圣诞树

维基百科，自由的百科全书

圣诞树是圣诞节庆祝中最有名的传统。通常人们在圣诞前后把一棵常绿植物如松树弄进屋里或者在户外用 圣诞灯和彩色的装饰物装饰。一个天使或者星星会放在树的顶上。

目录 1 历史 1.1 日耳曼部落 1.2 罗马帝国时期 1.3 中世纪 1.4 现代 2 关于日期 3 采用的树木类型 3.1 天然树 3.2 人造树 3.2.1 羽毛树 3.2.2 现代树 3.2.3 Designer trees 3.2.4 户外树木 3.2.5 其它噱头 3.2.6 环境影响 4 装饰和修饰 4.1 Tree mats and skirts 4.2 Flocking 5 论战 5.1 名称争论 5.2 用途争论 6 圣诞树产业 7 参看 8 参考文献 9 外部链接

[编辑] 历史

就像圣诞起源于异教的习俗, 圣诞树也有悠远的历史，成为很多文化中冬季的普遍现象。

[编辑] 日耳曼部落

Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil) held special significance for the ancient 日耳曼民族, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. Among early Germanic tribes the Yule tradition was celebrated by sacrificing male animals and slaves by suspending them on the branches of trees.^{[來源請求]}

According to Adam of Bremen, in 斯堪地那维亚 the pagan kings sacrificed nine males of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year.^[1] According to one legend, 圣博尼费斯 attempted to introduce the idea of 三位一体 to the pagan tribes using the cone-shaped evergreen trees because of their triangular appearance.^{[來源請求]}

圣诞树一般解释为古代异教的主张在基督教化保留下来，常绿树象征庆祝生命复苏。^{[來源請求]}

[编辑] 罗马帝国时期

古罗马 mosaic（今突尼斯）, showing the mythic triumphant return from India of the 希腊酒神 and male fertility, Dionysus (现代学者认为他是生死轮回之神)拿着一个针叶树的枝条。基督教化进程也可以在古英语诗十字架之梦(Dream of the rood)中得到印证, 在诗中树就是耶稣受刑的刑具。这首诗也引用创世记中记载的辨识善恶树。

[编辑] 中世纪

Medieval legends tended to concentrate more on the miraculous "flowering" of trees at Christmas time.^{[來源請求]} A branch of flowering Glastonbury thorn is still sent annually for the Queen's Christmas table in the 英国.

[编辑] 现代

现代的习俗无法直接证明来自异教的习俗。最早的文献记载可以上溯到16世纪的德国；Ingeborg Weber-Keller (马尔堡欧洲人类学教授)鉴定一份1570年不来梅市行业协会年册报道怎样用一棵冷衫加上苹果, 坚果, 枣椰, 饼干和纸花等装饰树立在行业协会的房子取悦圣诞节搜集糖果的行业协会成员的孩子。另一份参考资料来自巴塞尔,1597年有一个裁缝学徒在市区附近运一棵装饰了苹果和奶酪的树。

拉脱维亚首都里加声称他们是圣诞树的故乡; 在是广场上有块牌子用8种语言写着“1510年第一棵圣诞树在里加”。17世纪，这一习俗进入家庭。有位斯特拉斯堡牧师,Johann Konrad Dannerhauer, 抱怨这一习俗与圣经相悖，让人迷惑。

到18世纪早期，这一习俗依然只是在上莱茵地区的城镇比较普遍，农村地区还很少见。蜡烛据考证始于18世纪晚期。圣诞树在这个地区的“推广”更是比较缓慢。It was regarded as a Protestant custom by the Catholic majority along the lower Rhine and was spread there only by 普鲁士王国 officials who were moved there in the wake of the 维也纳会议 in 1815.

In the early 19th century, the custom became popular among the nobility and spread to royal courts as far as Russia. Princess Henrietta von Nassau-Weilburg introduced the Christmas tree to 维也纳 in 1816, and the custom spread across Austria in the following years. In 法国, the first Christmas tree was introduced in 1840 by the duchess of Orleans.

