How Christmas trees stopped being just a German thing
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- Опубликовано: 22 дек 2022
- It's a local custom that became a worldwide tradition.
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The Christmas tree tradition as we know it today has a long and varied history.
It is believed to have roots in ancient cultures, where trees were decorated as part of celebrations.
In the 1500s and 1600s, the Christmas tree became a Germanic custom, with fir trees being a popular choice.
In the 1840s, the practice of having a Christmas tree in the home became more widespread, thanks in part to the influence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were both of German descent. The Christmas tree also gained popularity in the United States during this time due to a large influx of German immigrants. The tradition was further popularized through the mass media, such as The Illustrated London News, and the publication of Christmas cards and books like Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Today, Christmas trees can be found in homes around the world and can even be spotted from satellite images of Christmas tree farms.
Check out the book where the Christmas tree illustration appeared in America: archive.org/details/godeyslad...
Here’s a short narrative about President Roosevelt’s “banning” of Christmas trees: foresthistory.org/president-b...
You can actually read all of Queen Victoria’s journals online, though it requires a British IP address or academic credentials:
qvj.chadwyck.com/marketing.do
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"Oh, Tannenbaum" is still relatively widely sung here in Germany.
Really... How could that be possible? 😹
i believe the mellody is a little different?
Same here in Belgium!
I've definitely sung both O Tannenbaum and the English version in churches and schools in the US.
Oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannenbaum wie grün sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit, nein auch im Winter wenn es schneit.
Oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannebaum
Wie grün sind deine Blätter! 🌲
Along the same line, Germanic tribes believed that spirits lived in trees, so if they were going to cut one, they would knock on the tree beforehand to give the spirit time to find another home. To not knock would bring the ire of the spirit upon you and your family...hence, knock on wood to prevent evil from happening.
Wooooow...a lot of comments are funny, a lot are toxic...and a lot are informative, like yours. Thank you!
@@ETS186
But unfortunately in this case completely wrong - absolutely no evidence for that theory at all.
The earliest references to 'touching wood' (the UK version of 'knock on wood') are from 1805 and 1828 and probably came from the very well known children's game of the time 'Tiggy-touch-wood', a chasing game where the pursued is safe if he or she touches wood of some sort. There was a chant - "Tiggy, tiggy, touch wood, I've got no wood" to tease the chaser.
@Wotsitorlabart he isn’t wrong … it only took a quick google? The phrase “knocking on wood” is english, but knocking on trees is a proto Celtic tradition that is preserved in folklore beyond the 1800s. A lot of cultures have a “knocking on wood” related practice.
interesting I didn't know that
@@abbikadabie5841that’s very interesting as the original Celtic tribes originated in parts of Germay/Austria
And the „Adventskranz“ / Advent wreath and the „Adventskalender“ / Advent calendar are also German things in the weeks prior to christmas
But you can keep your Krampus. No idea where this came from. Some obscure rite from a bavarian village, was falsly made to a german thing somehow.
@@Gpcas9 Krampus is certainly NOT a thing all over Germany.
@@Gpcas9 It's also a thing in multiple parts of Austria. So while it's not a thing throughout Germany, it's not from 'one village in bavaria' either.
Actually the Christmas tree was first decorated in Riga (Latvia) in 1510, way before the original song of O Tannenbaum was written (around 1 century later). It was erected by the guild of merchants, which traveled across Northern Europe (the Hanseatic League). The tree was decorated with natural motives and burnt to honor the god of sun, as a way of praying for the god to heat up the city during the cold winter. As you may know, Germans founded the city of Riga, so it's fair to say that this is a German thing. The truth is it's origin is Baltic.
@@DerMBen it's quite likely that the Krampus spilled over from Austria to Bavaria, so it is not German in origin at all.
It's really weird to see those old Christmas trees weren't burnt by extensive decorations of lit up candles 🙃
They were. Sometimes. You have to really careful to not knock them over.
