Christmas tree what do we know about it. Christmas tree

Alexander Novak

Celebration tradition new year holidays with a Christmas tree, so strongly entered our life that almost no one asks questions, but where did the Christmas tree come to us, what does it symbolize why the Christmas tree is an integral attribute for Christmas and New Year... When did the tree appear with us and where it came from, and we will try to find out in this article.

In 1906, the philosopher Vasily Rozanov wrote:

“Many years ago I was surprised to learn that the custom of the Christmas tree does not belong to the number of indigenous Russian customs... Yolka is currently so firmly established in Russian society that it would not occur to anyone that she is not russian…»

As you already know, from my article "What are we celebrating for the New Year" the tradition of celebrating the New Year with a Christmas tree in Russia was brought by his decree by the false Peter I in 1699 ( approx. A.N. - «?» - reads like "e", and " b"Is not read at the end of words):

«… now from the Nativity of Christ it is 1699, and the future Genvara on the 1st will come a new 1700 year bought and new table? tny in? for that good and useful purpose, the Great Sovereign pointed out from now on lata count in the Order and in all sorts of dalah and cr? postyakh write with now? shnyago Genvarya from the 1st from the Nativity of Christ in 1700... And in the sign of that good beginning and new capital in the reigning city? Moscow? , last? I owe thanks to God and prayer for? nia in the church and to whom it will happen in his house, for large and? close to noble streets to noble people and near houses of deliberate spiritual and worldly rank before the gates to make? which decoration from trees and v ? tvey pine , elevykh and juniper against samples, what are the SD? lany on Gostin dvor? and at the lower pharmacy, or whoever is comfortable? e and decent? e, depending on m? stu and gate, it is possible to commit; and people are poor, everyone though according to the tree, or v ? tv ? on the collars , or put over your temple; and then it’s sleep? lo, now? the future of January to the 1st of this year, and to stand that decoration of Genvara on the 7th day of the same year 1700. ...»

Nevertheless, the decree of Emperor Peter had only an indirect relation to the future Christmas tree: firstly, the city was decorated not only with spruce, but also with other conifers; secondly, the decree recommended the use of both whole trees and branches, and, finally, thirdly, pine needle decorations were prescribed not to be installed indoors, but outside - on gates, roofs of taverns, streets and roads. This turned the tree into a detail of the New Year's cityscape, and not the Christmas interior, which it became much later.

The text of the sovereign's decree testifies to us that for Peter, in the custom he introduced, which he met during his European journey, both aesthetics were important - houses and streets were ordered to be decorated with needles, and symbolism - decorations from evergreen needles should have been created to commemorate celebrating the New Year.

It is important that the Peter's decree of December 20, 1699 is almost the only document on the history of the Christmas tree in Russia in the 18th century. After the death of the impostor, they stopped erecting Christmas trees. Only the owners of taverns decorated their houses with them, and these trees stood at taverns all year round - hence their name - “ tree sticks».

The sovereign's instructions were preserved only in the decoration of drinking establishments, which, before the New Year, continued to be decorated with Christmas trees. By these trees, which were tied to a stake, installed on the roofs or stuck at the gates, taverns were identified. The trees stood there until the next year, on the eve of which the old ones were replaced with new ones. Arising as a result of Peter's decree, this custom was maintained throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Pushkin in the "History of the village of Goryukhin" mentions "An ancient public building, decorated with a Christmas tree and the image of a two-headed eagle"... This characteristic detail was well known and was reflected from time to time in many works of Russian literature. Sometimes, instead of a Christmas tree, pines were placed on the roofs of taverns:

“The building of the tavern ... consisted of an old two-story hut with a high roof ... withered pine; her thin, withered branches seemed to be calling for help. "

And in the poem by N. P. Kilberg in 1872 "Yolka" the coachman is sincerely surprised that the master cannot recognize a drinking establishment in it due to the tree hammered in at the door of the hut:

“We drove in! .. rushing in the village with an arrow,
Suddenly the horses stood in front of the dirty hut,
Where a tree is hammered at the door...
What is it? .. - What are you, sir, eccentric,
Don't you know? .. After all this is a pub!..»

That is why, the taverns were popularly called "Christmas trees" or "Ivans-Yelkins": " Let's go to the Yolkin, we'll have a drink for the holiday»; « It can be seen that Ivan Yolkin was visiting, that you stagger from side to side»; « a tree (tavern) cleaner than a broomstick sweeps a house". Soon, the whole complex of “alcoholic” concepts gradually acquired “Christmas tree” doublets: “ raise the tree"- to get drunk," go under the tree" or " the tree fell, let's go raise"- go to the pub," be under the tree»- be in a tavern; " Yelkin" - condition alcoholic intoxication etc.