^[2]

在英国，圣诞树是乔治三世国王的德国王后Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz引入的，但是并没有传播到皇室以外的民间。维多利亚女王儿时就熟悉这一习俗，在她1832年平安夜这一天的日记里, 快乐的13岁公主写道: "晚饭后……我们都走进餐厅旁的客厅……那的两张大圆桌上放着两棵挂满了灯和糖果装饰的树。所有的礼物围绕着它们放着..."。她嫁给德国的表亲艾伯特王子后,这一习俗迅速传播。

1847年,艾伯特王子写道: "I must now seek in the children an echo of what Ernest（他兄弟） and I were in the old time, of what we felt and thought; and their delight in the Christmas-trees is not less than ours used to be".

慷慨的艾伯特王子在圣诞节还赠送大量的圣诞树给学校和生活在贫民窟的人。Images of the royal family with their Christmas tree at Osborne House were illustrated in English magazines, initially as a 木版画1848年12月刊发在伦敦的Illustrated London News上，1850年圣诞节一份拷贝在美国出版 (illustration, left). Such patriotic prints of the British royal family at Christmas celebrations helped popularise the Christmas tree in Britain and among the anglophile 美国上层社会。

Several cities in the United States lay claim to that country's first Christmas tree. Windsor Locks, Connecticut, claims that a Hessian soldier put up a Christmas tree in 1777年 while imprisoned at the Noden-Reed House, thus making it the home of the first Christmas tree in New England. The "First Christmas Tree in America" is also claimed by 宾夕法尼亚阿斯顿, where German settlers purportedly erected a Christmas tree in 1816. In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded the use of a Christmas tree in 1821 -- leading Lancaster to also lay claim to the first Christmas Tree in America. ^[3]

很多城市,乡镇和百货公司都会在户外空地上树立圣诞树,如乔治亚亚特兰大市的Rich's Great Tree, 纽约的洛克菲勒中心圣诞树 和Adelaide维多利亚广场上的巨大圣诞树。During the 1970s and 1980s, the largest Christmas tree in the world was put up every year on the property of The National Enquirer in Lantana, Florida. This tradition grew into one of the most spectacular and celebrated events in the history of southern 佛罗里达, but was discontinued on the death of the paper's founder in the late 1980s.

在一些城市圣诞树节 are organised around the decoration and display of multiple trees as 慈善事业。

在有些情况下，圣诞树还是有特别纪念意义的礼物, 例如：

• 伦敦的特拉法尔加广场来自挪威城市奥斯陆的圣诞树代表者挪威人民对二战期间英国人民伸出援手抵抗纳粹；
• 马萨诸塞州的波士顿有一棵圣诞树是加拿大新斯科舍省送的礼物，感谢他们1917在军火船爆炸发生后提供快速有效的援助；
• 在上泰恩河纽卡斯尔每年都会收到来自挪威卑尔根市的高15米的圣诞树，感谢他们作为盟军一部分，帮助从纳粹占领军手中夺回卑尔根。

美国的国家圣诞树每年都立在华盛顿特区白宫南面。今天，点亮书上的灯已经成为圣诞假期白宫的一个重要事情。吉米·卡特总统 lit only the crowning star atop the Tree in 1979 in honor of the Americans being held hostage in Iran; in 1980, the tree was fully lit for only 417秒, one second for each day the hostages had been in captivity.

“查理·布朗圣诞树”这个概念可以用来描述一棵很难看的小树。有些购买圣诞树的顾客有意购买这样的树，表示对它们处境的同情。这一概念来自查理·布朗的圣诞树 在电视剧 查理布朗的圣诞节.