They often caught on fire to the point that that while queen Victoria did have one with candles other English commoners lost their houses and they had to prohibit it in some places. (Making ornaments to catch sunlight/reflections instead of lights and eventually electric lights replacing candles all together)
It’s why tinsel is so popular as a cheap replacement or alternative to expensive decor like glassware
@@arianaink100 Great insight!
Idk people put candles on trees every year and it never burns. Only if its an old and dry tree the danger increases which is why people use fresh trees
It was standard to put a bucket of water next to it.
This is the first time I have heard adults sing tannenbaum.
South Park once had a Christmas themed episode in which it was performed by none other than holly jolly Adolf Hitler. 🎅🏻 I guess that counts as being sung by an adult…
Same here, sounds cool though
I've heard adults sing it several times.....but I grew up in Germany so that's probably why :)
But they didn't play a nice version of it 🤔
Nat Cole performed it in German and English on his Christmas album.
When you're so American, even in a video about Germany, you still manage to mention Mount Rushmore
Youre aware this video is made in America, right?
@@PrivateAccountXSG that doesn't change the fact that mt. rushmore has absolutely nothing to do with the topic
But also: who cares.
@@RandyMahnke Did you watch the video? The connection about Mount Rushmore was explained in the video.
@@tubester4567 yes I did. There is no connection, it was fabricated. Totally useless
The Victorian era really was such an influential era
Yess. My favorite era
Its a era you see even today with clothing, furniture, etc. Even parts of the white house is still decorated with Victorian era furniture to some what preserve the look of the house that its always been for a century.
My favorite is the attitude era. 2 middle fingers up for lord stone cold steve austin
Everyone loves the Victorian era and it’s flavour of colonialism
😮💨
@@Whatarenoginthe no one was talking about colonialism
A rather unknown fact : The first appearance of a Christmas tree in North America, with its branches decorated with fruits and lit with candles, goes way back to 1781 in the town of Sorel (now Sorel-Tracy) in Quebec, Canada in the historical building that is now known as "La maison des gouverneurs" (The Governors House), by german baroness Riedsel when she hosted a Christmas party for British and German officers.
@@majrminer It was revealed to them in a dream.
@@majrminer You work as a college professor? Why are you intent on getting a source in such an inconsequential forum?
@@majrminer You can just search for it if you dont trust the info. The story is easy to find.
I worked at the local museum one summer, and we had a room dedicated to that house and that story. Also that house still exists, it's now the local visitor center as well as an art gallery!
The first public Christmas trees were placed by German merchant guilds in Livonia in what are modern Tallinn, Estonia and Riga, Latvia. There are records of such public trees from as early as 1441.
Yes this videos is so overly simplified that it becomes comical, but I guess the title is "How Christmas trees stopped being just a German thing" so they are maybe trying to stay on topic and keep it short I guess: God Jul!
If you wanna be technical, Evergreens were first used during the winter solstice in ancient Egypt and Rome for pagan traditions that would later be replaced with the birth of christ out of convenience, only much much later would Germans appropriate this ancient tradition.
Absolutely true! Actually the Christmas tree was first decorated in Riga (Latvia) in 1510, way before the original song of O Tannenbaum was written (around 1 century later). It was erected by the guild of merchants, which traveled across Northern Europe (the Hanseatic League). The tree was decorated with natural motives and burnt to honor the god of sun, as a way of praying for the god to heat up the city during the cold winter. As you may know, Germans founded the city of Riga, so it's fair to say that this is a German thing. The truth is it's origin is Baltic.
@@pablosantanatur9122 the first instance is known to have been in Tallinn though in 1441. :)
there was no germany in 1441, therefore, no germans.
That Charlotte/Mecklenburg ending 👌
I always thought it was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (from the heavily-forested German state of Thuringia) who was the one who brought the Christmas tree tradition to England. You didn't bridge the gap, though, between Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria's dad was a son of Charlotte, the Duke of Kent. So the Duke knew and probably approved of the Christmas tree tradition. However, her mother was also a German--Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Again, from the northern regions of Germany. So the Christmas tree tradition was further reinforced by Queen Victoria's very German mother.
