THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE:

Many Danes consider the candlelit Christmas tree to be the essence of the festive season yet the tradition is not that old, and as with many traditions it was originally a foreign import.

Christmas trees were first used by German trade guilds in the 15th and 16th century. A large decorated tree would be displayed in the guildhall at Christmas. The tree would remain there until Epiphany when the children were allowed to take the presents hanging on the tree home. The tradition soon became popular necessitating legislation banning the felling of fir trees in forests at Christmas. Some places watchmen were even employed to enforce the law. In the 17th century, Christmas trees in the city of Strasbourg were decorated with tinsel, paper roses, candy and dolls.

The Christmas tree reaches Denmark

In the early 19th century, the Christmas tree tradition grew in popularity throughout Europe and also reached middleclass homes in Denmark. Parsons and teachers in provincial towns soon caught on with this novel urban trend, which was sometimes met with local bewilderment. When a teacher in the town of Kolding in Jutland lit the candles on the family Christmas tree in 1822, townspeople came running to the rescue thinking that the house had caught fire. Not everyone in Denmark welcomed the new Yuletide tradition. N.F. Grundvig, who wrote many Danish Christmas psalms, thought that the tree was “a sign of diluted Christianity”, as he wrote in the periodical “Dannevirke” in 1817. Six years later, however, he had apparently changed his mind and now considered the Christmas tree as a gift of God, which naturally made it acceptable. By then the tradition had been introduced to the homes of many of Grundvig’s peers, such as the Christmas carol writer B.S. Ingemann who was fascinated with Christmas trees, which he first encountered at the home of his finance in 1815.

The choice of variety of tree has undergone change over time. Originally, the common spruce was the popular choice, and still is among many Danes. But different varieties of silver fir have since been introduced, such as Abies Nordmanniana, which have grown in popularity not least since they are far less prone to shedding their needles in the warmth of the living room.

Seasonal trimmings reflect the times

The Christmas tree did not become a widespread household tradition in Denmark before the First World War (1914-18). Not everyone, however, could afford a tree, and there are many tales of how resourceful working-class families would turn cabbage stems, brooms and branches into Christmas trees. Trade unions would also organize social events for members and their families with decorated Christmas trees.

Christmas trimmings have always changed with the times and reflect not only the social standing of the individual family but also the wealth and fortune of the nation. This was no more apparent than during the Second World War when materials were scarce and families had to make do. Never before, or since, have so many national flags adorned Christmas trees in Denmark. The flags were then seen as symbols of defiance against foreign occupation.

The Danish candlelit tree

Even today young families blend the respective traditions of their childhood while also following new trends to reflect the times. Electrical fairylights were introduced quite late in Denmark and many Danes still follow the tradition of lighting candles on the tree. For more than a generation, Christmas tree candles have been either red or white, but originally they came in many colours.

Christmas is the festival of light, and although electrical lights have increasingly substituted candles, few homes in Denmark are without a fir table decoration at Christmas with a real candle to add a sense of warmth and hominess to the festive season.