How Did The Tradition Of Adorning Christmas Trees Begin?

The Black Forest was originally a mixed forest, with spruce at higher elavations. It still is when allowed to grow naturally. The conifer forest they have here today is the result of replanting after heavy deforestation and relatively recent. I know people whose grandparents got time off from school for tree planting. So when peasants were gathering wood, they were gathering deciduous wood as well.

I am not a Christian but was raised in a Christian religion that forbade all holidays because they were “pagan” and it is so annoying hearing atheists and neo-pagans make the same arguments my fundamentalist church did. Yes, i have no doubt that some practices are tied to ancient folk customs but to draw a direct line to the present and act as though Christians are continuing a pagan practice is just ridiculous. That’d be like going to a funeral and accusing everyone of being pagan because they embalmed the corpse like Egyptians did or cremated it like the Romans did. It’s asinine.

The medieval forestry bit reminds me of the “Good King Wenceslaus” carol. The whole song is about St King Wenceslaus seeing a poor man gathering wood, presumably from the titular king’s land. Of course, this king has his servant fetch meat and wine so they can go celebrate with the poor man, rather than punish him for breaking forestry laws.

As a neopagan I find this fascinating. I think so many people think bringing a tree into your house sounds pagan, therefore it must be pagan. I find this information to be so much more interesting. The only thing I will point out is the Celts and others weren’t very literate and most didn’t write things down. However, I have no interest perpetuating anything that smacks of nationalism and all the things that came from it. I really appreciate getting good academic information to bust myths that people in my own circles perpetuate. Plus the real history is just as interesting to me as what has been made up. Thank you for doing the good work!

Serbian Christmas tradition Christmas Eve is called Badnje veče in Serbian. It comes from the word “badnjak”, which is pagan name for young oak tree, used for fire ritual for the feast of Svarog, Slavic god of Sun (at Winter Solstice, around 25. of December). The second word means eve, just like in the English name. We celebrate it on January 6th.(Because church is still using “old” Julian calendar that’s 13 days late compared to the Gregorian) If you’d like to start learning Serbian ways of celebrating Christmas, you should know that many customs are rooted in the old Slavic pagan history. Of course, the church adjusted them to Christian beliefs, but their origin is undoubtedly pagan. For example, one of our main Christmas Eve traditions is young oak logging. We call this tree badnjak. Sometimes, people cut the whole tree, but often they only take a branch. Men go to oak logging in the woods first thing in the morning. It’s a cheerful tradition, often accompanied by singing and toasting. Then, they place badnjak next to their house’s entrance door but don’t bring it in until evening. In the evening, they bring it in along with hay. If there are children in a family, there’s a warm but somewhat forgotten tradition. When entering the house with badnjak, one of the parents throws hay and sweets around while mimicking cackling. Children then peck like chickens and search for sweets. Hay symbolizes the stable where Jesus was born. Since it’s not easy to go to oak logging in big cities, there’s a possibility of buying a few branches on the streets.

Funnily enough, as Lutherans we were taught that Luther embraced the Christmas tree as symbolic of the Nativity and encouraged Protestants to use it. No idea if there’s any historical basis for that. Also, 0:42 is the best intro to a article I’ve seen in years, and I work on YouTube articles for a living.

Great article! Honestly, when I was younger (queer neurodivergent teen going through religious trauma and general rough times) I did my part to spread the misinformation. Not consciously, mind you, but I definitely barely looked into it enough to confirm it. This was definitely made worse by the fact that my self-discovery led to me getting into modern witchcraft, which got me in a ton of trouble despite it doing wonders for the start of my healing (I still sometimes practice because the sweet sweet placebo helps tremendously–I struggle to believe religiously, but placebos have been the closest I’ve ever gotten since I was too small to think). I try to be a lot more open about religion (specifically anything dealing with the Bible, since I’ve actually already always been fascinated by other religions and been mindful of respecting them), but it is hard when the types of Christians surrounding me are the loud hateful type. I’ve grown and learned enough that most Christians are not that, but when you live very rural the open-hearted and more accepting kind seem to be the exception. I still get unnaturally upset anytime I hear the “keep Christ in Christmas” line and am generally annoyed by how genuinely offended they get when I say “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas,” as if me being more mindful of diverse beliefs and practices is terrible and that I should only be validating Christianity. Saying Christmas as we know it came from stolen (heavy word, I know now) pagan traditions was my little way of getting back at the extremists that traumatized me in the first place as a kid.