Is it by chance that false Peter I, by his decree, introduces into the cult of veneration on the territory of Muscovy a tree that has become a symbol of drinking establishments and in folk tradition considered a tree of death?

Naturally, among the people, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree took root with difficulty, since spruce has been considered in Russia since ancient times. tree of death: not by chance to this day spruce branches it is customary to pave the road along which the funeral procession goes, and it is not customary to plant trees near houses. And what a fear a trip to a spruce forest evokes, where in broad daylight you can easily get lost, since the spruce passes very poorly sunlight and in the forests of spruce, therefore it is very dark and scary from this. There was also a custom: to bury those who had strangled and, in general, suicides between two trees, turning them. It was forbidden to build houses from spruce, as well as from aspen. In addition, in Russian wedding songs, the spruce was associated with the theme of death, where it symbolized an orphan bride.

In ancient times, among the Slavic-Aryans, the tree was a symbol of death, which was associated with the "other world", the transition to it and a necessary element of the funeral ritual. Since our ancestors burned their dead, i.e. sent them to the genus, then the spruce, like a resinous tree that burns well at any time of the year, was used in cropping. The deceased Slavic prince or princess was thickly covered with branches of spruce and cones, at the end of the funeral prayers of the Magi, when grains were strewn with oats, rye and the many mourners' voices, they set a sorrowful bonfire or kroda on fire. A burning flame rushed into the sky.

Throughout the 18th century, nowhere, except for drinking establishments, spruce no longer appears as an element of New Year's or Yuletide decor: its image is absent in new year fireworks and illuminations; she is not mentioned when describing Christmas masquerades at court; and, of course, she is absent from the folk Christmas games. In the stories about the New Year and Yuletide festivities held during this period of Russian history, never indicates the presence of spruce in the room.

People ate in the image Ancient Rus have not seen anything poetic. Growing mainly in damp and swampy places, this tree with dark green thorny needles, unpleasant to the touch, rough and often damp trunk, did not enjoy much love. Spruce was depicted without sympathy, like other conifers, both in Russian poetry and in literature, until the end of the 19th century. Here are just a few examples. F.I.Tyutchev wrote in 1830:

"Let be pine and spruce
They stick out all winter
In the snow and heifers
Wrapped up, they sleep.
Their skinny greenery
How hedgehog needles,
Although it does not turn yellow forever,
But never fresh. "

The spruce tree evoked gloomy associations among the poet and prose writer of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries A.N. Budishchev:

"Pines and mossy ate,
White nights and darkness.
Angrily under the song of a blizzard
A deserted ravine howls. "

And Joseph Brodsky, conveying his feelings from the northern landscape (the place of his exile is the village of Koreansky), notes:

“First of all, specific vegetation. She is basically unattractive- all these trees, swamps... A person has nothing to do there either as a moving body in a landscape, or as a spectator. Because what will he see there? "

The mortal symbolism of the spruce was learned and became widespread during the Soviet era... The spruce has become a characteristic detail of official burial grounds, first of all - Lenin's mausoleum, near which silver Norwegian spruces were planted:

“They bend down as they grow old,

Above the echoing granite of the mausoleum ... "

The mortal symbolism of ate was also reflected in proverbs, sayings, phraseological units: “ look under the tree"- hard to get sick; " fall under the tree" - die; " spruce village», « spruce domina" - coffin; " go or walk along the spruce path"- to die, etc. The sound roll call provoked a convergence of the word" Christmas tree "with a number of obscene words, which also influenced our perception of this tree. The “Christmas tree” euphemisms that are widely used today are also characteristic: “ tree sticks», « tree winders" etc.

The revival of the Christmas tree began only in mid-19th 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.

Neither Pushkin, nor Lermontov, nor their contemporaries ever mention the Christmas tree, while Christmastide, Christmas masquerades and balls in literature and in magazine articles are constantly described at this time: Christmas divination is given in Zhukovsky's ballad " Svetlana"(1812), Christmastide in the landlord's house is depicted by Pushkin in Chapter V" Eugene Onegina"(1825), on Christmas Eve the action of Pushkin's poem" House in Kolomna"(1828), Lermontov's drama" Masquerade"(1835):" After all, today are holidays and, probably, a masquerade ...».

