New Year's plants from different countries. Christmas and New Year plants in different countries of the world What is the name of the New Year tree

16.10.2019

The traditional and integral attribute of the celebration of Christmas and New Year originated in medieval Germany. At that time, the tree was not brought home or decorated with bright toys. Those who wanted to celebrate the New Year chose a tree in the forest, hung rags, candles and various improvised, fairly simple means on it. After the baptism of the Germanic peoples, ceremonies began to acquire a different meaning, already as part of the Christian tradition, and ate became a kind of symbol of Christmas Eve (in the Catholic world - December 24). As a "sacrifice" to Christ, people hung the tree with loaves and apples: the first - a symbol of the sacrament, the second referred to the forbidden fruit of Adam and Eve. The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree came to Russia only in the 19th century.

Now each country has its own, original manner of decorating a Christmas tree. The New Year is celebrated most splendidly in Europe, which is why Europeans ate chic and richly decorated. The two main colors of the holiday are red and green. They can be found in the decor of the whole house. The Germans, for example, never forget about the traditional spruce wreath on the door, which means they have a sign of greeting and blessing for all guests.

Choosing the tree itself, the Germans pay attention to a lush and beautiful tree. They prefer fairly standard decorations - balls and toys, however, there is also a favorite - the nutcracker. By the way, until 1900, Christmas trees all over the world were trying to decorate so that there was literally no free space on them. And only the last century has brought a fashion for minimalism and a stylistic approach to decorating a Christmas tree.

Scandinavian traditions

On Stockholm Christmas trees, you can often see wooden, similar to home-made, toys, as well as eco-decorations made of straw. By the way, it is customary to install a Christmas tree in Sweden not at home, but in the yard.

Finns most often decorate Christmas trees with handmade toys, as well as flags of different countries and candles.

In Norway, it is customary to cut a Christmas tree in the forest on their own, and older family members are entrusted with decorating it, so much so as to make a surprise for the kids. When the tree is "equipped" with toys and gifts, the rest of the household is called into the room, who, accompanied by music and singing, present gifts to each other.

United Kingdom

In England, the first Christmas tree was installed in 1841 at Windsor Castle. Now the British and Irish, decorating a tree, are guided by the rule - the brighter the better. Their fir trees have fewer toys, but more garlands and various bright, luminous elements.

The main Christmas beauty of the English capital is set on Trafalgar Square. This tree is traditionally given to the British by the Norwegian people in gratitude for their help during the Second World War. Then the Norwegian royal family lived in London, and the British military took part in the liberation of the territory of Norway from the Nazis.

South America

South Americans also have their own special traditions. In Mexico, it is customary to decorate a house with Christian symbols, depicting the scene of the birth of Christ. Instead of a real Christmas tree, Mexicans dress up an artificial one or put several fragrant branches of live spruce in jars. On the streets, as in many warm climates, evergreen thorny trees replace palms.

Among the Brazilians, who have summer on our New Year and Christmas, the tradition has taken root to decorate the Christmas tree with pieces of cotton wool, thus imitating snow.

One of the most original Christmas trees in the world, floating, is also located in Rio de Janeiro. It is installed on Lake Lagoa and has a height of 85 meters and a weight of 530 tons. There are more than 3 million light bulbs in the garland of this tree, which are controlled by a computer. A few years ago, the Rio Christmas tree entered the Guinness Book of Records.

Asia

In China, small tangerine and orange trees are used instead of Christmas trees, and they are decorated with candied fruits, paper lanterns and flowers. Also popular here are paper rolls with wishes of happiness and wealth.

In Japan, due to the scarcity of spruce, dwarf pines are used. As decorations, the inhabitants of this country prefer paper products made using the origami technique, as well as balls of rice flour, painted in different colors. Wealthy people install kadomatsu near their homes - a New Year's composition made of bamboo, spruce branches, berries and algae. All the components of an unusual tree symbolize something: pine - longevity, bamboo - resilience, and so on.

In America, in addition to toys, it is customary to hang edible decorations on the Christmas tree - sweets in beautiful wrappers, oranges, cranberries, and cane-shaped lollipops. It is believed that the pastry chef who first made the J-shaped sweets wanted to immortalize the Latin letter that begins the name Jesus.

Russia

The first home trees in Russia were installed in the imperial palaces, while ordinary residents knew about this tradition only by hearsay. The custom of decorating a winter tree came to the people along with the fascination with German culture and literature in the 19th century. The first public Christmas tree was installed in 1852 in the building of the St. Petersburg Yekateringofsky railway station. One side of it was against the wall, and the other was decorated with strips of colored paper. Soon, public Christmas trees began to be installed in the buildings of clubs, theaters and other places.

