the Nativity of Christ."
Over time, the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree for Christmas spread throughout Western Europe.
In Russia, Peter I issued a decree in 1699, which ordered to keep chronology not from the Creation of the world, but from the Nativity of Christ, and celebrate the New Year in a European way - on January 1 (on the day of the Circumcision of the Lord, the 8th after Christmas). By the Tsar's decree, all residents of Moscow were ordered to celebrate the New Year: to light bonfires on New Year's Eve, set off fireworks, congratulate each other, decorate houses with branches of coniferous trees (pines, firs, junipers).
After the death of Peter I, they stopped erecting Christmas trees. New Year's festivities and the tradition of putting up Christmas trees were revived under Catherine II. And they began to decorate the trees only in the middle of the nineteenth century. It is believed that the first Christmas tree in St. Petersburg was arranged by the Germans who lived there. The townspeople liked this custom so much that they began to install Christmas trees in their homes. From the capital of the empire, this tradition began to spread throughout the country.
Despite the growing popularity of the Christmas tree in Russia, the attitude towards it from the very beginning was not completely unanimous. Adherents of Russian antiquity saw in the tree another Western innovation, encroaching on national identity. Already at the end of the 19th century, voices began to be heard in Russia in defense of nature and, above all, forests. The Orthodox Church has become a serious opponent of the Christmas tree as a foreign (Western, non-Orthodox) and, moreover, pagan in its origin custom. Until the 1917 revolution, the Holy Synod issued decrees prohibiting the arrangement of trees in schools and gymnasiums.
Among the peasants, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree took root with difficulty - this is due to the fact that the ancient Slavs had a spruce as a symbol of death (they buried them under the trees, covered the last path with spruce paws, decorated the graves with spruce garlands and branches). The peasants went to the forest only to buy trees for their masters or to chop them up for sale in the city.
Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 20th century, the Christmas tree was becoming a common occurrence in Russia. After 1917, the trees were preserved for several years: let us recall the paintings "Fir-tree in Sokolniki", "Fir-tree in Gorki". But since 1925, a planned struggle against religion and Orthodox holidays began, the result of which was the final cancellation of Christmas in 1929. Christmas Day has become a regular working day. Along with Christmas, the tree was canceled, already firmly intertwined with it. The Christmas tree, which the Orthodox Church once opposed, now began to be called the "priest's" custom. And then the tree "went underground": it was secretly continued to be erected for Christmas, the windows were tightly curtained.
The situation changed after JV Stalin uttered the words: "You need to live better, you need to live more fun." At the end of 1935, the tree was not so much revived as turned into a new holiday, which received a simple and clear wording: "The New Year tree is a holiday of a joyful and happy childhood in our country." Arranging Christmas trees for children of employees of institutions and industrial enterprises is becoming mandatory. The connection of the tree with Christmas was consigned to oblivion. The Christmas tree has become an attribute of the national holiday of the New Year, one of the three (along with October and May Day) major Soviet holidays. The eight-pointed star of Bethlehem at the top of the "Christmas tree" has now been replaced by a five-pointed star - the same as on the Kremlin towers.
In 1991, Christmas began to be celebrated in Russia again. January 7 was declared a non-working day. Today both Christmas and New Year are public holidays. Children and adults are still preparing for them in advance, waiting for gifts, happy meetings and the fulfillment of desires, gathering in a family and friendly circle at a festive table, under a fragrant New Year tree. And yet, for the majority of the population of the former Soviet country, New Year is still the most favorite holiday. He has overshadowed Christmas, which is a more important holiday for believers only.
It is interesting that the Orthodox Church has forgotten about its once hostile attitude towards the tree. Now green trees stand not only in the homes of believers, but also in churches during the Christmas service. And at Sunday School we lead round dances around the tree and sing songs.
Thus, the tradition of decorating the tree for New Year and Christmas has ancient pagan roots and came to us from Protestants relatively recently.
Christians lived without trees for 15 centuries, and the Holy Scriptures say nothing about Christmas trees (as well as about Easter cakes, cheese Easter, painted eggs, etc.). But there are traditions that have taken root among Christians, and everyone observes them. The whole point is in our attitude to these festive traditions. If the tree and the gifts under it are in the center of our attention, but Christ is forgotten and we do nothing for Him on this day, then, perhaps, the tree itself becomes a symbol of paganism. But if the tree for us is a symbol of eternal life, the candles on it tell us that the Light - Christ has come into the world, and the gifts for the children under the tree remind us that God gave us His Son, then everything is in its place.
Pre-revolutionary children's literature is full of stories about children's joy from the meeting with the Christmas tree. K. Lukashevich ("My Sweet Childhood"), M. Tolmacheva ("How Tasya Lived"), Nun Varvara ("Christmas - Golden Childhood"), A. Fedorov-Davydov ("Instead of a Christmas Tree") and a lot others. Everyone knows and