The first mention of the tree appeared in the newspaper "Northern Bee" on the eve of 1840: the newspaper reported on selling “ adorable and adorned with lanterns, garlands, wreaths»Christmas trees. A year later, in the same edition, an explanation of the fashionable custom appears:

"We took over good Germans children's party on the eve of the feast of the Nativity of Christ: Weihnachtsbaum. The tree, lit with lanterns or candles, hung with sweets, fruits, toys, books, delights children, who have already been told that for good behavior and diligence on the holiday there will be a sudden reward ... "

During the first ten years, Petersburg residents still perceived the Christmas tree as a specific German custom. A. V. Tereshchenko, author of the seven-volume monograph “Life of the Russian People” (1848), wrote:

« In places where foreigners live, especially in the capital, the tree has become common».

The detachment with which the description of the holiday is given to them testifies to the novelty of this custom for the Russian people:

“For the holiday of the Christmas tree, they choose mainly the tree tree, from which the children's festival received its name; it is hung with children's toys, which are handed out to them after the fun. The rich celebrate with exquisite whims. "

S. Auslander's story "Christmastide in Old Petersburg" (1912) tells that the first Christmas tree in Russia was arranged by the sovereign Nicholas I in the very in the late 1830s, after which, following the example of the royal family, they began to install it in the noble houses of the capital:

“Well, after the sovereign you were the first to adopt this German custom,” said one old general to the priest.

“Yes, it was touching to see in the palace last year what joy this innovation caused not only among children, but also among old people,” answered the father.

Come from Germany tree with early 1840s begins to be assimilated by the Russian families of the capital. In 1842, the magazine for children "Zvezdochka", which was published by the children's writer and translator A. O. Ishimova, told his readers:

“Now, in many Russian homes, custom german: on the eve of the holiday, quietly from the children, prepare a Christmas tree; this means: decorate this evergreen tree is as good as possible, flowers and ribbons, hang on gilded walnut branches, red ones, the most beautiful apples, bunches of delicious grapes and different kinds skillfully made candies... All of this is illuminated many multi-colored wax candles glued to the branches of a tree, and sometimes colorful lanterns.»

TO the middle19th century German custom has become firmly established in the life of the Russian capital. The Christmas tree is becoming quite common for a resident of St. Petersburg. In 1847 N.A.Nekrasov mentions her as something familiar and understandable to everyone:

"Yet the random is like candy on a Christmas tree, which is just as far from being a work of nature as some kaleidoscopic novel by the Dumas factory is a work of art."

V. Iofe, exploring “ literary flora»Russian poetry of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, noted the beginning from the end of the 19th century increasing the popularity of the spruce, apparently connected with the fact that the spruce in the minds of the Russian people is firmly connected with the positive symbol of the Christmas tree:

"... spruce and pine, outsiders of the 19th century, are now becoming more and more popular."

And already pre-revolutionary children's literature is full of stories about children's joy from a meeting with a Christmas tree. K. Lukashevich writes about it "My sweet childhood", M. Tolmacheva "How Tasya lived", nun Varvara "Christmas - Golden childhood", A. Fedorov-Davydov "Instead of a Christmas tree" and many others.

It's a funny fact, but the Christian church has become a serious opponent of the Christmas tree, as a foreign and, moreover, Vedic in its origin custom. Until the 1917 revolution, the Holy Synod issued decrees prohibiting the arrangement of trees in schools and gymnasiums.

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 "Christmas tree in Sokolniki", "Christmas tree in Gorki". But in 1925, a planned struggle against religion and Orthodox holidays, which resulted in the final abolition of Christmas in 1929... Christmas Day has become a regular working day. Along with Christmas, the tree was canceled, already firmly intertwined with it. Christmas tree, which once opposed Orthodox Church, now began to be called the "priest's" custom. And then the tree "went underground": they secretly continued to put it up for Christmas, tightly closing the windows.

The situation changed after IV 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 new holiday, which received a simple and clear formulation: “ The New Year tree is a holiday of a joyful and happy childhood in our country». Arrangement of Christmas trees for children of employees of institutions and industrial enterprises becomes mandatory... The connection of the tree with Christmas was consigned to oblivion. The Christmas tree has become an attribute public holiday New Year. Eight-pointed star- Slavic-Aryan sign of the Sun, which Christians called Star of bethlehem, at the top " christmas tree"Has now replaced five-pointed star, the same as on the Kremlin towers.

In 1954, the main Christmas tree of the country, the Kremlin, was lit for the first time, which sparkles and sparkles every New Year.

After 1935, toys reflected the development of the national economy in the USSR. In the Soviet magazine "Around the World", popular in those years, it was explained:

"By Christmas tree decorations you can trace the history of the construction of a new-light communist society different years... Along with banal bunnies and squirrels, icicles and koloboks, toys were produced in the form of a five-pointed star, a sickle and a hammer, a tractor, an airplane; later they were replaced by toys in the form of astronauts, spaceships, rockets. "

Christmas remained banned until 1989. Such is the difficult story of the New Year tree in Russia.