From the second half of the 19th century, cardboard toys began to be hung on evergreen trees: garlands, banners, Chinese lanterns. At the beginning of the 20th century, special Christmas tree decorations began to be sold in stores - glass balls, first German, then Russian-made. In the same century, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree fell into the shadows due to economic problems. In Soviet times, the tradition of celebrating Christmas and New Year has undergone many changes, but still managed to defend itself.

Even during the war years, families tried not to leave their children without trees. Instead of traditional toys, the trees could be anything made from improvised means.
Now the traditions of decorating Christmas trees in Russia are almost equal to those in Europe and America. Many families adhere to their own customs and dress up their spruce in retro toys from their grandmother's chest. Someone renews the collection every year and even orders designer "gadgets" for the Christmas tree. Some show creativity and originality in their decoration, using other objects instead of toys and garlands: sports balls, jewelry, down and feathers, ribbons, bows and even CDs.

Christmas tree. Photo: http://www.budmen.ua

Today, December 25, Roman Catholics, most Protestants and some Orthodox churches celebrate the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ. The people call this day Catholic Christmas, "as opposed to" the Orthodox, celebrated on January 7th. The main attribute of the Russian New Year and Christmas is green spruce. What kind of plants decorate for Christmas and New Year in other countries of our planet?

In Great Britain, it is customary to decorate a house with branches of holly and white mistletoe. According to custom, once a year, on Christmas Eve, men have the right to kiss any girl who stops under the decoration of this plant. Ancient Druids considered mistletoe to be a sacred plant, a symbol of eternal life. The Romans valued her as a symbol of peace. Kissing under the mistletoe is also a Roman tradition.

Interestingly, mistletoe, ivy and holly (holly) served as attributes of winter festivities in ancient Rome. They are similar to spruce in that they do not fade with the arrival of winter. These plants are widely used in Europe during Christmas, as a decoration for the home, festive table and as a material for Christmas wreaths.

In Sudan, the green, unripe nut is considered the mascot of the new year. A person's best wish is to find an immature nut that would bring happiness and good luck throughout the year.

In every Japanese house for the New Year, 3 branches appear: bamboo - let children grow up quickly, plums - let the owners have strong helpers, pines - let all family members live as long as a pine tree. To ward off evil spirits, the Japanese hang wreaths of straw (or simply bundles) in front of the house. Mandarin trees and mandarins are a must-have for the Japanese New Year, symbolizing happiness, health and longevity.

In Iran, a few weeks before the New Year, wheat grains are planted in small pots. By the New Year, they sprout - this symbolizes the beginning of spring and New Year.

In Denmark, it is customary to decorate larch for the new year. And to save their forests from poachers who want to decorate their home with a forest beauty, Danish foresters have come up with a great way. On New Year's Eve, they treat the trees with a special composition. In the cold, the liquid is odorless. And in the room, the tree begins to emit a pungent suffocating smell, punishing violators.

In Greece, a pomegranate tree is decorated for the New Year. And the pomegranate fruit is an obligatory attribute of the New Year's holiday in every Greek home. In Greece, there is a custom according to which, exactly at midnight, the head of the family goes out into the courtyard and breaks a pomegranate fruit against the wall. If his grains scatter around the yard, the family will live happily in the new year.

In New Zealand, at the end of December, just around Christmas time, there is a massive bloom of pohutukawa. Pohutukawa is a New Zealand tree species from the genus Metrosideros. The name "pohutukawa" is of Maori origin. The English-speaking population calls the plant the New Zealand Christmas Tree, as well as the Iron Tree. It is on Christmas that the entire crown of the pohutukawa tree is covered with bright red-burgundy velvety flowers (there are also varieties with yellow flowers).

In Australia, for Christmas and New Years, it is customary to decorate houses and give each other a plant that is a relative of the European mistletoe - nuitsia. Endemic to Western Australia - Nuytsia floribunda, called the "Christmas tree" for the bright yellowish-orange flowers that appear for the new year, reaches a height of 10 meters.

In Brazil, the Schlumberger plant is considered a Christmas and New Year tree. Schlumberger is popularly called the "Decembrist", because the first flowers appear in December, as well as "Christmas cactus", because the plant invariably is in bloom during the celebration of both Catholic and Orthodox Christmas - until the end of January and even later everything blooms on it new flowers.