In 新西兰, Pohutukawa树被描述为“天然圣诞树”，因为它们在圣诞期间开花，它们的红花和绿叶看上去就像一棵装饰好的圣诞树。

[编辑] 关于日期

传统上，直到平安夜(12月24日)圣诞树才会立起来装饰,然后在20夜(1月6日)之后移走。提前和推后这个日期都被认为是不吉利的。但是，

• 现代圣诞节购物旺季让大多数商店在10月底就把圣诞树立起来。(在英国 Selfridge's的圣诞节部9月上旬就开始营业,包括圣诞树)。
• 大多数美国家庭的习惯是感恩节 (11月的第四个星期四)后立即就竖起圣诞树直到新年之后。有些美国家庭直到12月第二个周才着手竖起圣诞树, 圣诞树立到1月6日(主显节)。
• 在德国,传统上圣诞树12月24日立起直到1月7日,不过也有人提前1-2周把树立起来。
• 在澳大利亚, 圣诞树一般在12月1日被立起来,正好是学校暑假前一周；不过南澳洲例外，那里大多数人在Adelaide Credit Union圣诞庆典后也就是11月上旬就把树立起来了。

[编辑] 采用的树木类型

Both natural and artificial trees are used as Christmas trees.

[编辑] 天然树

首选树种是冷杉属 (Abies),这个种的针形叶干燥以后叶不易脱落,颜色和气味也不错，不过其它种类也可以用。

一般北欧洲常见的有:

• 银枞、白枞 Abies alba (原始种)
• 高加索冷杉 Abies nordmanniana
• 壮丽冷衫 Abies procera
• 挪威云杉 Picea abies (通常最便宜)
• 塞尔维亚云杉 Picea omorika
• 欧洲赤松 Pinus sylvestris

南美洲:

• Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
• Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
• 大冷杉 Abies grandis
• 壮丽冷衫 Abies procera
• 紫果冷衫 Abies magnifica
• Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
• 欧洲赤松 Pinus sylvestris
• 石松 Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)

Several other species are used to a lesser extent. Less-traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as Giant Sequoia, Leyland Cypress and Eastern Juniper. Blue spruce can also be used as a Christmas tree, but has very sharp needles, making decorating uncomfortable. Virginia Pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States, however its winter colour is faded. The long-needled Eastern White Pine is also used there. Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in the Oceania region, and in Australia some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees.

有些树常常从苗圃卖出时带着根和土壤, 可以新年后移植到室外栽培多年使用。然而在挖掘时根部失去很多，室内环境又一般是温度较高湿度较低，非常有害于树木健康, 成活率十分低。These trees must be kept inside only for a few days, as the warmth will bring them out of dormancy, leaving them little protection when put back outside into the midwinter cold in most areas. Others are produced in a container and sometimes as topiary for a porch or patio.

European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally-grown, unsheared trees, while in North America (outside western areas where trees are often wild-harvested on public lands [1]) there is a preference for close-sheared trees with denser foliage, but less space to hang decorations. The shearing also damages the highly attractive natural symmetry of unsheared trees. In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are commercially grown on tree farms.

Almost all Christmas trees in the United States are grown on Christmas tree farms where they are cut after about ten years of growth and new trees planted. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agriculture census for 2002 (the census is done every five years) there were 21,904 farms were producing conifers for the cut Christmas Tree market in America, 446,996 acres were planted in Christmas Trees, and 13,849 farms harvested cut trees. The top 5 percent of the farms (100 acres or more) sold 61 percent of the trees. The top 26 percent of the farms (20 acres or more) sold 84 percent of the trees. 21% of the farms were less than two acres and sold an average of 115 trees per farm. [2]

In the UK, The British Christmas Tree Growers Association represents the interests of all those who grow Christmas trees in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

[编辑] 人造树

Artificial trees have become increasingly popular, as they are considered more convenient and (if used for several years) less expensive than real trees. Trees come in a number of colours and "species", and some come pre-decorated with lights. At the end of the Christmas season artificial trees can be disassembled and stored compactly.

Artificial trees are sometimes even a necessity in some rented homes (especially apartment flats), due to the potential fire danger from a dried-out real tree, leading to their prohibition by some landlords ^{[來源請求]}. They may also be necessary for people who have an allergy to conifers, and are increasingly popular in office settings ^{[來源請求]}.

