The “roots of the Christmas tree” go way back in human history. Tree worship has been linked to religions all over the world since prehistoric times. Their direct dependence on nature and the regeneration of vegetation made them seek the divine in the earth and their environment.

In the Greek area of Crete in the Minoan era, the olive tree was a tree associated with the cult of the Great Mother, while its importance and sustainability made the olive tree a sacred tree for the Mycenaeans, along with other trees such as the plane tree. The gods of Olympus also had sacred trees. In Dodona, in the oracle of Zeus, stood the sacred oak tree, whose rustling leaves gave oracles. Similarly, at Delphi, it was believed that the laurel, the sacred plant of Apollo, gave oracles.

Similar uses of the tree as a cult symbol can be found in all ancient religions and in the Old Testament with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.

However, it was the Romans who took the first step towards what is now the Christmas tree. At the end of December, the winter equinox has always been an occasion for celebration, an anticipation of the rural populations for the improvement of the weather and the rebirth of nature after the cold days of December. In the Roman Empire the festival of Saturnalia was held in honour of the god Saturnus (equivalent to Cronus), it was extremely popular and the custom of celebration included some elements that probably enhanced the popularity of the festival: gambling, gambling, drinking, dancing, and even impunity for slaves who mocked their masters. However, among the customs was the exchange of small gifts and the decoration of the house with decorated evergreen tree branches. Very close to Saturnalia, on 25 December, there was another great feast, the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti – ‘birthday of the Invincible Sun’. The first Ecumenical Council in 335 AD placed the celebration of Christmas on this date, probably at the request of the Emperor Constantine. Thus Christmas has incorporated customs and traditions of the pagan celebrations of the Roman period that survived even after the fall of the Empire.

The Protestant countries of Central Europe, Germany and the Baltic countries were the ones who introduced the decoration of the Christmas tree. In fact, according to legends, Martin Luther was the first to decorate the tree with candles which were later replaced by candles. Despite the opposition of the Catholic Church the new custom spread and was loved, however, it was not until 1982 that the first Christmas Tree was decorated for the first time in Vatican Square.

In Greece, the custom of decorating Christmas trees is relatively recent. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was limited to the palace and a few upper-class houses, such as that of the ambassador Ioannis Paparigopoulos, who was the first to bring this custom to Athens at Christmas in 1843.

During the 1920s, the custom of decorating trees began to spread throughout the homes. In fact, this foreign custom was loved and spread so much that a decade later, hundreds of fir trees were cut from Parnitha to decorate the living rooms of Athens.

In 1952 the first Christmas tree was installed in a public place in the capital. It was an offer from the Swedish Shipping Company to Athens and the mayor of Athens, Kon. Nikolopoulos, ignoring the reservations about the introduction of a foreign custom, placed the illuminated tree in Kotzias Square.

Nowadays the habit of decorating Christmas trees is part of Greek culture. Houses, shops, public places, services are decorated with small, big, real or fake trees, with simple or rich decoration. And if the tree is the necessary backdrop of the Christmas decoration, then the shiny decorative ball is the undisputed “protagonist” of the celebration.