Based on materials from open Internet sources

Here is December in the yard and on the calendar! So, it's time to buy a Christmas tree or a pine tree and decorate it. By the way, have you ever wondered how and what they decorate for the New Year in different countries? And we, in "Academy of Femininity" thoughtful. We imagined pine trees on the beaches of Brazil, and palm trees under the snow in Norway. ... Well, now seriously: we have collected a large selection of different countries and continents, how they decorate their holiday trees in all parts of the world. The article turned out to be not only informative, but also inspiring - what if you notice something to decorate your Christmas tree for the New Year 2016? Let's start.

Germany

The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree appeared in Germany at the beginning of the 17th century. And the toys on the tree served not only as decorations, but also as Christian symbols: star at the top, apples- a symbol of fruits from the Tree of Knowledge, candles- in honor of angelic purity, and then added sweets for children.

The same tradition came to North America from German settlers, but local customs were added. Lollipops in the shape of the letter "J" - in honor of Jesus (in Latin) have become a popular Christmas tree decoration. But the street trees there were also decorated with popcorn, and in addition to the decorations, the point was to feed the birds! But in England, mistletoe is a New Year's tree: it symbolizes fertility, life and health. The twigs are tied with a red ribbon and hung around the house. The English also use ivy and holly, which symbolize unfading nature!

In the Slavic countries, it has long been believed that thorny plants protect from evil spirits. Therefore, Christmas trees and pines are brought home to drive away negative energy from the house, and decoration apples, gingerbread and nuts, was necessary to appease the spirit of the tree. Well, the time has passed - the traditions have remained!

Brazil

In warm countries, everything is much more interesting! In Brazil, the locals decorate all the trees, palm trees and shrubs: hang colorful light bulbs and silver balls... In Cuba, palm trees are also decorated, but in addition to traditional garlands, they use pieces of cotton to simulate snow! And in Africa, baobabs are decorated. To do this, use multi-colored rags, ribbons and bunches of herbs. In Mexico, they also dress up a palm tree, and arrange gifts for children around it.

In India, the house is decorated with garlands of different flowers. In Nicaragua, not only trees are decorated, but also houses: branches of a coffee tree with red fruits are laid everywhere. And in Bali, they build tall columns of rice stalks and paint them in different colors!

The Vietnamese place tall bamboo in the center of the room and decorate it with bells and clay fish.

In Japan, as always, everything is different! A New Year's composition of bamboo, pine, plum, and tangerine branches is called kadomatsu("Pine at the entrance"). All this beauty is adorned origami, fans, lanterns and, ferns and tangerines. It symbolizes longevity and prosperity at home, a sensation in business, happiness and health, resilience and resistance to adversity and troubles. Toys look especially beautiful temari – hand embroidered balls.

V Australia and New Zealand Summer is in full swing! Therefore, here the New Year tree is considered metrosideros covered with scarlet flowers. This tree is decorated with kangaroo figurines dressed as Santa and koala bears.
There are Christmas trees in the Philippines, though plastic ones. It is customary to decorate them with toys and light bulbs.

So you learned the most interesting principles of decorating New Year's trees in different countries! Any ideas how you will decorate your Christmas tree now?

Description of the presentation for individual slides:

1 slide

Slide Description:

2 slide

Slide Description:

We are all accustomed to the fact that an elegant green Christmas tree or other coniferous tree is the symbol of the New Year and Christmas. But this tradition is not characteristic of all peoples.

3 slide

Slide Description:

Now each country has its own, original manner of decorating a Christmas tree. And in some countries, a Christmas tree is not even a Christmas tree ... Let's see what and how they decorate in different countries of the world for New Year and Christmas ...

4 slide

Slide Description:

The New Year is celebrated most splendidly in Europe, which is why Europeans ate chic and richly decorated. The two main colors of the holiday are red and green. They can be found in the decor of the whole house. The Germans prefer rather standard decorations - balls and toys, however, there is also a favorite - the nutcracker. By the way, until 1900, Christmas trees all over the world were trying to decorate so that there was literally no free space on them.

5 slide

Slide Description:

Scandinavians, in particular Swedes, prefer animal figurines to traditional balls. The Christmas goat deserves special mention. This is a character who fulfills his New Year's role in as many as three countries - Sweden, Norway and Finland. On Stockholm Christmas trees, you can often see wooden, similar to home-made, toys, as well as eco-decorations made of straw. By the way, it is customary to install a Christmas tree in Sweden not at home, but in the yard.