Where did the Christmas tree holiday originate?

It turns out that many Europeanized Slavic-Aryan peoples during the Christmas season have long used christmas or yuletide log, a huge piece of wood, or stump, which was lit on the hearth on the first day of Christmas and gradually burned out during the twelve days of the holiday. It is a popular belief that keeping a piece of Christmas wood carefully throughout the year protected the house from fire and lightning, provided the family with an abundance of grain, and helped the cattle to bear offspring easily. Stumps of spruce and beech trunks were used as a Christmas log. Among the southern Slavs, this is the so-called badnyak, for the Scandinavians - juldlock, for the French - le buche de Noël ( note A.N.- a Christmas block, which, in fact, if you read these words in Russian, we get boo - Russian obuh - back side ax-axes, there is quite a block or log; and no-ael is like a fusion of words - Norwegian tree or new Christmas tree, or the best and most accurate hit night tree).

The history of the transformation of spruce into a Christmas tree has not yet been precisely reconstructed. Surely we only know that it happened on the territory Germany, where the spruce during the Vedic culture was especially revered and was identified with the world tree: “ The queen of the German forests was an evergreen spruce". It was here, among the ancient Slavs, the ancestors of the Germans, that she first became a New Year, and later - a Christmas vegetable symbol. Among the Germanic peoples, there has long been a custom to go to the forest for the New Year, where the spruce tree chosen for the ritual role was lit with candles and decorated with colored rags, after which the corresponding rituals were performed near or around it. Over time, spruce trees were cut down and brought into the house, where they were set on the table. Lighted candles were attached to the tree, apples and sugar products were hung on it. The emergence of the cult of spruce as a symbol of undying nature was facilitated by its evergreen cover, which made it possible to use it during the winter festive season, which was a transformation of the long-known custom of decorating houses with evergreens.

After the baptism and romanization of the Slavic peoples ( approx. A.N.- pure-blooded Germans are not Aryans, but Slavs, or rather the Svyatorussians - blue-eyed and fair-haired), inhabiting the territory of modern Germany, the customs and rituals associated with the worship of ate began to gradually acquire a Christian meaning, and they began to use it as christmas tree, installing in houses no longer on New Years, but on Christmas Eve, i.e. the eve of the Christmas of the Sun (god), December 24, which is why it got the name of the Christmas tree - Weihnachtsbaum(approx. A.N.- an interesting word, which, if read in parts and in Russian, is very similar to the following - holy night log, where if we add "s" to Weih, then we get the Russian word holy or light). From that time on, on Christmas Eve (Weihnachtsabend), the festive mood in Germany began to be created not only by Christmas carols, but also by a tree with candles burning on it.

Christmas tree with candles and decorations first mentioned in 1737 year. Fifty years later, there is a record of a certain baroness who claims that in every German house "A spruce tree is prepared, covered with candles and sweets, with excellent lighting".

In France, the custom persisted for a long time burn a Christmas log on Christmas Eve(le buche de Noël), and the tree was learned more slowly and not as readily as in the northern countries.

In the story-stylization of the writer-emigrant MA Struve "The Parisian Letter", which describes the "first Parisian impressions" of a Russian youth who celebrated Christmas in 1868 in Paris, it is said:

“The room ... greeted me embellished, but trees, dear to me according to Petersburg custom, even the smallest, in her not found».

Charles Dickens, in his 1830 essay "Christmas Dinner", describing English Christmas, does not yet mention the tree, but writes about the traditional England branch of mistletoe, under which boys traditionally kiss their cousins, and a branch of holly flaunting on top of a giant pudding ... However, in the essay "Christmas Tree", written in the early 1850s, the writer already enthusiastically welcomes the new custom:

“Tonight I watched the merry crowd of children gathered around the Christmas tree — a cute German idea! The tree was set in the middle of a large round table and rose high above their heads. It shone brightly with many small candles, and all around it sparkled and sparkled with shiny things ... Around the tree is now blooming bright fun - singing, dancing, all sorts of undertakings. Hello to them. Say hello to the innocent fun under the branches of the Christmas tree, which will never cast a gloomy shadow! "

Most of the peoples of Western Europe began to actively adopt the tradition of the Christmas tree only by the middle of the 19th century. Spruce gradually became an essential and integral part family holiday, although the memory of her German origin persisted for many years.

Now, knowing the truth about the tree and the holidays associated with it, you can perfectly celebrate the Christmas of the Sun ( approx. A.N.- read the details in my article "What are we celebrating for the New Year") and without a Christmas tree, and without Santa Claus and without alcohol and not at midnight, and most importantly on the real birthday of the Sun - it is celebrated in the evening from December 24 to 25, and not according to our style from 6th to 7th January.