Greetings from Coburg by a direct Descendant of His Brother :)!
Amen.
Actually the Christmas tree was first decorated in Riga (Latvia) in 1510, way before the original song of O Tannenbaum was written (around 1 century later). It was erected by the guild of merchants, which traveled across Northern Europe (the Hanseatic League). The tree was decorated with natural motives and burnt to honor the god of sun, as a way of praying for the god to heat up the city during the cold winter. As you may know, Germans founded the city of Riga, so it's fair to say that this is a German thing. The truth is it's origin is Baltic.
If I got it right, it was actually mentioned. There was a part in the video about Charlotte's granddaughter Victoria marrying her cousin Albert from Germany et cetera er cetera.
@@pablosantanatur9122 what’s being discussed in this thread isn’t, however, it’s origin, but the way I’m which the tradition found it’s way to England, and thus spread throughout the Anglosphere.
Fun fact: Decorating pine trees as "Christmas Trees" is a tradition that originates all the way back to the Bronze Age, where Hittites decorated pine trees with various "ornaments" from walnut shells to sacks full of barley grains to celebrate the equinox season as "rebirth of nature," their holy day. Equinoxes are celebrated by some people to this day in Turkey.
If we're talking about Christmas, do you mean winter solstice rather than equinox?
Fun fact: christmas didnt exist untill long after the bronze age
@@noodle_tax which is why he used the quotation marks
@@benja_mint ok
@@noodle_tax Christmas trees as we call them today have only been around for ~300 years but evergreen trees have long been a symbol of life and brought inside the homes to celebrated the winter solstice going back a long long way. Whether the whole way back to the bronze Age, I don't know.
In the Contemporary version of "oh Tannenbaum" it's not "how faithful are your leaves" but "how green are your leaves"
Yeah. It's sad how much can get lost in translation
It’s hard to be believe that at one point people didn’t have trees in their houses.
@Zaydan Alfariz with all due respect that’s a subjective point of view. I’d rather wear cowboy boots, jeans, and a camouflage hat. Capitalism breeds a more diverse set of cultures
It's hard to believe at one point people used real trees and real candles in their houses.
As far as I know, a lot of Christian cultures in the tropics used to never have Christmas trees inside their homes during Christmas. Christmas lights and garlands were the norm. I think that this is still the norm in many Christian families in the tropics.
@Zaydan Alfariz They do sell plastic ones, but they're such an expensive decor only to be used one month of the year. It's not really practical. The closest alternative is just decorating the real trees outside your house.
@Zaydan Alfariz Right, comrade. You are free to move to Cuba or North Korea.
“It’s cold this month. Let’s cut some trees to warm the world”
Dutch: Oh denneboom, oh denneboom, wat zijn uw takken wonderschoon.
It's funnier if you let Google translate
This sounds atrocious.
ik heb uw laatst in het bos zien staan, toen hongen er nog geen lichtjes aan
I live in Lunenburg County in Nova Scotia. It is called the Balsam Fir Christmas Tree capital of the world because of all the tree farms around here. There was a lot of German immigration here in the late 1700s and along with the German name of the county, it's fitting that there are a lot of tree farms here.
I had never expected to hear Mecklenburg mentioned in a Vox video, being from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern myself.
loved the connection from Charlotte to Charlotte at the end. Fun.
Thanks for this Phil, its very interesting how German culture is super intertwined with American culture (never thought of it but like burgers and hot dogs which are considered so USA also came from German culture and we just don’t think about it) - merry christmas and happy holidays!
The same with the love of beer, microbreweries, beer gardens and the like. Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch are both very German names after all. That being said, German culture is not as celebrated in America as Irish or Italian or even Polish culture because of the vehement anti-German sentiment in the U.S. during WWI. Which then got worse in WWII. So German-Americans have kept their cultural contributions to the U.S. very much under wraps. They didn't want to suffer a nasty backlash.
