12/26/2023 0 Comments Charmas eveTo the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. 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. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon, farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from his illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes, which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.Įarly Romans marked the solstice with a feast called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. ![]() Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Watch Christmas documentaries on HISTORY Vault How Did Christmas Trees Start? 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. ![]() The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome and continues with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s. Who Brought Christmas Trees to America?.Scroll through for 20 ideas of what to eat with tomato soup, including simple salads, twice-baked potatoes, and, of course, grilled cheese sandwiches. Or, kick the indulgence factor up a notch and opt for heartier foods, such as mozzarella sticks, risotto, potatoes, or even meatloaf. Lighter sides, such as green salads, can hold their own against tomato soup without compromising its flavor. The key is to work with foods that will complement tomato soup's trademark acidic and slightly sweet notes. However, as the existence of the grilled cheese sandwich proves, tomato soup is always better when it's served alongside a contrasting dish or dipping vehicle. 18 Recipes to Eat With Tomato Soup Simple yet satisfying, tomato soup is one of the most classic comfort foods around.
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