You should also take a look at the Orthodox Eastern Roman Empire precursor to Christmas trees. Paul, the Silentiary (c. 563) in his Ekphrasis of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, describes in detail the lights of the icon screen and the pulpit of the Great Church. On the architrave of the icon screen there were metal cone shaped trees, like a pine tree or a cypress of tender foliage, where instead of fruits they had conical shaped lights, and it even records that illuminated crafted trees were throughout the church. “There is also on the silver columns above their capitals, a path full of light, glittering with bright clusters; these one might compare to the mountain-reared pine tree or to the cypress of tender foliage. Pointed at the summit, they are ringed by circles that gradually widen down to the lowest curve that surrounds the base of the trunk; and upon them have grown fiery flowers. Instead of a root, bows of silver have been affixed beneath these trees of flaming vegetation. And in the center of this beauteous grove, the form of the divine cross, studded with bright nails, blazes with light for mortal eyes… Late professor of Byzantine Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Constantine Kalokyris, titled Sacred Trees and the Eastern Origin of the Christmas Tree.

The information really isn’t hard to find. You just have to look at Jeremiah 10 in the Bible. Here’s the quote: “Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” Granted, the technicality presented in this article is the qualification of the tree being evergreen, but even before the evergreen was decided upon, the ritual was taking place with other species of tree. The book of Jeremiah is dated to have been written between 630-580 BC, far earlier than the evidence provided in the article. The decoration of trees is indeed a pagan ritual.

Interesting article!!🙂 in the Scandinavian countrys Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Christmas is called “”Jul” (Yule) in our languages!🙂 so there must have been a Yule festival pre Christianity. I have always learned that when christianity was introduced, they took the old costumes, festivals and names and put them unto the new so it seemed more familieour to people and they could get used to it like for example Christmas, The Birth of Jesus was put where the old Yule festivals where before🙂 and Christmas is still called Jul i our country’s to this day🤗

As a Christian, this article was so vindicating . For years many of us have been trying to explain to the broader public that the Christmas tree (and the holiday in general) is not a Pagan innovation. (There’s a Christian YouTuber named Inspiring Philosophy that’s been explaining this for years). I’m glad that this is being presented from an Academic perspective as well.

thanks for another great article! what do you think about the evergreen’s role in signifying the promise of spring at the solstice? clearly christianization doesn’t typically erase practices linked to seasonal shifts, maybe the branches provide a bit of green at the solstice, then fuel for the fire for christmas feasts

Most people make the assumption about Christmas trees being ancient and pagan from Jeremiah 10:3-4 where it states don’t be like those heathens who cut down a tree and decorate it with silver and gold. I would like to hear an explanation of that verse in the bible. I am surprised that wasn’t brought up in the article.

You are absolutely correct. I would like to add that there seem to be evidence that evergreen trees may have been kept during winter, for whatever symbology, both in Egypt (maybe branches, or instead of trees they kept bushes – I can’t remember) and up to Lebanon (the “Lebanon Cedar”, an evergreen conifer pine, is possibly mentioned in the Gilgamesh and certainly mentioned in the bible). Still, these practices and references bear absolutely NO CONNECTION to our modern day practice of christmas, with the decorated tree.

Great presentation of the scholarship on this topic! I’ve also read somewhere that the prototypical ornament, the red ball, is a natural development from the apples that were used as a proxy for the paradise fruit in the plays (a necessary feature of the play because the serpent needs to tempt Eve). Of course this would be just a guess without explicit evidence, but it seems like a coherent possibility that adds to the explanatory power of the eden plays being associated with the origin of the practice. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Actually, you forgot Martin Luther. As the story goes… Somewhere in the 1550’s Martin was walking through the Forest and saw stars shining through the branches of the fir trees. He thought it so beautiful, Martin cut one down and took it home to show his family. I would imagine that the trees were largely set up outside because of the fire danger presented by the candles. Being that the abbey the Prince gave to Doctor Luther had a very large courtyard, it could be they set it up out there. I wouldn’t know. Der Tannenbaum remained a German custom till Prince Albert set one up in Buckingham Palace. They became extremely popular afterwards throughout Victorian England and the Empire. German immigrants brought the custom with them to the new world, particularly in what became the United States. Between the British Empire and the U.S. you have your explanation on how the custom spread world-wide.