"cookies" comes from the dutch word of "koekjes". they were introduced in new york which has big dutch roots.
Thank you very much.
Let's not forget that English is basically a Germanic Language..
Not to mention the English language!
This video is so clever, so beautifully thought and written. Thank you for gracing us this on Christmas, Vox!
Funny though that the tradition of having a Christmas tree and putting the presents around it made it to the anglo-saxon world but not the tradition of opening them on Christmas eve instead of the 25th.
As far as I know the British royal family actually opens their presents on Christmas Eve, due to the German heritage
Today I realised that my operating systems book was written by a fir tree
Yes! I studied computer science in Germany and it was quite the odd name for such a book xD
Sure thats why the Christmas tree became popular in our culture but why did the kings of Christmas (Germany) start hauling trees into their homes. I was hoping for that answer.
Probably it has its roots in pagan culture but i dont know either
part of Yule tradition.
@@olafsigursons Yes we know it's tradition. But why? What started the tradition, what is the symbolism?
Another commenter here says “tree cults” were just a big thing all round in Germany since forever. They say a tree struck by lightning was “blessed by Thor”, and every tree species apparently had its own properties/spirit.
They don’t explain what the fir tree supposedly did, but it can be inferred the spirit it had was supposed to help with midwinter hardship.
according to tradition, Saint Boniface, when he came to convert the Germans to Christianity, cut down a revered oak tree to demonstrate that Thor had no power over him. From next to the stump of the oak, a fir tree (which, unlike the oak tree, stays green throughout winter and thus is a year-round symbol of life) sprouted up.
Contrary to popular belief, it was the oak tree (not the evergreen) that was revered by the Germanic pagan tribes, and these were special trees in special groves left outside and untouched, because cutting them down was seen as sacrilegious. The elevation of evergreens to a highly-prized status is a development of and by Germanic Christians, and they're the ones who started placing trees inside and into public squares during Advent.
Merry Christmas to you all! And thank you for informing me of this.
This feels such a wholesome episode.....
That last line was perfection. Bet you were very happy when you found that piece :D
Always enjoying Vox's videos! Thank you!
The German custom comes from German paganism. "Tree cults" we call them, where given trees were said to have exotic properties (I.E. a tree that survives a lighting strike was "blessed by Thor"). Tree cults were still being discovered in Germany in the late 18th century.
Humans have such a strong connection with trees probably because human ancestors used to live in them.
@@hulagu3068 We all use to live around them, anyway. Urban life is the exception in human civilization, not the norm.
Bookmark comment later
You have a source for that ?
Thanks for this story. Amazing
This was a nicely wrapped video, clear, concise, and to the point. Great job Vox
Regarding the waste of Christmas trees.
In the German countryside the used Christmas trees are getting collected by the youths in the middle of January every year and stacked in a specific place (mostly on a hill). When Eastern comes around the trees and other old branches etc. are getting stacked up to a big heap. Many people are coming together around the heap, which then gets lit up around 9pm on either Friday/Saturday or Sunday (every village has their specific day) for the Osterfeuer (easter fire) celebration. In this way they are used twice for celebrations.
Brilliant fact for Xmas dinner talk ❤
It’s not really surprising that German traditions sooner or later found their way into American culture since Germans are still the largest group of ancestors by country in the US (the UK is a union of countries).
Up to this day a lot of typically American traditions were originally German or influenced by Germans
Well, up until 1870 germany was also not really a thing... But there sure is some German influence in American traditions
@@redsharktooth22 a German nation-state didn’t exist sure, but Germany, the German nation, certainly did.
@@redsharktooth22 The Holy Roman Empire lasted 1000 years. And from the 15th century onwards it had the suffix “German Nation”. The German Empire, which was founded in 1870, was not called the “Second Empire” for nothing. And that didn't unite all Germans either. Austria was independent because they decided against uniting all German states ("Kleindeutsche Lösung" Little German solution). The war between Prussia and Austria before the unification was called the German-German war because the two largest German states fought for supremacy over the other german states.
