Christmas in the Christian tradition is the birthday of Jesus and that is why it is celebrated. But as many other seemingly Christian festivities this one also has its roots in the times before Jesus was born and was just adapted to make more people join the new religion.

Researchers often associate Christmas with the winter solstice when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun or the Roman festival Saturnalia dedicated to the Roman agricultural deity Saturn.

And it is very possible that the tradition of hanging up decorations during the darkest and coldest period of winter comes from the same Saturnalia festival. Many of their decorations were natural and involved greenery. They were hung over doorways or windows. Often the ornaments had sun symbols on them, stars and faces of the God Janus. 

Actually, food was also part of the decorations. Gilded cakes in different shapes, like the sun, moon, stars or animal shapes.

If you’re wondering where the tradition of decorating Christmas trees came from, you may be surprised to know that it’s actually a quite recent custom. Different sources give a different date and place but it is around the 16th century during the Renaissance. One of the written records  of a decorated Christmas Tree dates from 1510 and it was put up in Riga, Latvia. Others contribute the start of the tradition to Germans a little bit later in the 16th century.

Whatever the origins of the decorations were, now they are very different from what they used to be and they actually have different significance. For example, the star on the top of the Christmas tree symbolizes the star of Bethlehem which led the three Kings to Jesus when he was born. 

The wreath which many people hang on their front door or put as a centerpiece on the table is often said to represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified. 

Christmas is also unimaginable without lights which represent the stars in the sky. The bells are often associated with the shepherd who would ring the bell to call their sheep back. Talking about shepherds, their stick with a rounded end used to guide the sheep took form as candy canes in modern days.

Sometimes it may seem that the winter holidays are quite meaningless and full of rushing and all these chores that must be done, like decorating the house, but often they stem from something deeper and significant.

Do you celebrate Christmas? If so, what are your go-to decorations? We would also love to know which ones of the decorations you liked the most from this list. Let us know by upvoting them and commenting!