I like Lukács’ suggestion that the custom is related to the maypole, but there’s some reason for caution: I haven’t found evidence for the maypole popping up before the 1500s. And the root meaning of ‘bom’ is after all ‘tree’. I wonder if further investigation might show that the tree came first! I knew Brunner’s book, but not Lukács’ article — thanks for the pointer. By the way the Brunner describes the 1419 tree doesn’t suggest it’s a Christmas occasion: if it isn’t, then the Christmas link would be later still. Maybe Lukács gives more info. Looking forward to reading his piece if I can get hold of it.

The first bad article you’ve ever done. Finger wagging at pagans for speculation around the tree coming from pagan folk tradition, and then rambling for multiple minutes about a possible connection to the tree in the garden of Eden when that makes absolutely no sense given the type of tree that’s been used in that tradition. Moreover you directly prove that this custom is pagan in origin by stating that it comes from a practice of putting up maypoles during yuletide. Then you poison the well by connecting the pagan origins of the Christmas tree to scary German nationalism, oOoOO. Thanks bro, great scholarship today.

I really liked the article, however I have one question that came to my mind while perusal it: So the custom of the people in the beginning of the XIV century in the Upper Rhine region sounds so much like a custom of the Orthodox Serbs (that I am sure exists or existed elsewhere as well). The custom is recoreded since the end of the XVIII century and it involves people going to the woods just before Christmas to cut of a peice of wood known as ‘badnjak’ (a branch from the oak tree). After the badnjak has been collected, the people would gather at their homes and burn the badnjak. So Serbian ethnologists such as Veselin Čajkanović from the beginning of the XX century (who has certainly read authors such as the mentioned German scholars of the XIX century) have explained this custom as the Ancient Slavic ritual that prevailed among Orthodox Serbs (who didn’t adopt the Christmas tree until very recently and still it didn’t push out the badnjak), especially because of the special place of oak trees in the Indoeuropean religions. So my question is: just because the first record of the people in the Upper Rhine region were burning branches for Christmas is from the XIV century (and Lucacs has said that that may be the origin of the modern Christmas tree), how we define an almost same custom (or one that sounds more pagan and very similar the “Rhine” one) among Southern Slavs in the Balkans that never adopted the Christas tree, but only its primitive and primal form? Also, we do know that in the countryside in the early modern Europe there were still basically pagans, an issue analysed at lenght by the French annalists in the middle of the XX century i.

Well let’s give it some thought. Peasants were NOT allowed to go into the forests, whether for poaching or collecting of fuel. The first indications that we have of this is in the passing of laws (France and England that I know of), allowing them to go collect fuel only over short periods once a year. We have medieval illustrations of peasants in number chopping trees, which suggests it was a special event. They mention maximum girth of trees to be taken, height to which trees could have their branches removed, and pollarding. If I was allowed to take wood only from one tree, say diameter less than 6 inches, I would just chop it down and drag the whole thing home. Christmastime is obviously a good time to do this, and if some people did decorate the trees before actually burning them, that would catch on quickly. Christmas trees : the evergreen spruce twigs burn easily in winter, and can be used to provide light, and are what I would choose if I was only allowed one tree.

Unfortunately, you are missing out on including other cultures, such as the Slavic prechristian tradition of decorating homes with tree branches on which apples, nuts and other items were hung. It was called „maying up” as in bringing back May, bringing back the flowering/green/fertile season 🙂 Also, there was a large sheaf of straw placed standing vertically in a corner of the main room, often decorated, quite similar to the placement of a christmas tree today. I bet there are many pre-christian traditions of that sort in different regions. And rhe tree symbolism was much stronger in those cultures than the vague symbolism of a biblical Eden tree. Yes, the exact tradition of a Christmas tree came from Medieval Germany but it is quite possible that it was created out of a mixture of different European winter holoday season traditions in which the tree motive was frequent.

I sincerely doubt this history. Maibaum and Weihnachtsbaum are vastly different. The Maibaum serves a vastly different purpose. Relying on religious and scholarly writings for determining the history of pagan festive traditions is like studying what witches did and how to find them or their history from the Malleus Maleficarum.

