Does anyone know when did the custom of decorating trees begin and what does decorating trees remind us of and symbolize?
The tradition of the Christmas Tree started in Europe and is first recorded in the 16th century, well into the Christian era. There is no evidence at all of any connection to paganism. The first Christmas trees were put up on Christmas Eve and were decorated with fruit and nuts (now replaced by glass baubles and candy). Christmas Eve used to be counted as the Feast of Adam and Eve. The connection is obvious – the Christmas tree represents the tree in the Garden of Eden. The birth of Christ, the second Adam, transforms the tree from a symbol of our fall to a symbol of our redemption. Hence the candles, later lights, for Christ, the light of the world.
