Are Christmas Trees Pagan?

Question: If it is true that the custom of putting up a Christmas tree was originally a pagan practice, is it permissible for us, as Catholics, to put up Christmas trees?

Answer: The Christmas tree as we know it, trimmed with bright decorations and lights, might have developed from various pagan customs, but it is very much a Christian tradition.

The use of evergreen trees and plants during winter celebrations predates Christianity. Many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Romans and Celts, used evergreens as symbols of life and fertility during the winter. There is no evidence, however, that they decorated these trees and plants.

As Christianity spread, many pagan customs were adapted and incorporated into Christian practices  — much as Christian customs are incorporated into secular practices today, especially around Christmas.

The Christmas tree as we know it emerged in Germany in the 16th century, when Christians first displayed decorated evergreen trees as part of their Christmas celebrations. The tree served as a symbol of eternal life through Christ, and a reminder of the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible, while its candles symbolised the light of Christ coming into the world.

From Germany, the custom spread around Europe and beyond. It is believed that the Christmas tree was brought to the United States by German settlers in the 1700s. It was popularised in Britain and then its empire when the German-born Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, introduced it in the 19th century.

Christian objection

Some Christians claim that the Bible forbids Christmas trees. Of course, the Bible doesn’t do any such thing.

The idea of such a prohibition is based on a misinterpretation of Jeremiah 10:1-16 as condemning the practice of cutting down and decorating trees. However, Jeremiah was writing more than 600 years before Christ, addressing the particular issue of pagan worship by Jews.

The passage from Jeremiah condemns the creation of idols from wood, which are then covered with silver and gold and worshipped. Similarly, Isaiah 44 mocks those who use one part of a tree for warmth and another part to create an idol, which they then worship.

But we Christians do not worship our Christmas tree nor carve it into an idol — for us, the Christmas tree is a joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Word becoming flesh. It honours the Lord and represents eternal life through Christ.

The Catholic Church has embraced the Christmas tree as a symbol of the celebration of the birth of Christ, integrating it into the broader tradition of Christmas. The Catechism of the Catholic Church does not address the origins of the Christmas tree specifically, but it emphasises the importance of cultural expressions of faith and the significance of symbols in the life of the Church (1204).

Published in the December 2024 issue of the Southern Cross Magazine