I don’t know about you, but it certainly seems like Christmas snuck up on everybody this year. In fact, we’re exactly one week away from the holiday, and it’s still warm enough in the Boston area to be the beginning of fall. However, Christmas is, indeed, almost here, so what better way to finish off the 13 Superstitions and Their Origins than with some superstitions about Christmas Trees.
12. Christmas Trees and Spring: It is important to make sure that your Christmas tree is well decorated because if you forget to decorate the tree, the spring may forget to come.
Origin: The roots of this superstition actually date back to long before Christmas trees even existed because it is actually based off another superstition that has existed since ancient times. A number of ancient cultures believed that greenery such as evergreens, holly, ivy, mistletoe, and pretty much any other plant that was green could be used to ward off evil and bring new life. As a result, it became a common practice for people to use greenery, especially winter greenery, to decorate their homes in the hope that it would protect their families from harm and encourage the plants to come back a little sooner in the coming year. In fact, this superstition is where the tradition of Christmas trees originated because the very nature of evergreens (the fact that they are “ever green”) made them the ultimate plant to protect the home and bring the spring back. Over time, the origins of this tradition were eventually forgotten in most households, but the tradition itself and the widespread need to make sure that each home is well-decorated with greenery has endured.
13. Taking Down the Christmas Tree: It is bad luck to take a Christmas tree down on any day other than the 6th of January and, once you take it down, you should burn it to avoid misfortune in the coming year.
Origin: This superstition actually has some interesting roots that become rather obvious when you stop and think about it. If you look at a calendar and you count the days from Christmas to January 5th (counting Christmas and the 5th), you will notice that there are exactly 12 days. These are actually the 12 Days of Christmas, which run from the 25th of December (Christmas Day) to the Eve of Epiphany (a Christian feast day, which is also known as Three Kings’ Day.) This means that the 6th of January would be the 13th day, and since 13 is a particularly unlucky number, many people believed it was a good idea to take the tree down before the celebration had reached a full 13 days. This also helped to ensure that the celebration of Christmas continued until Epiphany, but it didn’t interfere with life afterwards (because many people felt that 12 days of merrymaking was really enough.)
However, with all of these Christmas trees coming down at the same time, there would have been huge piles of trees that would have been difficult for individuals without modern equipment to dispose of. As a result, in order to prevent a large amount of work and waste, it became a tradition to burn the trees to dispose of them and generate some much needed heat for at least one night during the cold winter months. Burning the trees would also eliminate any of the evil spirits that might be attracted to them because it was believed that the strange spirits and creatures that inhabited the forests that the trees were originally taken from might return to inhabit them.
Photo credit: silver marquis via Foter.com / CC BY-ND
Works Consulted
“Christmas Superstitions.” The Holiday Spot. The Holiday Spot Network, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.
“Christmas Superstitions.” Superstitions Online. Superstitions Online, 13 Dec. 2009. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.
Laura. “Christmas Superstitions About Trees.” Christmas Lore. Simply Smarter Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.
Wikipedia contributors. “Christmas tree.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Dec. 2015. Web. 18 Dec. 2015.
Wikipedia contributors. “Twelfth Night (holiday).” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.