America’s European Christmas Traditions

December is here, and as many Americans settle into the familiar festive rhythm of shopping for gifts, stringing up twinkle lights, and humming “Jingle Bells,” it can be fun to pause and consider where these Christmas traditions come from. Many of the most popular — like Christmas markets, Christmas trees, and caroling — started in Europe.

Christmas markets trace their roots back to 13th-century Austria, when a local duke thought multi-week December fairs might help lift spirits during long, cold winters. While these weren’t expressly “Christmassy” in nature, the idea proved to be a popular one, and other communities hopped on board. Over time, Austria and its German-speaking neighbors refined these fairs into charming holiday-themed markets, where locals could sing songs, sell handmade crafts, and indulge in seasonal sweets.

While no Christmas market can accurately claim the title of “first,” several have been going strong for centuries — like Dresden’s Striezelmarkt, which started in 1434, or Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt, which has been around since 1628. Increasingly, more countries are getting in on the fun, and garland-smothered extravaganzas now fill town squares all over Europe and North America. We even have Christmas market tips, to help you get the most out of these cozy collections of wooden stalls, steaming pots of mulled wine, and gigantic trees.

Those trees also have European roots. Evergreens have long embodied the spirit of perseverance in the winter, as they were one of the few things that didn’t die in the cold, dark season. The Druids and ancient Celts adorned their temples with them as a symbol of everlasting life; the Vikings considered them the favored plant of their sun god; and medieval Christian families in Germany used them to help celebrate the season, by reenacting Biblical stories. On December 24 (the Feast of Adam and Eve), these families would use fir trees to symbolize the Garden of Eden’s Tree of Knowledge. To represent its tempting fruit, they would hang sweets on the branches of these “paradise trees,” turning a religious symbol into an early form of holiday decor.

The ritual of lighting trees, however, has murky origins. One early account comes from 16th-century Latvia, where merchants put up a tree in a Riga town square and lit it on fire, dancing around it to celebrate the warmth and light it provided in the face of the cold, dark winter. Another popular story is that Martin Luther, walking home on a cold winter’s evening, was so taken by the gorgeous stars above that he attempted to recreate the scene for his family by adding candles to their paradise tree. This is probably folklore, but it’s not surprising that candles made their way onto these trees — as they, too, held deep religious symbolism, often standing for the light of Christ and Star of Bethlehem.

By the 1800s, trees decorated with candles and sweets had become a holiday staple in Germany, where they were called Tannenbaums (meaning “fir tree”). In 1840, the Tannenbaum was introduced to England’s Queen Victoria by her German husband, Prince Albert. Victoria took a liking to them…and, since England ruled a quarter of the world, the Christmas tree went global.

Speaking of England, this was the birthplace of another holiday staple: caroling. Back in the Middle Ages, wassailing was a way for peasants to essentially sing for their supper, going door to door and finagling food, ale, and charitable gifts out of the wealthy in exchange for entertainment. This practice grew more aggressive over time, and many started seeing it as an excuse for extortion. Townsfolk who felt menaced by the demanding riffraff attempted to kill it off, but with limited success.

Eventually, the Victorians — amidst their revival of medieval choral music — polished it up and included it as a festive tradition. Now, bundled-up carol singers gather on English street corners from London to the Lake District, and “Here We Come A-Wassailing” is a holiday tune hummed around the world.

Even if a hop across the pond isn’t in the cards this December, a little European culture probably is. When you browse your Christmas markets, decorate your tree, and hear carolers knocking on your door, just know…you might be in America, but you’re being very European.

 

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