[编辑] 羽毛树

The first artificial trees were tabletop feather trees, made from green-dyed goose feathers wound onto sticks drilled into a larger one, like the branches on a tree. Originating in Germany in the 19th century to prevent further deforestation, these "minimalist" trees show off small ornaments very well. The first feather trees came to the U.S. in 1913, in the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog.

[编辑] 现代树

The first modern artificial Christmas trees were produced by companies which made brushes. They were made the same way, using animal hair (mainly pig bristles) and later plastic bristles, dyed pine-green in colour, inserted between twisted wires that form the branches. The bases of the branches were then twisted together to form a large branch, which was then inserted by the user into a wooden pole (now metal with plastic rings) for a trunk. Each row of branches is a different size, colour coded at the base with paint or stickers for ease of assembly.

The first trees looked like long-needled pine trees, but later trees use flat PVC sheets to make the needles. Many also have very short brown "needles" wound in with the longer green ones, to imitate the branch itself or the bases that each group of pine (but not other conifer) needles grows from. These trees have become a little more realistic every year, with a few deluxe trees containing multiple branch styles. Many trees now come in "slim" versions, to fit in smaller spaces. Most of the better trees have branches hinged to the pole, though the less-expensive ones generally still come separately. The hinged branched trees just need for the branches to be lowered. But they are a little less compact. Better trees also have more branch tips, the number usually listed on the box.

Around 2003, some trees with moulded plastic branches started selling in the U.S. Now there are also upside down Christmas trees. These Christmas trees are advertised to "Give you more space for presents".

[编辑] Designer trees

The first artificial trees that were not green were the metallic trees, introduced about 1958, and quite popular through the 1960s. These were made of aluminium attached to metal rods, supported on wooden or aluminium central poles. Some were made with aluminium-coated paper, which was flammable. These posed a great fire hazard if lights were put directly on them, particularly the relatively hot bulbs sold in that era; warnings to this effect are still issued with some Christmas tree lights. They were instead lit by a spotlight or floodlight, often with a motorised rotating colour wheel in front of them.

More recent tinsel trees can be used safely with lights, due to the use of flame retardant materials as well as improvements in the safety of the Christmas tree lights themselves.

Other artificial trees may look nothing like a conifer except for the triangular or conical shape. These may be made from cardboard, glass, plastic, or from stacked items such as ornaments. Such items are often used as tabletop decorations.

[编辑] 户外树木

Outdoor branched trees made out of heavy white-enameled steel wires have become more popular on U.S. lawns in the 2000s, along with 1990s spiral ones that hang from a central pole, both styles being lighted with standard miniature lights. These lights are usually white, but often are green, red, red/green, blue/white, blue, or multicoloured, and sometimes with a small controller to fade colours back and forth.

A few hotels and other buildings, both public and private, will string lights up from the roof to the top of a small tower on top of the building, so that at night it appears as a lit Christmas tree, often using green or other coloured lights. Some skyscrapers will tell certain offices to leave their lights on (and others off) at night during December, creating a Christmas tree pattern.

[编辑] 其它噱头

Since the late 1990s, many indoor artificial trees come pre-strung with lights. Some are instead lit partly or completely by 光纤, with the light in the base, and a rotating colour wheel causing various colours to shimmer across the tree.

In 2005 inverted trees became popular. They were originally sold as decorations for merchants that allowed customers to get closer to ornaments being sold. Customers then wanted to replicate the inverted tree. Retailers also claimed that the trees were popular because they allowed larger presents to be placed beneath the trees.

Past gimmicks include small talking or singing trees, and trees which blow "snow" (actually small styrofoam beads) over themselves, collecting them in a decorative 纸板 bin at the bottom and blowing them back up to the top through a tube hidden next to the trunk.

A long-standing and simple gimmick is conifer seedlings sold with cheap decorations attached by soft pipe cleaners. Real potted ones are often sold like this, and artificial ones often come with a "root ball" but only sometimes with decorations.

