The Christmas tree in Alsace

But perhaps in Alsace to look for one of the origins of modern Christmas tree. In this country, the charms of poetry wrapped all acts of public and private life. If tradition relates that from 1521 is decorated with branches cut 3 days before Christmas, we did not use the whole tree.

In 1546, the city of Alsace Sélestat allows to cut green trees for Christmas, during the night of St. Thomas. However we find the earliest mention of the Christmas tree as a whole Christmas tree in a description of the uses of the city of Strasbourg, in 1605 only.

It reads the following passage: "For Christmas, it is customary in Strasbourg to raise trees in the houses attached to it of pink paper of different colors, apples, wafers colored, sugar, etc.. . The Reformation had helped spread the custom of the Christmas tree, Protestants preferring tree representations of biblical characters of the nativity.

According to widespread belief, Martin Luther, Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century, is the first to have a tree decorated with candles. Mentally composing a sermon on his way home from a winter evening, he was impressed by the brilliance of stars twinkling through the conifers.

Wanting to replicate the scene for his family, he paints a tree in the main room and decorating the branches of candles. Then, the custom of the decorated tree stretching from Germany to other parts of Western Europe and later in North America.

One of the oldest remains of the custom of the Christmas tree is still in its Essence Catechism published in 1642-1646 as the Protestant pastor Dannhauer, Strasbourg. He noted that since some time in Alsace, was hung at Christmas, for the recreation of children, candy and toys to the branches of a tree.

He says he does not know where does this use, or were able to derive its origin to blame widely. It was in 1738 that Mary Leszczynska, wife of Louis XV, has installed a Christmas tree in the castle of Versailles. In 1765 again, Goethe located in Leipzig, with a friend, in front of a Christmas tree, expresses surprise him because he saw this show for the first time.