It turns out that the entire Christian world celebrates the Christmas of the Sun correctly, and we, the Russians, as always, cheated and slipped US alien gods, alien traditions and holidays, and in alien the truth days! When celebrating, do not forget why everyone gathered at the table, and whose Christmas you are celebrating.

And let the evergreen Christmas tree stay in the forest, because there it belongs!

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Almost all people love the New Year, regardless of gender and age.

The main attribute of this celebration is the Christmas tree - artificial or real. However, few people know the history of the origin of this interesting and beautiful tradition.

1. It is believed that the prototype of the New Year tree was the World Tree - Yggdrasil - the center of the universe and a symbol of the structure of the Universe. Its crown went into the world of the gods, its roots were in the world of the dead.

2. There are several points of view about who first started decorating the tree for Christmas. According to one of them, the tradition appeared on the banks of the upper Rhine in the 16th century. Some guilds installed a Christmas tree in the main square of the city on Christmas Eve, and it was not necessarily a tree. They began to festively decorate their homes a little later - a small beech or spruce tree was often hung upside down on the ceiling. At the end of the holiday, children were allowed to pick sweets and nuts from the tree.

3. By the middle of the 17th century, the Christmas tree was already popular in Europe. In Vienna, spruce branches and whole trees were used to decorate houses for St. Nicholas Day (December 19). In 1820, a festively decorated Christmas tree appeared on the square in Prague, and after that in other countries.

4. In our country, the New Year tree appeared thanks to Peter I in 1699. Took root new tradition long - over 100 years. She was well received by the nobility, arranging magnificent Christmas balls with round dances around the green beauty, the common people just laughed, not understanding why they should decorate the trees familiar to everyone. The first tall Christmas tree on the square was installed only in 1881.

In the early 1920s, the tree was banned in the USSR, as was the celebration of Christmas - the country was struggling with the "priest's" heritage. On the eve of the holiday, special teams went door-to-door, peeking through the windows to stop an attempt to follow the anti-Soviet tradition.

Only in 1935 did Pavel Postyshev manage to defend the tree, calling the attacks on it a "left bend". The tree became not Christmas, but New Year's. After Postyshev's article in the Pravda newspaper, not only the green beauty returned to the kids. Father Frost and his fabulous granddaughter Snegurochka began to bring gifts to Soviet children.

5. The New Year tree was able to penetrate into Muslim states. For example, in the 1960s, it was decorated in Morocco and Tehran. Before the Second World War, spruce was also decorated in Turkey, but this tradition was banned by Ataturk Kemal in 1936 in order to preserve the local forests. Today is New Year in Muslim countries is considered a secular holiday and is not celebrated by 95% of the population.

In the modern world, natural trees have been replaced by artificial ones, but some designers have gone even further, offering their customers truly unusual Christmas trees.
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Hello, dear friend! Which main attribute New Years Eve? Undoubtedly a tree. What do we know about her?

Petrovich crawled into the web and found an article signed "Vladimir Solnyshko" on the page of our friend Alexander Mishchenko's classmates. We really liked the article (large and there are several topics), so we decided to introduce you to it in parts. And today I am citing excerpts from this article - about the Christmas tree.

Spruce, pine, cedar emit oxygen all year round. At any time of the year, they delight us with their green outfit. Therefore, the Russian people have a special respect for these trees.

Look closely and you will see that this tree has a pyramidal shape, directed upward to the Sun, to the Stars, to the distant Worlds. Her whole appearance says that she looks like a space antenna. And the needles on the branches are like antennas, they are sensitive to the voice of the Universe. Our ancestors were well aware of the properties of the spruce. They knew that this sacred tree was a kind of energetic transceiver-transmitter that connects CheloVeche with space.

Russians have always revered and considered spruce "World tree" (tree) - a tree that brings Peace and Prosperity to the Family, Family, Russian People, Mankind. Therefore, each family grew a World Tree from a seed near their home and cherished it with the whole family. In a village or other settlement on a place of honor, the World Tree of this community of people was grown. On holidays, people danced around ate, sang songs, glorified life itself, made cherished three wishes. Usually the tree was decorated with Hand-made products, symbolizing the desires of these people. They often decorated the miracle tree with balls. The ball personifies the Sun, the Sun of our Soul, the Spiritual body of the Russian CheloVeche. It is customary to make a wish when you hang a ball on a branch.

