For centuries the symbol of Christmas has been distinctive between Catholics and Protestants, the latter initially denigrated as adherents of the “Christmas tree religion”. In the 19th century, the symbol quickly spread throughout the world. The welcoming scene makes the hearts of Protestants in Germany beat faster: Martin Luther sitting next to his family, in a comfortable room, around a small decorated Christmas tree.
Luther and family on Christmas Eve 1536 in Wittenberg – this is how the Weimar artist Carl August Schwerdgeburth entitled his engraving. However, the painting that made him famous in the 19th century is nothing but a lie.
at the war level
“Luther never sat by a Christmas tree,” says ethnologist Alois Döring. Indeed: the German reformer did not even know this symbol, as the first news of a party with a decorated pine tree dates back to the end of the 16th century, when the authority of a locality in Alsace ordered that the first Christmas tree be set up.
It only became fashionable in Germany in the 1800s, when Protestant families began adopting pine as a home decoration for Christmas. And they later declared that it was a good old-fashioned Lutheran tradition.
“Catholics have made fun of the Luther cult as much as they have made fun of the custom of the Christmas tree,” Döring explains. Incidentally, one of the sarcastic expressions with which they called Protestantism was “the religion of the Christmas tree”.
But it didn’t last long, because at the end of the 19th century the pine also conquered Catholic salons. The Franco-Prussian war of 1870 was decisive for its diffusion, says the ethnologist. “At the time, by order of the military leaders [alemãs]Christmas trees were placed in the trenches as a sign of ties to the motherland.”
Apparently, the idea quickly spread around the world. Indeed the first public tree, displayed in a square and decorated with garlands, was registered at Christmas 1910, not in Germany, but in New York. With the spread of the symbol beyond the borders of the confessions, the legend of Martin Luther gradually disappeared.
legend of paganism
On the other hand, the rumor still circulates that this custom of the decorated tree derives from a pagan cult. Big mistake. According to research, the Christmas tree came from medieval plays about Paradise, where, on December 24, the “Tree of Good and Evil” stood, under which the fall of Adam and Eve was enacted.
“On the side that symbolized redemption, the tree was decorated with apples and other delicacies; on the other, sinful side, there was nothing,” describes the Bonn scholar.
After the religious functions, the faithful could use the decoration autonomously. And in this case, as well as in the “credit files” and in the festivities of São Nicolau, many Catholics have left aside morals and good customs.
Martin Luther did not like the sensory appeal of the worship of saints in the Catholic Church. He wanted to place Jesus Christ at the center of the festivities and for this he invented the figure of the “Sacred Christ”, in competition with San Nicola. And for many years, in the Protestant regions of Germany, it was the “Holy Christ” who gave gifts to children, accompanied by angels.
progress of ecumenism
Over the centuries, the figure transformed into the angelic “Jesus Child,” recalls Döring. But since this image was perhaps too childish, Santa Claus was created in the 19th century, a sort of “renewed Nicola”. Today it is no longer possible to say whether this figure was born from the imagination of Protestants or Catholics.
“Many of our Christmas customs are, today, trans-denominational,” says Alois Döring. Precisely in the time of Advent and Christmas, the ethnologist has observed numerous ecumenical actions in recent years; Catholics and Protestants promote concerts and parties together.
“Churches have recognized that they have to do something if Christmas is to be more than consumption, mulled wine and decorative lights,” says Döring. “And it works best when you work together, not in competition.”
🇧🇷The best content in your email for free. Choose your favorite Terra newsletter. Click here!
Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
