Whether golden balls, tinsel or edible delicacies: the decorations on the Christmas tree reveal a lot about the time and culture in which we live – that was the case before. A historian has traced when which tree decoration tradition came into being and also uncovered bizarre things. In the First World War, for example, it was not uncommon for small warship models and zeppelins to hang on the Christmas tree.
The tradition of the decorated Christmas tree goes back centuries, as the historian Sandra Müller-Tietz from the University of Bonn explains: “According to the sources, as early as the 15th century, people brought a little green into their homes during the cold and dark seasons. The customs were not fixed on the fir tree. Holly, yew and boxwood were also used. ”In the 16th century, the Christmas tree established itself in German-speaking countries, initially only among Protestants and later also among Catholics.
It all started with treats
From Germany, the Christmas tree began its triumphal march into the world in the 19th century. German emigrants in particular contributed to this. In Great Britain, Albert von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria, brought the tradition of the German Christmas festival with a tree to the English court. “In the Christmas edition of the Illustrated London News from 1848, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria can be seen in front of a Christmas tree decorated with candles, sweets and toys,” reports Müller-Tietz. “The article published on this, however, shows that the readers still had to be explained what such a tree was all about.”
The decoration of the Christmas tree has changed again and again over time. At first the trees were decorated with nuts, fruit, pastries, wafers and handicrafts made of paper. In addition to these mostly edible decorations, gold was also used quite early on and, for example, gilded nuts were hung. While these tree decorations were usually made by yourself, you could also buy special accessories at Christmas markets from around the 18th century. “There were nativity scenes, tree decorations and golden angels,” explains the historian. “The candles were added a little later, at the end of the 18th century.” Tinsel and Christmas baubles began to be made in the middle of the 19th century.
Glass balls, gold foil and patriotic figures
A classic of Christmas tree decorations also originated in the 19th century: tree balls. “This tree decoration made of glass originally comes from Thuringia, more precisely from the glassworks in Lauscha,” says Müller-Tietz. “Initially, the glass Christmas tree decorations imitated the edible things that would otherwise typically be hung on the tree, such as nuts and apples. There is reliable evidence of glass balls as Christmas tree decorations by 1860 at the latest. ”From 1870 these balls were also mirrored from the inside, as we know it today. Tree decorations made of gold foil and other so-called luxury paper were made from the second half of the 19th century. At first it was mainly made in Dresden, as the historian explains.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Christmas tree decorations were already fully commercialized and there was a rich selection of different pieces of jewelry for the tree – from differently decorated balls to angels, stars, Santa Clauses, trumpets and bells. During the First World War, it was also not uncommon for small submarines, warships or zeppelins to adorn the Christmas tree. “In fact, decorating the tree in the two world wars was definitely a political and patriotic act,” says Müller-Tietz. Photographs and original objects from the First World War document spiked hoods, military badges, ships and pictures of Wilhelm II on the tree. “
The tree was decorated in a similarly politico-military manner during the Nazi era: “It is well documented that there were Christmas tree decorations with very clear Nazi symbols,” says the historian. “But actually Christmas tree balls were not in line with National Socialist policies for Christmas. Rather, they tried to propagate in relevant literature that Christmas tree decorations should be homemade if possible. ”At that time, tinsel, angel hair, Christmas cotton and glass decorations were dismissed as kitschy. Today, however, tree decorations are less political and more a question of personal taste – there is plenty of choice. “Nevertheless, in a certain way it always reflects the spirit of the times – this year, for example, you can buy Christmas balls with a mask printed on them,” concludes Müller-Tietz.
Source: University of Bonn