The more significant the wish of CheloVeche, the higher to the top of the tree he hangs a piece of jewelry with desire. Simple, household, household desires in the form of decorations are hung on the lower branches of the fir tree. On the middle part of the tree there are decorations that represent the achievement of some creativity CheloVeche in the next Summer (year). The upper part was decorated with the most cherished desires people and glories to the Family, their Kin, their People, Life Itself, the Sun, Mother Earth. And the spruce and the solemnity of the action are amplifiers of the good aspirations of people. Good dreams, good undertakings of people are pleasant to everyone, therefore Nature amplifies them tens, hundreds, thousands of times. Dreams about the benefit for the evolution of Man, Mankind and Nature come true.

A live Christmas tree is pleasant mission transmit good wishes to Space, to the Universe ... And people are pleased to lead round dances around her. People come to all Russian holidays with a clear conscience, a sober mind, an open Russian Soul and a cheerful Mood. Where the spruce does not grow, a cedar or pine is planted.

Obviously, only a living tree, which is grown in care and love, can strengthen and convey the good wishes of good people.

Consider two more options - these are artificial trees and trees from the forest.

Artificial trees are good as part of the New Year's ritual - they sparkle with lights of garlands and various toys. There is a kind of holiday, there are gifts under the tree. There is no gain only good wishes of people.

Christmas tree from the forest. Who thought about the essence of this ritual? Who and why invented this ritual? As the kids sing, dancing under the Christmas tree on New Year's: "They cut down our tree to the very spine." We now read literally: "The World Tree was cut down." Even under the current laws, cutting down a Christmas tree is a criminal offense. What kind of happiness in your home, in the city, in the country can you dream of after such actions? But many people still buy such trees every year and bring them home for their children and grandchildren. They decorate schools, houses of culture, squares, the Kremlin ... To make it easier to understand, ask someone to hit you on the big toe with a hammer, and then so that you can be hung with jewelry and made wishes. I wonder how you will feel in relation to this subject? Who will fulfill your innermost desires after such an attitude to the World Tree? Wait, wait ...

But that is not all. The joyful parents or grandmothers and grandfathers brought the Christmas tree home and dressed it up. Children rejoice, they dance around the Christmas tree. Allegedly, at first glance, everything is fine, but something is wrong - the tree is not alive. What does it mean? And the fact that she now needs energy to extend her life is the energy of life. Where can I get it? The roots are chopped off. It means from the environment, first of all from those who happily dance around it. Here, it seems, and did a good deed. What's good?

And, in addition, how the holidays end - in all cities and villages heaps of discarded trees are lying everywhere, which means that the dreams of those who threw out the tree will remain with the trees. Moreover, then they will declare that their dreams did not come true. And how can they be fulfilled if they were thrown away?

Now decide for yourself which version of the New Year's celebration you like: with a Live Christmas tree, artificial or from the forest. Should you personally give the traders a reason to cut a Christmas tree in the forest in order to sell it to you and make a profit? Take a look at the photo. Pleasantly? And if you refuse to buy such trees, then the traders will not go to the forest. The forest will thank you. There will be a lot of pure air.

The tradition of celebrating the New Year holidays with a Christmas tree has become so strongly embedded in our everyday life that almost no one asks questions about where the tree came from, what it symbolizes why the tree is an integral attribute for Christmas and New Year.

When did the tree appear with us and where it came from, and we will try to find out in this article.

In 1906, the philosopher Vasily Rozanov wrote:

“Many years ago I was surprised to learn that the custom of the Christmas tree does not belong to the number of indigenous Russians custom. Yolka is currently so firmly established in Russian society that it would not occur to anyone that she is not Russian "

He brought the tradition of celebrating the New Year with a Christmas tree to Russia in 1699:

"... now from the Nativity of Christ comes the year 1699, and the future Genvara on the 1st day will come a new year 1700 and a new capital day, and for that good and useful purpose, the Great Sovereign indicated henceforth to count in the Orders and in all sorts of problems and from the current Genvary on the 1st of the Nativity of Christ in 1700. And in the sign of that good beginning and new capital in the reigning city of Moscow, after all thanks to God and prayers in the church to the streets of noble people and at the houses of the deliberate spiritual and worldly order in front of the gates to make some decorations from the ancient and the trees of pine, spruce and juniper against the samples, which are given to the Gostin Dvor and at the lower pharmacy, and to whom how , it is possible to do it; and people are meager, although each one has a tree, or to put it on the gates, or to put it over his temple; and then it was time, now the future of January to the 1st day of this year, and to stand that decoration of Genvar on the 7th day of that 1700 ... "

The text of the sovereign's decree testifies to us that in the custom he introduced, which he met during his European trip, both aesthetics were important - houses and streets were ordered to be decorated with needles, and symbolism - decorations from evergreen needles should have been created to commemorate the celebration namely the New Year.