I think that one thing this article misses is how people sort of morph things. No one knows why, but they just sort do things and these things just trickle down through the centuries. There are so many things that people did that could have just sorta morphed into this. Like the fact that at Saturnalia eventually they substituted wax figures for the sacrifice, and gave each other miniature oil lamps, so maybe people just sorta had a cultural association of lights and decorations with the month of December. Prehistoric peoples often used trees as sacred. Maybe people have been using trees in December for various symbolic reasons and that then through time, these things just kinda morphed. I don’t think that there’s any “direct”, written, decisions linking these things, I just think they’re things humans have been doing since forever that no one really remembers why and are just associations with festivals in the month of December or not festivals but traditions during the winter. And we just keep doing them but adapting to our needs at the time, but not really consciously. Does that make sense?

I hope my comment is not drowned out. Because I am really annoyed by this biased, Western European neo-pagan and Germanic centred understanding of European traditions. A good article if you want to inform about known records (ones you can find on Wikipedia already). But weak if you seriously engage with the task to separate Christmas tree tradition as not existing in a continuum of pagan European beliefs changing and merging. The framing of your article is dependent on very rigid definitions of beliefs and simplifications of the territories you are talking about. Many things to mention here. But the screaming one – you mention tradition can not be based in pagan beliefs – because the territory in question has been Christianized for centuries at that point. Completely anthropologically ridiculous statement. Let’s only use the case of Talling and Riga – as claimed to be the first to decorate a fir trees at the center of their cities. Germanic invaders and colonizers arrive in what nowadays is Latvia and Estonia in the 13th century. The local Baltic and Finno-Urgic tribes living there are pagan. The colonization over centuries creates a minority ruling class of Germanic people (~10% of population in territory) over the class of oppressed serfs that are the majority of population (~90 %) and consist of the local pagan tribes (ancestors of current day Latvians and Estonians). While these lands officially are Christian. The majority of the population is pagan. Only the spread of literacy in 18th-19th century and end of serfdom really allowed the Christinaity to spread in minds and practices of these people.

I think the American Protestant image of Christianity often dispenses with many aspects of religious ritual found in Catholicism and also in wider world religion, viewing them as categorically non Christian. The presence then of tradition and custom that doesnt easily reconcile with this view of Christianity in Christian cultures is explained away with an appeal to origins in a “pagan” past. The truth is that Christians have expressed religious belief and celebrated in a way that often parallels other religious groups, this is not necessarily because of outside influence, but rather because of tendencies common to humanity.

I think this was a rare flop by RFB because it fails to address the case made for the Christmas tree being pagan circumventing the actual argument. How the actual argument goes is it was a known practice for the Germanic peoples to place offerings in trees for the divine aid the gods had given them. It is argued that this is where the practice of suspending of ornaments comes from and prehaps the association of gifts with Christmas. They would argue the reason paradise plays were popular in German was because it contained a familiar motif. When people are converted from one religion to another frequently they latch on to symbols and themes that are similar or superficially are to those important in their previous faith. Also our narrator throws out the Maypole without explaining its origin or meaning which is in fact pagan. So while we don’t whole cloth have any explanation for the Christmas tree it seems without a doubt some of the threads woven into it are pagan.

Ya but you yourself tie it to the maypole which has Roman roots. Sure, a maypole isn’t a tree but then things evolve, and seeing the tree as an evolution of the maypole wouldn’t be out of place. So if it evolved from the maypole, you can both say…yes…it is a medieval tradition with an ancient origin.

I was told many years ago that it was Charles Dickens who created Xmas as we celebrate it today for his story A Christmas Carol. It became the blueprint for what is done in western countries to this day. As a practicing pagan, I personally have a tree as an act of veneration to trees and nature. I don’t care where the idea may or may not have come from. I also only have something that symbolises a tree, not an actual tree.

Makes sense as for cutting more trees down in the winter. If it’s anything like where I live the days get shorter and it is obviously colder so you would need more wood for heat and light. Not to mention for cooking during festival times. Also, a lit tree would provide more light to a room than a fireplace and separated placement of candles. Especially if the room was a larger hall. It could had started as having no meaning except as a practical solution for illuminating a space that looks pretty. And much like a big fireplace or table, something for people to gather around in the darkness.

