Why Do We Decorate Christmas Trees?
“They that are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall blossom forth.
Sent to Germany by the holy Gregory to plant there the Orthodox Faith, thou didst traverse the lofty Alps, and didst find beyond, O saint, a fertile vineyard for the Lord of hosts.”
Why do Christians Decorate Christmas Trees?
Have you ever heard someone say that Christmas trees are just an old pagan ritual that Christians took over? We know that these trees are festive and beautiful, and you probably have ten of them in your house right now, but why do we as Christians put up Christmas trees?
You probably know that Christmas trees originated in Germany, but it may surprise you to learn that they are directly symbolic of the Germanic people becoming Christian. Before the people of Germany became Christian, they were pagan and worshipped Norse gods such as Odin and Thor. They saw oak trees as symbolic of Thor- the thunder god- possibly because oak trees get struck by lightning more than other species of trees.
During the reign of Charles Martel (The Hammer), Archbishop Boniface was a Christian missionary from Wessex, England and had evangelized for many years throughout Germany. On Christmas Eve in 723, he went to a village named Fritzlar in the region of Hesse and found the townspeople assembled around the Thunder Oak Tree (Thor’s tree). They were celebrating winter solstice on this dark snowy night and by the light of their sparkling bonfire, the people were preparing to sacrifice a boy to Thor.
It sounds obvious that Boniface would stop this evil act, but how? This was a mob of people willing to kill a child! Boniface had prepared for this moment by following Christ no matter the cost for many years. His faithful courage is expressed in these words from a letter he wrote:
“We are united in the fight on The Lord’s day because days of affliction and wretchedness have come….We are not mute dogs or taciturn observers or mercenaries fleeing from wolves! On the contrary, we are diligent pastors who watch over Christ’s flock, who proclaim God’s will to the leaders and ordinary folk, to the rich and the poor, in season and out of seasom”
Like Elijah, Archbishop Boniface was strong in the face of hostile heathens. He halted the sacrifice by picking up an ax and announcing that he was going to chop down the Thunder Oak.
“Here is the Thunder Oak; and here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god Thor.” exclaimed Boniface in a commanding voice. Feeling angry and nervous, the townspeople wondered what might happen as he swung his ax at the tree. They expected Thor to strike Boniface down dead! However, as he hit the tree, a sudden powerful gust of wind toppled the old oak and the massive tree fell in defeat. The miracle of the fall of the tree shook the local people’s faith in Thor and they were open to hear what Boniface had to say next:
“The birth-night of the Christ, the son of the Almighty, the Savior of mankind. Fairer is He than Baldur the Beautiful, greater than Odin the Wise, kinder than Freya the Good. Since He has come sacrifice is ended. The dark, Thor, on whom you have vainly called, is dead. Deep in the shades of Niffelheim he is lost forever. And now on this Christ-night you shall begin to live.”
Behind the fallen oak tree, Archbishop Boniface noticed a fir tree growing. Inspired by its beauty, he cut that down too and then he spoke again, “This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace… It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.”
Impressed by the miracle of the fall of Thunder Thor, the Duke of the Fritzlar had the fir tree carried into his great hall where he set it up for everyone to see. The people adorned its branches with candles and other decorations. They converted to Christianity and the tradition of decorating Christmas trees inside houses was born.
Later, Boniface took wood from the Thunder Oak and used it to build the chapel of Saint Peter. There is still a cathedral in Fritzlar today, but it’s made of stone and has a statue of Saint Boniface outside, holding his ax in a threatening way!
Far from being an adaptation of a pagan ritual, Christmas trees are a reminder of the defeat of paganism. Their beauty is makes us think of of the beauty of Christ, their evergreen boughs symbolize eternal life, and the tree tops point to heaven.
Boniface is the patron saint of Germany and has been beloved for generations by many. He died a martyr’s death when someone stabbed him through a book that he held up to protect himself! His bold example and words give us courage to share our faith with those who need to hear it in our generation.
Most Catholics are familiar with the story of Saint Boniface but having grown up Protestant before becoming Orthodox as an adult, I had never heard it until last week. It’s sad that this story has not been kept alive for many of us, so I wanted to share it with you. As we reenact Saint Boniface’s symbolic teaching by bringing a fir tree into our houses, we can remember the way God reached those people with a miracle even as they were boldly celebrating a pagan ritual- a deadly one. There are many ways He reaches out to us, with love and mercy, especially in this season of His nativity to point us to heaven and life everlasting. God reaches out to us with love and mercy, but sometimes we also need to be shocked into repentance by an honest reproach or life experience.
I’m thankful for Saint Boniface and this lovely tradition which has expanded throughout the world and into our homes. We can appreciate our own trees with new reverence as we recall this story, but we should also remember that there are lost people in our lives who need to hear the truth of God’s love for them. There are moments when we need to be bold in our faith. Sometimes we as Christians need to be willing to swing a metaphorical ax.
In England, the Orthodox have composed a Vespers in remembrance of him:
Service to the Holy Hieromartyr Boniface (orthodoxengland.org.uk)
Saint Boniface turning the wood of Thor's Oak into a church in Fritzlar, Germany.
