Christmas Customs: Der Tannenbaum – Der Weihnachtsbaum

“O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.”
– Text: Ernst Anschütz, Leipzig, 1824, set to a traditional tune. Various “Tannenbaum” songs and ballads date from around 1550.
MORE > German Christmas Carols – Lyrics in German and English

Germany’s Tannenbaum (Christmas Tree)

The German religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) is often credited with starting the Christmas tree custom, but the first appearance of a Tannenbaum was recorded in Germany many years after Luther’s death. It was in 1605 in Strasbourg in Alsace, then in Germany, that a chronicler wrote (in old German): “Auff Weihenachten richtett man Dahnnenbäum zu Strasburg in den Stuben auff…” (“At Christmas they set up Christmas trees in Strasbourg in their rooms…”).

Not your average Christmas tree in a Berlin shopping center. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo

But it is likely that the custom dates back to at least around 1550, since the first of several “Tannenbaum” ballads was circulating in print at that time. By the 19th century this custom had spread across most of Germany and beyond. Several royal Germans are credited with helping extend the tree decorating custom beyond Germany’s borders. The Duchess of Orleans (from Mecklenburg) brought it to Paris, while other Germanic royals brought the Christmas tree to England and other European countries. But it was commoners—emigrants from Germany—who brought the Weihnachtsbaum to America.

The Austrians, Germans, and Swiss are now using more “electric candles” for tree decoration, but many a Germanic Christbaum continues to glow with the warm light of real wax candles. (Germans use special candle holders and have learned how to do this safely; the candles are not left to burn for a long time or without someone in the room.)

The use of evergreens as a Christmas symbol of everlasting life goes back much further than even the 1550s, but still with a Germanic connection. St. Boniface is said to have introduced the use of evergreens in connection with his efforts to Christianize the Germanic tribes in the 8th century. He dedicated the fir tree (Tannenbaum) to the Christ Child, displacing the pagan oak tree of Odin.

A Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. PHOTO: Andrea Goldmann

A more recent “old” Bavarian tradition is the so-called “Bride’s Tree,” upon which a dozen special ornaments are hung to help ensure a better life for a married couple. The 12 ornaments and their symbolic significance are: angel (God’s guidance), bird (joy), fish (Christ’s blessing), flower basket (good wishes), fruit basket (generosity), heart (true love), house (protection), pine cone (fruitfulness), rabbit (hope), rose (affection), Santa (goodwill), and teapot (hospitality). Special hand-blown glass ornaments in these forms are still produced in Bavaria.

The Pickle Ornament
Is the glass pickle ornament really a German Christmas tree tradition? Probably not, but it makes an interesting story. More…

More | Christmas from A to Z

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Christmas from A to Z – German Christmas traditions and terms
• Photo Gallery: Christmas in Germany – Berlin – A visual tour of Christmas markets and other December sights in Berlin
• Advent and Christmas – The “arrival”
• A German Advent Calendar – Daily Christmas facts starting on Dec. 1 (in season)
• German Christmas Carols – Lyrics in German and English
• Christmas in the USA and Germany – A comparison chart
• Barbarazweig – The legend and the Christmas custom
• Epiphany and the Sternsinger – January 6 in the Germanic Christmas tradition
• Erntedank (“harvest thanksgiving”) or Erntedankfest in Germany and Austria is different from the American Thanksgiving tradition.
• St. Nicholas – The many German St. Nicks
• Thomas Nast created the modern Santa image.
• The Christmas Pickle Ornament – Is it really a German Christmas tradition?
• Glass Ornaments – a history
• Silent Night (Stille Nacht) – Our “Silent Night” page has the true story and related links.
• Holidays and Celebrations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland