The Hope of the First Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas from your friends at Bridge Builders International.

Decorated with ribbons and dried roses, legend says the first decorated Christmas tree was erected in Latvia the winter of 1510, the central location for BBI’s ministry to the Baltics and Eastern Europe. That first public tree was placed in the Riga town square under the towering beauty of the 1334 built House of Blackheads, where a stone plaque on the ground and a metal sculpture now commemorates the tree’s medieval origins in eight languages. It’s believed the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, an association of traders and merchants, decorated the tree, celebrated by dancing around it, and then burned it to the ground.

Our Christmas tree traditions have certainly changed since that Latvian winter but the memories of Christmases past still adorn the evergreen branches we see in our modern homes every December. Many believe the Christmas tree is primarily tied to pagan history with little connection to the birth of the messiah, but medieval Christians had strong symbolism of the faith associated with the Christmas tree. In fact, while the first written record of a Christmas tree is from Riga, on its heels is the written account from the home of Martin Luther.

As we celebrate all God has done in Latvia through BBI and our partners this year, perhaps we can sit in the soft glow of our own Christmas trees and remember the hope of that early symbolism.

• •  It’s believed Martin Luther himself was the first to adorn a Christmas tree with lights. Those candles represented the light of Christ entering the world.
  • The triangular shape of the tree was said to represent the trinity by the 16th century believers.
  • The evergreen, whose color endures through the harshest of winters, has long been a symbol of eternal life and a reminder of God’s unending love.
  • Ornaments represent the gifts of the wisemen, but more directly, the gifts and blessings of God in our lives.
  • The star, placed atop the highest branch, represents the Star of David resting over the savior’s location in Bethlehem. And for those who place an angel on that bough, the symbolism is clear.

Whether the first Christmas tree really appeared in Riga or someplace else, the symbolism of faith Christians attached to it is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and promises. May the Lord remind us to celebrate His goodness as we gaze upon our trees this year. And may His glory be revealed in Latvia and beyond in the new year.

God bless you and your loved ones this Christmas Eve.

With Grateful Hearts,