Um…. Pretty sure the Sacred Tree of Upsalla (Sweden) and its Yuletide traditions has something to say about the origins of the “Christmas Tree”. And the link between Yule Wild Hunt and Samhain founded in fearing the winter wind storms has completely gone over your head. Maybe do a little more research before making a propagandist article.

The christmas tree itself isn’t ancient. But it also would be unhonest to argue, that it wasn’t influenced by ancient customs as well. In ancient times, green plants embodied life force. They symbolized health, which is why people always loved to use them for decoration. Also according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, this kind of decoration through evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands was used in ancient Egypt, by the chinese and also the hebrews. Romans bordered their houses with laurel branches at the turn of the year. Even in northern areas, fir branches were brought into the house early in winter to ward off evil spirits. The green also symbolized the return of spring. Long before Christianity they made use of this. I wish, this could have been mentioned in this article as a context at least, where people are actually comming from with this argument. There have always been decorations in winter. But back then they simply used evergreen plants in general. Their use in winter does not show any traditional lineage to the Christmas tree at all. But there’s connection, and certain influence. I normally love this website, but I feel it was a bit too onesided this time around. I know where you’re all comming from. But there’s no shame to admit that every major tradition has many of its elements in its coor always somewhere else. Nothing at its coor is truly original, as people change with time, and adapt with their customs to it. The christmas tree is not “unchristian” of course, but its influence can’t be 100% just be from Christianity, as green plants or trees were often used by people.

Jeremiah 10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” Tree decoration was the practice of pagans long before Christians even existed, they were either copying or unknowingly echoing prior pagan traditions.

Christmas has evolved from it’s early roots as a Pagan holiday, called Saturnalia. After the Roman emporer converted to Christianity, and the Romans started converting, they still wanted to celebrate Saturnalia, so they made up it was about Christ’s birth, but it really wasn’t and it has nothing to do with the Bible. As time went on, various different cultures attached their own customs to it and it has become the secular holiday it is today. The only reason it has anything to do with Christ’s birth is because we say so, even though there’s literally no connection to it since Jesus would have been born six months or more earlier, and no where does the Bible say to celebrate it. It’s only reason for existing was because the Romans wanted to keep celebrating their Pagan holiday. If there was no Saturnalia – there would be no Christmas today.

Jeremiah 10, purportedly written about or before 600 BCE, with earliest physical examples dating to 1st century BCE “3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” I realize this doesn’t necessarily have connection to modern Christmas trees, but it still describes cutting a tree down, (possibly carving it though?) mounting it upright and decorating with something like tinsel (or perhaps cladding it?) Don’t have to believe it’s inspired text, it’s still an interesting description that could be similar to modern Christmas trees.

What frustrated me when I tried to research this in my own time in the past is just how many even seemingly reliable sources will bring up unrelated pagan traditions and basically make the assertion, “well as you can see these are vaguely similar so CLEARLY they just be connected and so the Christmas tree is actually pagan in origin.”

This is not very convincing because there’s a glaring blind spot. You mention wreaths (i.e. branches) and maypoles are likely the precursor to decorating entire evergreen trees. However, you ignore these earlier traditions and don’t explore their origins. Therefore, this overview seems incomplete to me. While it’s possible they could be based on elements of Christian stage plays, it’s also possible that maypoles and wreaths are derived from pre-Christian (likely Germanic pagan) folk customs, which may or may not be related to previous religious activity. I’m not doubting the quality of the research at all, only the speculative conclusions drawn from them. Yes, you’ve demonstrated that the tradition is relatively recent, but whether this was based on pre-Christian ideas and customs still remains inconclusive, IMO. Just as modern Christians, such as myself, have misconceptions and differing opinions on customs and practices based on many varying sources; it’s hard to believe that medieval Christians came up with a completely unique cultural artifact entirely unrelated to their pagan ancestors and neighboring cultures. Just as Judaism was likely developed from previous Canaanite/Levantine polytheism, it’s hard to believe the Christmas tree tradition sprung up in a vacuum devoid of other cultural expressions and influences, at least not without more evidence than what’s presented here.

