christmas pine, meaning

The meaning of the pine tree at Christmas, is not easy to assert in a single definition. It happens that history and different cultures have taken this tradition from one place to another, sometimes by the hand of important religious currents and other times by the initiative of a single person.

But if we are talking strictly about meanings, it is probably best to affiliate ourselves with the religious perspective. In fact, its presence in the home is part of a celebration of a religious nature and therefore it is appropriate to refer to this view of the subject.

Most religions coincide in granting – although with variations – the same meaning to the presence of this tree, associating it with the metaphor of the tree of life. Christianity also links it with the tree of paradise, whose apples Eve took at the moment of consummating the famous “original sin”.

It is believed that the first tree made in Europe was assembled in Germany shortly after the beginning of the 17th century, extending its presence in only 200 years later, throughout the continent. The different classic decorations (star, balls, bows and lights) are nothing more than the sum of the contributions that different peoples and cultures have added and have -as expected- their own meaning.

* The star, always on top, clearly recalls the famous star of Bethlehem, which guided the Magi to the manger where Jesus was born.

* The balls are undoubtedly associated with apples, and these represent the temptation that Eve was unable to resist.

* The lights(originally candles or lamps) represent the presence of the Holy Spirit or the light that the presence of Christ signifies in our lives.

The meaning of the pine tree at Christmas, is not easy to assert in a single definition. It happens that history and different cultures have taken this tradition from one place to another, sometimes by the hand of important religious currents and other times by the initiative of a single person.

But if we are talking strictly about meanings, it is probably best to affiliate ourselves with the religious perspective. In fact, its presence in the home is part of a celebration of a religious nature and therefore it is appropriate to refer to this view of the subject.

Most religions coincide in granting – although with variations – the same meaning to the presence of this tree, associating it with the metaphor of the tree of life. Christianity also links it with the tree of paradise, whose apples Eve took at the moment of consummating the famous “original sin”.

It is believed that the first tree made in Europe was assembled in Germany shortly after the beginning of the 17th century, extending its presence in only 200 years later, throughout the continent. The different classic decorations (star, balls, bows and lights) are nothing more than the sum of the contributions that different peoples and cultures have added and have -as expected- their own meaning.

* The star, always on top, clearly recalls the famous star of Bethlehem, which guided the Magi to the manger where Jesus was born.

* The balls are undoubtedly associated with apples, and these represent the temptation that Eve was unable to resist.

* The lights(originally candles or lamps) represent the presence of the Holy Spirit or the light that the presence of Christ signifies in our lives.