The uk is not a union of countries but a union of nations and that itself is largely untrue. Britain is largely a single ethnic group and culture group at this point and for that reason Britain is the largest ethnicity in America especially considering that nost identify as American and they’re mostly old stock Saxons.
@@evilofparadiseyeah so does the British nation.
Oh Tannenbaum
You do the animation too Phil? That's cool.
what a fascinating story!
Merry Christmas !
Interesting! But we really need to talk about the point of saying “can see from space” if we’re referring to high resolution satellite cameras
Came here to say this too. Bugged me both times it was said.
Today I learned "Maryland, My Maryland" got the tune from a German song about fir trees
Great video! Now do the history of the aluminum pole 😛
I never understood the phrase "you can see it from space", because you can't.
You need telescopes but again that way you can see a lone tree or a person in some cases, will that mean anything special?
What was the music playing at the start of the episode?
Hey vox, can you do mistletoe next? What other Christmas plants are you show us next?
Great video!
It's sad to see how little people actually know about Christmas...
German Christmas you mean?
@@mtaylorfoofa the whole concept,,, the true history behind it,,, not the commercialised thing we see...
@@oldbeergangster2381 It's just a pretext to gather together, like the lunar new year. I am not capitalist or Christian but Xmass is fun.
like Easter it's a pagan festival that Christianity sort of integrated. So in my view it's mainly about celebrating the days getting longer and breaking the long dark nights with festivity. And you can add jezus if you like as well.
How exactly is it sad? I don’t know all the history behind every other religion so why should christianity be an exception?
Title option: how the Christmas tree, originated from Germany, became an international thing
Dang my brain expected a Phil Edwards breakdown after the main video ended
What is this famous Christmas song at the beginning called, can't find it anywhere?
Carol of the Bells?
@@axolotlhappy2340 Thanks!!
I wonder where the tradition to put nativity sets under the tree originates from, then. Or the one to put presents under it.
Presents at Christmas didn't come around until roughly 1800.
Short answer Christians...really any other answer. Shoving their religion down everyone's throats
As soon as I saw this title, I was like "This sounds like a Phil Edwards video" and then I remembered Phil still works for Vox, lol.
Anyone know whose rendition of Tannenbaum that is?
yo whats the music in the background at the start?? It seems so familiar....
Carol of the bells. Appeared in Home Alone, Santa Clause and loads of other Christmas movies.
Nice Recommendation ⭐
Fascinating! I hope you do a video on mistletoe!
Mistletoe, wreaths and sacred trees are from the Druid religion that, at one time covered most of western Europe. Until the Roman legions came.
Those candles on the tree, such a giant fire hazard.
Is it me or VOX has had a massive improvement in quality of video
Honestly, it feels so weird to know that Christmas Trees are a relatively young Christmas trend
The traditional evergreen tree or at least tree branch in the house during the winter solstice is as old as civilization. It just didn't survive as a tradition everywhere. It's a good thing that germans kept the tradition and it was not completely forgotten. It's probably one of the oldest traditions we humans stills do.
Not in Germany
Great history! What is the song starting to play around 2:28?
Answer to title:
"Money!" - Mr Krabs.
Where is 2022 a look back video I am waiting for it very excitedly😄😄
Queen Victoria was the ultimate influencer.
Fun Fact:
The hymn of Maryland is the same music from „Oh Tannenbaum“
What is that Christmas melodi called from 0:15 ? xd
Carol of the bells
Great video.
I can spot a Phil video from space.
1:03 "Treu"? I only know that song with "green" which makes a lot more sense considering they remain green year-round.
the song has multiple versions with slightly different variations
No, treu makes more sense.
@@zafelrede4884 Ok, then please go ahead and explain to me how your relationship with a tree leave works because of how faithful it is...