The thing is it doesn’t even matter whether the origins of the Christmas tree are from Christian or non-Christian societies – it’s an amalgamation of all the above and in its current form it is newer in practice than people think. It’s a social custom, not a religious practice. They can and always have coexisted. It brings happiness (at least in theory) at a time of the year when nights are cold and long, and everyone is cooped up indoors (if you are in the northern hemisphere).

It is freezing out. The darkest time of the year. To get through it, longing for Spring, why not gather the only green you can find in winter, and as there was no electricity, light candles, bake cakes and cookies. Fill the home with warmth by using your oven more. The sweet warm scents in the home lift up the spirits. Christ is represented by the evergreen because his is eternal. He has overcome death, and will never die again. His Love and salvation to all are eternal. The red represents his sacrifice and as the clothes of the cardinals who seeped into Saint Nicholas – who was a bishop and carried a staff curled like a cane – where we get the candy cane. It is a bummer protestant clergy throw frozen dung upon a beautiful, warm and much needed tradition which brings us the inspiration we need during those times to move us forward to Spring. We need this now, more than ever. Thank you for your amazing presentation! We need to just shut up, and enjoy the Holidays – ALL of them, for they give us LIFE!

Thank you so much for this. I remember the year that my father almost ruined Christmas when he threw a hissy fit over the Christmas Tree being pagan and that my catholic family shouldn’t be doing that. I think he read it or heard it somewhere. Mind that this is in the early to mid 80s, around the time that Nostradamus and the Satanic Panic where a hip young thing.

Jeremiah 10:2 “2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” How about, less man made blabber, and more of Gods words?

Adam and Eve’s day is December 24th. The Christmas tree may have been an Adam and Eve tree. It got into the Christmas celebration because the paradise plays were held the day before Christmas. Moreover, God’s curse on the snake in Genesis 3,15 “I will put enmity between you … your offspring and hers, he will crush your head…” traditionally was seen as a reference to Jesus, who “unlocks the door to Paradise again” (German Christmas song of 1550, by Nikolaus Herman). So you leave the wonderfully decorated tree of life from the paradise play standing overnight, saying: When Christ has come, we all will eat from it. You mentioned that the early trees were hung with apples and nuts. All the children will be happy and plunder the tree right after mass. The tree may even be the reason why Christmas Eve is the day of presents in Germany.

Thank you for this inspiring article, and I would like to fully subscribe to the Christian origin of the Christmas Tree. However, I permit myself to submit another possible source of origin: the Tree of Jesse. The Tree of Jesse, a theological invention of the 12th century, became one of the most popular visual emblems for the nativity of Christ, especially in stained glass windows, but also in painting and sculpture in churches, since it celebrates the origins of Christ and his mother Mary. Especially in the Alsace and Baden, the emblem of the tree, but also songs such as “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen” became most popular devices of Advent and Xmas, as Dominican preachers advocated the extended celebration of the Xmas period. In many depictions, the Tree of Jesse resembles in fact a pine tree with symmetrical branches, turned upwards, with little green painted leaves. Decorations, such as red bulbs could refer to the apple of Paradise as well as roses – a Marian symbol as well. The stars, often created from golden straw most likely point to the star of Bethlehem. “Lebkuchenmännle” or “Gebildbrötle” made of “Eierzucker” could refer to infant Christ in his cradle. At the same time, large and elaborated Xmas cribs were set up in many churches of the Upper Rhine region during the late Gothic period. Sadly, most of them have disappeared, but the sculpted centerpiece of the Dreikönigsaltar, created by Hans Wydyz in the early 16th century, presents the Adoration of the Magi and is used as crib in the Freiburg Cathedral during Xmas.

So… how do you explain customs like “badnjak” (taking a young oak tree and decorating it, in the context of giving a tribute and imitative magic) among Slavic people, that predate Middle Ages and their acceptance of Christianity? Asking for a friend… Citing regulations from late 13th and early 14th century, doesn’t mean that the customs started at that time, or even in that region.

I did some reading up on the etymology of the word jiuleis after reading kiwis article. It’s a proto germanic word for yule month and romanization of a different word called jiujijaz which is proto germanic. It’s only been seen in a phrase on that calendar however, fruma jiules MAY mean November. However since the calender was poorly conserved nobody knows what they meant. Yule is not a christian word, I think it was just appropriated. If I’m mistaken I’ll come back and edit lol but I like perusal these articles to learn.