Hav you ever wondered why people put up a Christmas tree during the Christmas season? Was it a pagan icon? Did it have some symbolic meaning relating to the Christmas story? Here is what I learned today, as my daughter related what she was teaching her children during a reading assignment.
The Christmas tree story began when a man named Boniface, an English monk who planted churches in the 7th century, was made aware of an event that was going to take place on Christmas Eve. So, Boniface and his men went traipsing through the snow in west Germany to reach a group of people who were going to sacrifice a child to the god named 'Thor'. Apparently, Boniface was a man who loved to preach the Gospel to lost people. Boniface and his men were actually watching from a distance and realized that the chief of this group was going to sacrifice his own son, because the group decided that the gods were angry and they wanted to appease the gods. Aware of this, Boniface wanted to reach this group and preach the Gospel to them. What these people would do is to cut a tree down to use for the sacrifice. They would use the tree as a stake and tie the person they were sacrificing to it. Boniface was able to cut down the tree and used the cut down tree to explain the Gospel to the people. He came to the rescue and the child that was going to be used as the human sacrifice did not have to be sacrificed! Boniface explained the shape of the tree, which is a triangle, in comparison to the Trinity. He used the tree as a symbol of eternal life in Christ. He instructed the people to take the tree home and surround it with gifts of kindness and love.
Christmas Tree Origins-St Boniface
Christmas Tree Origins - St. Boniface - Catholic Doors
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