Displaying beautifully decorated and lighted Christmas trees in homes is a beloved holiday tradition, but how this tradition came into existence is still debated today.
One country that claims to be home to the world’s first Christmas tree is Latvia.
Riga, Latvia, claims to be home to the world’s first Christmas tree. (iStock)
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Several sources, including the National Christmas Tree Association, say that the first written record of a decorated Christmas tree was from Riga, Latvia.
The tree is said to have been decorated with artificial roses by members of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, an organization of bachelor merchants and foreign traders.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, they brought the tree to market, danced around it and then set it on fire in 1510.
Today, a plaque engraved with the words “First New Year tree in Riga in 1510” in eight languages is displayed in Latvia.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt sold Christmas trees to local residents on his estate in the 1930s
Every year, a Christmas tree is displayed in Riga, which is said to have stood there in the first place.
Tallin, Estonia, refutes the idea that Latvia was first home to the tree, and claims the title for itself.
Several sources, including VisitTallinn, indicate that the Brotherhood of the Blackheads brought a tree to the Tallin town square in 1441, a tree that predates Latvia’s tree.
Tallin, Estonia, is full of festive events during the winter months, such as Christmas markets to buy unique gifts. (Focus/Tomas Tull/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Similar to Riga, Tallinn also displays a Christmas tree on the main square every year during the holiday season.
In the 1600s, Christmas trees in Germany were decorated with apples instead of ornaments for ‘Adam and Eve Day’.
Both European cities have holiday activities during the winter months, including Christmas markets, festive decorations, and joyous performances. Tourists will find plenty to do during the holiday season, provided they don’t mind the cold.
The cold climate brings plenty of snowfall to both Latvia and Estonia, so a White Christmas is definitely a possibility.
Although there may be festive controversy over where the first Christmas tree officially came from, there is less debate over where the tradition of displaying trees inside homes began.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, the tradition of bringing Christmas trees into homes is believed to have begun in Germany in the 1600s.
According to the source, at the time, apples, red strips of paper, and gilded nuts were all popular decorations to add to the Christmas tree.
The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with twinkling lights and ornaments creates memorable moments for families. (iStock)
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According to History.com, it was the 1800s when the Christmas tree tradition began to take hold in the United States.
It wasn’t until 1901 that the first Christmas tree farm opened in the country. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, WV McGalliard was responsible for opening the nation’s first Christmas tree farm in New Jersey, when he planted 25,000 Norway spruces.
Today, there are approximately 15,000 Christmas tree farms in the United States.
Many families visit a Christmas tree farm each year to choose the tree that will be their home’s festive centerpiece for December.
