The Rural Voice, 1990-12, Page 35end of December. In ancient times, any plant that remained green was considered
magical and people used ivy, laurel, and fir branches to adorn their homes.
In some countries, saints, like St. Boniface, appealed to the people not to continue
with their pagan rites beneath the oaks but instead to take a fir tree into their homes
and revel in its everlasting greenness, the everlasting life, symbolic of God's love.
Others, like St. Winfred, a missionary to the Scandinavians in the eight century, saw
a young fir tree spring up where a mighty oak had just fallen and proclaimed it a
symbol of endless life because its leaves are always green.
"Take it up and carry it to the chieftain's hall. You shall go no more into the
shadows of the forest to keep your feasts with sacred rites of shame. You shall keep
them at home with laughter and songs and rites of love, gathered around the green fir
tree to rejoice in the birth night of the saviour."
Thcre are many legends and stories about the Christmas tree but it is generally
agreed that the first person to put candles on a Christmas tree was the sixteenth
century German theologian Martin Luther. As the story goes, Martin Luther was
walking home one night shortly before
Christmas and felt a strong tie between the
forest he was in, the stars in the heaven above,
and his love for God. At home he placed small
candles on a little evergreen tree to recapture
the scene for his children, showing them how
beautiful the stars looked through the high
branches of the fir forest as they winked in the
sky.
The custom of decorating a Christmas
I tree spread throughout Germany and
eventually Europe. It was introduced into England in 1841 by Prince Albert, Queen
Victoria's German husband. The Christmas tree came to North America as a
cherished companion of German immigrants. The fact that the royalty of England
had adopted it did much to make it fashionable in homes of Canadians and Americans
of English descent. So the greens in our homes bring us hope for the spring and the
Christmas tree is a symbol of everlasting
life and faith in God.
THE ORNAMENTS
The glass baubles and beads on our
trees also have meaning. In an endeavour
to give new meaning to what some
perceived as a heathen custom of bringing
an evergreen into the home, purely
Christian symbols were used for
decoration. The angels, the cross, the
heart, the Star of the East, and the golden
threads (tinsel) called Sametta, which
represents the hair of the Christ Child, all
glowed and glistened in the soft light
which represents Christ who's the light of
the world.
Early pioneers coming into Canada
couldn't bring or afford such elaborate
symbols but improvised with materials
they had at hand for an equally beautiful
effect. Little ornaments were made from acorns, nuts, corn shucks, hay, sticks, wood
pieces, pine cones, and wild berries. People also hung gingerbread and sugar cookies
as well as garlands of popcorn and cranberries on their trees.
S, P
Y
.t, g4
;f Pt 1 11
vt...
A aitE t
Silk Plants
and Trees
Open Wed. to Sat.
965 Main St. W.,
Listowel
291-4183
Thanks to the farmers who have supplied us
with excellent wool
and to all our
customers who
purchased yam for
their knitting projects.
Merry Christmas.
The Philosopher's Wool Co.
Inverhuron, 519.368.5354
w4
A Super
Christmas Gift
for your
children
Home Movies
to
11M0
BENJAM/N
lY {Ai%400Ef ,
VIDEO
TRANSFER
SERVICES
• Regular 8 & Super 8 toVideo
• Foreign Tape Conversions
• Video Tilting
MAC
CAMPBELL'S CAMERAS
Royal Bank Block, The Square
Goderich
519-524-7532
DECEMBER 1990 31