6 slide

Slide Description:

7 slide

Slide Description:

8 slide

Slide Description:

In China, small tangerine and orange trees are used instead of Christmas trees, and they are decorated with candied fruits, paper lanterns and flowers. In Japan, dwarf pines are used. Paper products made using the origami technique, as well as balls of rice flour, painted in different colors, are used as decorations.

9 slide

Slide Description:

10 slide

Slide Description:

The first home trees in Russia were installed in the imperial palaces. The custom of decorating a winter tree came to the people along with the fascination with German culture and literature in the 19th century. The first public Christmas tree was installed in 1852 in the building of the St. Petersburg railway station. From the second half of the 19th century, cardboard toys began to be hung on evergreen trees: garlands, banners, Chinese lanterns. At the beginning of the 20th century, special Christmas tree decorations began to be sold in stores - glass balls, first German, then Russian-made. In Soviet times, the tradition of celebrating Christmas and New Year has undergone many changes, but still managed to defend itself.

11 slide

Slide Description:

Now the traditions of decorating Christmas trees in Russia are almost equal to those in Europe and America. Many families adhere to their own customs and dress up their spruce in retro toys from their grandmother's chest. Someone renews the collection every year and even orders designer "gadgets" for the Christmas tree. Some show creativity and originality in their decoration, using other objects instead of toys and garlands: sports balls, jewelry, down and feathers, ribbons, bows and even CDs.

12 slide

Slide Description:

The holly (or holly) is a much more ancient symbol of the winter holidays than the spruce. The ancient Romans considered holly a sacred tree of the god Saturn, the druids traditionally burned its branches for the winter solstice, and the Celts wove wreaths from holly and believed that its bright red berries would help them survive the longest night of the year. Over time, the holly has become a real symbol of Christmas. According to one version, it was from the holly that the wreath of Jesus Christ was woven, and the red berries are the blood of the Savior. Holly wreaths and garlands are still popular in many Western European countries, especially in the UK. It is believed that this plant gives people hope and faith in the best.

13 slide

14 slide

Slide Description:

Another popular Christmas plant in English-speaking countries is the poinsettia, the Star of Bethlehem. In the USA, Canada, Great Britain and a number of other European countries, poinsettia is used to decorate homes and offices, and this beautiful plant is also presented as a Christmas present. In recent years, this tradition has begun to spread in Russia.

We are all accustomed to the fact that another coniferous tree is the symbol of the New Year and Christmas. But this tradition is not characteristic of all peoples. About New Year's plants from different countries - in the New Year's article!

Holly

Holly (or holly)- a much more ancient symbol of winter holidays than the spruce. The ancient Romans considered holly a sacred tree of the god Saturn, the druids traditionally burned its branches for the winter solstice, and the Celts wove wreaths from holly and believed that its bright red berries would help them survive the longest night of the year.

Over time, pagan traditions migrated to Christian holidays. Holly has become a real symbol of Christmas. According to one version, it was from the holly that the gossip was wreath of Jesus Christ, and red berries are the blood of the Savior. Holly wreaths and garlands are still popular in many Western European countries, especially in the UK. It is believed that this plant gives people hope and faith in the best.

mistletoe

Euphorbia most beautiful (Poinsettia)

Another popular Christmas plant in English speaking countries is poinsettia - "Star of Bethlehem". In the USA, Canada, Great Britain and a number of other European countries, poinsettia is used to decorate homes and offices, and this beautiful plant is also presented as a Christmas present. In recent years, this tradition has begun to spread in Russia.

Ivy

Ivy twigs are often added to Christmas wreaths in Western European countries, Canada and the United States. This loach symbolizes the desire to grow up, develop and be closer to God.

Kumquat and tangerines

Citrus plants- New Year's symbol in China, Japan and Korea. Kumquats and tangerines here symbolize health, happiness and longevity. These trees, hung with fruits, are traditionally sold here on New Year's holidays, they are used to decorate houses and are presented as a gift.

Bamboo

In Japan, bamboo branches are an obligatory attribute for the New Year. They are used to weave unusual figures "for luck" or simply hang bunches of bamboo straw on the door to ward off evil spirits. Branches of pine, cypress, and plum or peach blossoms are also popular in Japan.

Nuitsia profusely

In Australia, the main Christmas tree is considered Nuitsia. It is on New Year's Eve that Nuitsia blooms with huge bright yellow flowers that can reach 10 meters in height!