(I do know what you mean, and yes, it's not completely without sense but green still makes more sense than faithful does.)
bros be like "you can see from space" like it's something impressive
with modern satellite image quality i could detect a squirrel on a lawn
Der klinken thingy? Elfin fertin'
This is possibly the best video I’ve seen by Vox. Wonderfully put together!
Now we just need em' to celebrate on the 24th too!
3:47 I was born here!
(Also, I live near that city. I currently live in Harrisburg, NC. (Yes, that city exists.))
To be fair, you can technically see everything from space.
Small world this. I grew up outside Charlotte, NC
Victoria was not exposed to the Christmas tree by Charlotte. They did not live in the same palace. Her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg Saalfield (obviously German) would have exposed her to this tradition regardless of Charlotte.
A Christmas tree farm you can see from space… yeah if you zoom enough you can. Like so many other things.
Queen Charlotte was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Black branch of the Portuguese royal house.
"They aren't in the Christian Bible."
This should be the most important statement one could learn on this video about christmas trees.
Because Christians adopted a lot of their traditions from the Celts. It was their way of converting people to Christianity. So holidays like Christmas and Easter are linked to Celtic holidays and traditions. Even the Holy Trinity is linked to the Celts.
@@MsEdgely please expand on the last sentence
Yep, there are no tannenbaums in the holy land.
@@amakiethagod The father, son, holy spirit. The Trinity. Celts believed that things of importance came in 3's, which is why they also have the Trinity knot.
This was incorporated by Christians as a method to convert Celts to Christianity. Even Holy Water is derived from the Celts, with links to Goddesses - one being Brigid. Look it up.
Most ideas of pagan belief originate from ancient Babylon and Egypt.
christmas trees do be goin viral
Whats the name of the classic music at the beginning? The melody?
Carol of the bells
@@NA.NA.. thank you
Dieser Kommentarbereich ist nun deutsches Eigentum!
George III was german as well, his gamily was from Hanover. Thats how they got to marry each other
He wasn't German, his distant ancestors came from Germany
Mama, how’re u gonna put candles all
over a dead tree and not have a problem?
we have the fir tree song here in greece as well the lyrics couldn't be translated exactly but the over-all message is the same ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
that song is very widely sung in europe on christmas
It's the 1,2,3
Man'll cut down your Christmas tree 🎶🎶
Me, a North Carolinian, only now learning why it's called Mecklenburg county lol
christimas trees are beautiful, but my dream is to have a large nativity scene
Nowadays you can see everything from space. It's just a matter of good optics in your satellite.
very cool
You cant see them from space.
I was hoping someone else would pick up on this. I was going to let it slide, but he said it twice at least. I know it’s meant to sensationalize how big the Christmas tree farms are, but I thought it was kind of silly. In an exaggerated form I would say: “You can see this penny from space!”
And then film 2 feet above it “in space”
more fun facts: the stonians are the first in recorded history to have an actual christmas "tree", in the town square. not long after, the latvians were the first ones to decorate one.
is that connection at the end coincidental? That's nuts
How did Christmas trees become a thing in the Anglosphere*
Christmas trees had spread from Germany to other European countries (especially Scandinavia) before they were popularized in Britain and later America.
we say oh chirstmas tree in england
Really good channel for the learning English
no no no
The song actually translates to "oh great tree" the Christmas tree of originally known as the Yule tree was draped in white during Yule, and then burned. That is it's true origin.
wrong Tannenbaum means fir tree not great tree. the translation musst be "oh fir tree, oh fir tree how green are your leafes. You not only green in summer time but also in winter when snow is falling, oh fir tree oh fir tree..."
Now I want a video about valentine's day...
No sound credit for remake of Leontovych's "Shchedryk" or "Carol of the bells" ? 0-0.40 sec
For more Christmas tree drama, check out the sinking of the Rouse Simmons.
It’s weird how Queen Victoria spread those traditions such as X-mas tree and white wedding dress worldwide. It proves how powerful British kingdom and its influence was.