Page 12 - Oundle Life December 2021

OUNDLE MUSEUM
Fairy on the tree?
So where does the tradition of placing a fairy on top of the tree come from? We have this lovely little c.1950’s fairy in the Museum collection which I am sure many people will remember and maybe still have for their trees.
Christmas owes its roots to
the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which was a pagan festival celebrated from December 17-25 each year. This custom was altered and absorbed into Christmas and allowed early Christians to gradually erase these old
pagan holidays.
Some say the Christmas tree’s origins come from Saturnalia,
as Romans would hack down trees and bring them into their homes during this festival. Others track the tree back to pre-Christian times when people brought trees and evergreen branches indoors to mark the arrival of midwinter. Yule was observed by Germanic people and marked the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
Other claims to the
tradition are from Latvia
and Estonia. Latvia
claims a merchant guild
called the House of the Black Heads carried a tree through the city in 1510, decorated it and later burned it down. Estonia also claims a similar story in its capital city Tallinn in 1441. A Christmas tree was raised in Strasbourg Cathedral in 1539, and this tradition became so
popular throughout the region the city of Freiburg banned felling trees for Christmas in 1554.
The tradition we know of today came to Britain via Prince Albert and captured the imagination of people around the nation when the Illustrated London News published an illustration of the Royal family gathered around a decorated Christmas tree. Queen Victoria was quite the trendsetter of her time and so the tradition took off.
Fairies are beings connected with the earth and growing
things, and so belong with the pre-Christian tradition of Yule, a dressed tree, mid-winter bonfires and other ‘pagan’ traditions, so fairies may have an even older claim to the top of the tree
as part of mid-winter festivals for thousands of years!
Many people these days have an angel or a star on the top of their decorated tree.
If you have a Christmas tree this year, and whether it is a fairy, angel or star that perches on top, let it bring a magical, peaceful and happy time in your life.
Happy Christmas to you all from us all at Oundle Museum and we hope to see you next March when we re-open.
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