“The building of the tavern ... consisted of an old two-story hut with a high roof ... withered pine; her thin, withered branches seemed to be calling for help. "

Is it by chance that by his decree he introduces into the cult of veneration on the territory of Muscovy a tree that has become a symbol of drinking establishments, and in the folk tradition was considered a tree of death?

Naturally, among the people, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree took root with difficulty, since spruce has been considered in Russia since ancient times. tree of death: it is no coincidence that to this day it is customary to cover the road with spruce branches along which the funeral procession goes, and it is not customary to plant trees near houses. And what a fear a trip to a spruce forest evokes, where in broad daylight you can easily get lost, since a spruce passes sunlight very poorly in spruce forests, so it is very dark and scary. There was also a custom: to bury those who had strangled and, in general, suicides between two trees, turning them. It was forbidden to build houses from spruce, as well as from aspen. In addition, in Russian wedding songs, the spruce was associated with the theme of death, where it symbolized an orphan bride.

Throughout the 18th century, nowhere, except for drinking establishments, spruce no longer appears as an element of New Year's or Yuletide decor: its image is absent in New Year's fireworks and illuminations; she is not mentioned when describing Christmas masquerades at court; and, of course, she is absent from the folk Christmas games. In the stories about the New Year and Yuletide festivities held during this period of Russian history, never indicates the presence of spruce in the room.

The people of Ancient Russia did not see anything poetic in the image of ate. Growing mainly in damp and swampy places, this tree with dark green thorny needles, unpleasant to the touch, rough and often damp trunk, did not enjoy much love. Spruce was depicted without sympathy, like other conifers, both in Russian poetry and in literature, until the end of the 19th century. Here are just a few examples. F.I.Tyutchev wrote in 1830:

"Let the pines and spruce
They stick out all winter
In the snow and heifers
Wrapped up, they sleep.
Their skinny greenery
Like the needles of a hedgehog
Although it does not turn yellow forever,
But never fresh. "

The spruce tree evoked gloomy associations among the poet and prose writer of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries A.N. Budishchev:

“Pines and mossy spruces,
White nights and darkness.
Angrily under the song of a blizzard
A deserted ravine howls. "

And Joseph Brodsky, conveying his feelings from the northern landscape (the place of his exile is the village of Koreansky), notes:

“They bend down as they grow old,

Above the echoing granite of the mausoleum ... "

"We took over good Germans children's holiday on the eve of the feast of Christmas: Weihnachtsbaum. The tree, lit with lanterns or candles, hung with sweets, fruits, toys, books, delights children, who have already been told that for good behavior and diligence on the holiday there will be a sudden reward ... "

« In places where foreigners live, especially in the capital, the tree has become common».

The detachment with which the description of the holiday is given to them testifies to the novelty of this custom for the Russian people:

“Well, after the sovereign you were the first to adopt this German custom,” said one old general to the priest.

“Yes, it was touching to see in the palace last year what joy this innovation caused not only among children, but also among old people,” answered the father.

“Now, in many Russian homes, custom german: on the eve of the holiday, quietly from the children, prepare a Christmas tree; this means: decorate this evergreen tree is as good as possible, flowers and ribbons, hang on gilded walnut branches, red ones, the most beautiful apples, bunches of delicious grapes and various kinds of skillfully made candies... All of this is illuminated many multi-colored wax candles glued to the branches of a tree, and sometimes colorful lanterns.»

"Yet the random is like candy on a Christmas tree, which is just as far from being a work of nature as some kaleidoscopic novel by the Dumas factory is a work of art."

"... spruce and pine, outsiders of the 19th century, are now becoming more and more popular."

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 "Christmas tree in Sokolniki", "Christmas tree in Gorki". But in 1925, a planned struggle against religion and Orthodox holidays began, the result of which was the final abolition 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": they secretly continued to put it up for Christmas, tightly closing the windows.

The situation changed after IV 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». Arrangement of Christmas trees for children of employees of institutions and industrial enterprises becomes 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. Eight-pointed star- the Slavic-Aryan sign of the Sun, which Christians called the Star of Bethlehem, at the top " christmas tree"Has now replaced five-pointed star, the same as on the Kremlin towers.

In 1954, the main Christmas tree of the country, the Kremlin, was lit for the first time, which sparkles and sparkles every New Year.

After 1935, toys reflected the development of the national economy in the USSR. In the Soviet magazine "Around the World", popular in those years, it was explained:

“You can trace the history of the building of the new-light communist society in different years by the Christmas tree decorations. Along with banal bunnies and squirrels, icicles and koloboks, toys were produced in the form of a five-pointed star, a sickle and a hammer, a tractor, an airplane; later they were replaced by toys in the form of astronauts, spaceships, rockets. "

Christmas remained banned until 1989. Such is the difficult story of the New Year tree in Russia.