[编辑] 环境影响

There is some debate as to whether artificial or real trees are better for the 自然环境. Artificial trees are usually made out of PVC, a toxic material which is often stabilised with lead. Some trees have a warning that dust or leaves from the tree should not be eaten or inhaled. A small amount of real-tree material is used in some artificial trees. For instance, the bark of a real tree can be used to surface an artificial trunk. 聚乙稀树are less toxic, though more expensive, than PVC（多氯联苯）树[3].

Artificial trees can be used for many years, but are usually non-recyclable, ending up in landfills. Real trees are used only for a short time, but can be recycled and used as mulch or used to prevent erosion [4]. Real trees also help reduce the amount of 二氧化碳 in the atmosphere while growing.

Live trees are typically grown as a crop and replanted in rotation after cutting, often providing suitable 栖息地 for wildlife. In some cases management of Christmas tree crops can result in poor habitat since it involves heavy input of 杀虫剂. Organically grown Christmas trees are available in some markets, and as with many other crops, are widely held to be better for the environment. Dr. Patrick Moore, a co-founder and former president of Greenpeace, writes:

Whether you choose a cut or growing tree to enjoy this holiday season, I believe that a sensible environmentalist would opt for renewable over non-renewable every time. [5]

[编辑] 装饰和修饰

Tinsel and several types of garland or ribbon are commonly used to decorate a Christmas tree. Delicate mould-blown and painted coloured glass Christmas ornaments were a specialty of Czech glass factories from the late 19th century, and have since become a large industry, complete with famous-name designers. Lighting with candles or electric lights (fairy lights) is commonly done, and a tree topper completes the ensemble. Strands of tinsel may be hung in groups from longer branches to simulate icicles, though this trend has gradually fallen off since the late 1970s. Baubles are another extremely common decoration, and usually consist of a fairly small hollow glass or plastic sphere coated with a thin metallic layer to make them reflective, and then with a further coating of a thin pigmented polymer in order to provide colouration.

Individuals' decorations vary wildly, typically being an eclectic mix of family traditions and personal tastes; even a small unattractive ornament, if passed down from a parent or grandparent, may come to carry considerable emotional value and be given pride of place on the tree. Conversely, trees decorated by professional designers for department stores and other institutions will usually have a "theme"; a set of predominant colours, multiple instances of each type of ornament, and larger decorations that may be more complicated to set up correctly.

Many people also decorate outdoor trees with food that birds and other wildlife will enjoy, such as garlands made from unsalted popcorn or cranberries, orange halves, and seed-covered suet cakes.

[编辑] Tree mats and skirts

Since 蜡烛s were used to light trees until electric bulbs came about, a mat (UK) or "skirt" (US) was often placed on the floor below the tree to protect it by catching the dripping candle wax, and also to collect any needles that fall. Even when dripless candles, electric lights and artificial trees have been used, a skirt is still usually used as a decorative feature: among other things, it hides the tree stand, which may be unsightly but which is an important safety feature of home trees. What began as ordinary cloth has now often become much more ornate, some having embroidery or being put together like a quilt.

A nativity scene, model train, or Christmas village may be placed on the mat or skirt. As Christmas presents arrive, they are generally placed underneath the tree on the tree skirt (depending on tradition, all Christmas gifts, or those too large to be hung on the tree, as in "presents on the tree" of the song "I'll Be Home For Christmas").

Generally, the difference between a mat and skirt is simply that a mat is placed under the tree stand, while a skirt is placed over it, having a hole in the middle for the trunk, with a slot cut to the outside edge so that it can be placed around the tree (beneath the branches) easily. A plain mat of fabric or plastic may also be placed under the stand and skirt to protect the floor from scratches or water.

[编辑] Flocking

In the 1980s some trees were sprayed with fluffy white flocking to simulate snow. Typically it would be sprayed all over the tree from the sides, which produced a look different from real snow, which settles in clumps atop branches. Flocking can be done with a professional sprayer at a tree lot (or the manufacturer if it is artificial), or at home from a spray can, and either can be rather messy. This tradition seems to be limited mostly to the United States.

