Christmas trees originally begin as a pagan tradition as early as the fourth century C.E., according to ABC News. Europeans of the old religion were largely responsible for dressing their homes with the branches of evergreen fir trees in order to bring color and light into their dull winters.
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. ... It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree.
The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome and continued with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s.
Discover the history of the Christmas tree, from the earliest winter solstice celebrations to Queen Victoria’s decorating habits and the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City.