Where did the Christmas tree holiday originate?

It turns out that many Europeanized Slavic-Aryan peoples during the Christmas season have long used christmas or yuletide log, a huge piece of wood, or stump, which was lit on the hearth on the first day of Christmas and gradually burned out during the twelve days of the holiday. It is a popular belief that keeping a piece of Christmas wood carefully throughout the year protected the house from fire and lightning, provided the family with an abundance of grain, and helped the cattle to bear offspring easily. Stumps of spruce and beech trunks were used as a Christmas log. Among the southern Slavs, this is the so-called badnyak, for the Scandinavians - juldlock, for the French - le buche de Noël (Christmas block, which, in fact, if you read these words in Russian, we get bukh - Russian butt - the reverse side of an ax-ax, there is quite a block or log; and but-ate looks like a merger of words - a Norwegian tree or a new New Year tree, or the best and most accurate hit night tree).

After the baptism and romanization of the Slavic peoples inhabiting the territory of modern Germany, the customs and rituals associated with the veneration of ate began to gradually acquire a Christian meaning, and they began to use it as christmas tree, installing in houses no longer on New Years, but on Christmas Eve, i.e. the eve of the Christmas of the Sun (god), December 24, which is why it got the name of the Christmas tree - Weihnachtsbaum(approx. A.N.- an interesting word, which, if read in parts and in Russian, is very similar to the following - holy night log, where if we add "s" to Weih, then we get the Russian word holy or light). From that time on, on Christmas Eve (Weihnachtsabend), the festive mood in Germany began to be created not only by Christmas carols, but also by a tree with candles burning on it.

In France, the custom persisted for a long time burn a Christmas log on Christmas Eve(le buche de Noël), and the tree was learned more slowly and not as readily as in the northern countries.

“The room ... greeted me embellished, but trees, dear to me according to Petersburg custom, even the smallest, in her not found».

Most of the peoples of Western Europe began to actively adopt the tradition of the Christmas tree only by the middle of the 19th century. The spruce gradually became an essential and integral part of the family holiday, although the memory of its German origin persisted for many years.

Alexander Novak
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One of the most beloved holidays of all - New Year will come very soon.
And one of its indispensable attributes, of course, is the New Year tree!
Everyone dressed up a Christmas tree in childhood, but Interesting Facts not everyone knows about the New Year tree.
Here are just a few of them.
1) In Russia, where the custom of decorating a Christmas tree for the New Year was brought by Peter the Great, this tradition took root with difficulties ...
At first, the people resisted, tk. Since ancient times, the Slavs considered the spruce to be a "bad" tree, between two such trees they buried the bodies of criminals and suicides.
Then, in the first years of Soviet power, this government forbade decorating Christmas trees for the New Year, calling this custom obscurantism and clericalism. Only in 1935 the New Year tree was “returned to the people”.
2) How can they decorate a green beauty! In Geneva, she was once "dressed" in diamonds worth about eight million dollars. It was by far the most expensive and creative Christmas tree ever. But no less unusual and creative Christmas trees are decorated with food, making them either a "tropical" or a "snack" tree. There is a variant of a "man's" Christmas tree, decorated with all the items symbolizing a "real macho" - beer bottles and cans, cigarette packs... And then, which of the men has enough imagination for that! The main thing is to make a truly masculine creative Christmas tree!
3) What is not decorated instead of the New Year tree in those countries where it does not grow!
In Africa -, in Cuba and Mexico - palm trees, in Nicaragua - coffee trees, and in Vietnam - peach or tangerine trees. In the Philippines, an unusual Christmas tree is being built from "handy" material, simply giving this structure a conical Christmas tree shape. In Brazil, too, they do without living vegetation, being content with shavings, boards and paper.

A creative Christmas tree can easily be made by yourself, you just have to "put" your head and hands! Those who lack their own ideas can borrow them from the below photo collection of unusual and creative Christmas trees. Or just "put" interesting facts and interesting facts about the New Year tree in your piggy bank. There is unusual tree for librarians and readers, journalists and photojournalists, tailors and loaders, builders and zoologists.

A creative Christmas tree is waiting for those who like to draw or knit, work with their hands or just have a sweet sleep ...

In general, everyone can choose the idea that is "in tune" with him. And although with a lively, sweet-smelling holiday and pine needles christmas tree nothing beats, thinking about nature is also worth it. And let unusual creative New Year trees often replace the “green beauties” cut down in the forest, so that the next generations will have something to remember and what to admire!