[编辑] 论战

The Christmas tree has seen an amount of controversy, mainly involving the secular and non-secular usage of the tree as well as groups who oppose usage of the tree on the grounds of interpretation of scripture and claimed pagan origins and/or pagan character of the custom.

[编辑] 名称争论

The term holiday tree has, since at least 1990 (and perhaps before), been used by some in the 美国 and 加拿大 as an effort to be more inclusive, and to reflect the winter holiday season instead of any specific religious holiday. A recent campaign spearheaded by 福克斯新闻 contributors Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity has resulted in a backlash from some Christian groups and individuals who feel the designation "holiday tree" is part of a war on Christmas.

[编辑] 用途争论

有些基督徒，尽管是少数，认为“圣诞树”是被圣经禁止的，在耶利米书 10:1-5写道,

以色列家啊，你们要听耶和华对你们所说的话。耶和华说：“你们千万不要仿效列国的行径。列国因天上的征兆而惊慌，你们却不要因这些事而惊慌。万民的习俗只像一口气，他们的偶像不过是人从森林里砍下的树木，是工匠拿钩刀用手艺造成的。人用金银装饰偶像，又用钉子锤子钉牢，免得偶像东倒西歪。这些偶像不过像瓜田里的稻草人，不能说话，也不能走路，必须靠人搬运。你们不要怕它们，因为它们既不能降祸，也不能赐福。”

Interpreting those verses as a ban on Christmas trees may be more common among individuals and Christian denominations that are part of the King-James-Only Movement.

In other 英译本圣经 the verses more explicitly refer to the practice of making idols to be worshipped:

For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with a hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. (emphasis added) NIV

A full study of the passage shows that the people would cut down a tree and work it with a chisel to engrave an image in it. They would also carry it from place to place as an object to be feared and worshipped. The only consistencies with Christmas tree customs seem to be that both are made of wood and both are decorated.

Some Christians, again a minority, feel that since "Christmas Trees" are not biblically ordained, they should not be used. Such individuals and Christian denominations are unlikely to celebrate Christmas at all, for the same reason, such as the United Church of God.

Most churches however use Christmas trees as decoration at Christmas time. Some churches use the same stripped Christmas tree as a Christian cross at 复活节. See the The Dream of the Rood described above. Both Ezekiel 47:12 and the 启示录 22:2 use trees as a symbol of new fruitful life, comparative to the Tree of life denied Adam in 创世记 3:22-23. Paul makes the link between Adam and Christ clear in 罗马书第五章说:

亚当 is a type of the one who was to come. (v. 14)

In the same way the Christmas tree can be seen as mirroring the tree of life, a symbol or type of the 带来赎价的十字架。

[编辑] 圣诞树产业

每年，仅美国的需求量就差不多3300-3600万棵,欧洲的需求量大约为5000－6000万。1998年,美国的圣诞树栽培商数目大约有15000。(大约三分之一是"现选现砍"的农场主)同一年，估计仅圣诞树一项，美国人就花费了15亿美元。^[4]

[编辑] 参看

• 美国圣诞节传统
• Festivus Pole
• Fleur de lys
• 德国圣诞节传统
• 三位一体
• New Year Tree
• Palmette
• 伯利恒之星
• 大卫之星
• 树 (神话)
• Tree of Knowledge
• 生命树

[编辑] 参考文献

1. ↑ Tshan, Francis J. Adam of Breman
2. ↑ 本雕刻收于在《Godey's Lady's Book》,费城,于1850年12月出版
3. ↑ 圣诞节历史- Gareth Marples - 於2006年Dec 2造訪。
4. ↑ Chastagner, Gary A.，Benson, D. Michael （2000年） - 圣诞树 - 於2006-12-08造訪。

[编辑] 外部链接

• 英国的皇家圣诞树
• Riga, Latvia purported home of the original Christmas Tree
• 打破旧戏看人造圣诞树－裸子植物数据库
• 英国圣诞树种植者联盟主页
• 1777棵圣诞树在Windsor Locks, CT

。