A
Pine Tree Decorated With Crimson and Green
by
Georg Freese
As
you may or not know, I am currently waist-deep in the writing of a story, fording
through the obscure waters of history in search for buried signs, and sifting
through cold wet sands in hopes for that golden nugget of knowledge that will
validate my theories.
I speak of the Goths of the 4th century C.E,
them who lived in the former Roman province of Dacia (modern day Ukraine) and
later migrated west, where they came to be known as Visigoths and Ostrogoths.
Spending
hours of research for the sake of historic accuracy, I have come to learn many
things, two of which I will share with you now, as they relate to the happy holidays
we are celebrating today.
Though
later celebrated as a Christian holiday, the celebration of Christmas is Pagan in
its roots, a notion made evident by its distinctive paraphernalia, all of which
seek to bring joy in the darkest and coldest nights of the year.
The
first and most obvious sign is the presence of a decorated fir tree (or pine
tree). Remember that the firs and pines are evergreen trees, which means they
keep their foliage throughout the dead of winter while the rest of the trees in
the forest shed theirs. This quality of endurance during the harshest season of
the year was admired by the early peoples of Europe, and thus they revered,
celebrated and worshipped it.
Also
a common tradition of Christmas is the use of the colours crimson (red) and green
for decoration. But why? I cannot provide the exact reasons, but I did come across
a passage that documents the use of these colours by northern European peoples
for ceremonial occasions. It is an observation by the 5th century Gallo-Roman historian
Sidonius Apollinaris who, describing a procession of Frankish royalty (tribes
migrated to early France), wrote as follows:
"...
The prince himself... [was] clad in gleaming scarlet, ruddy gold and pure white
silk... The chiefs and companions who escorted him... wore a tight fitting,
many-coloured garment (tartan squares?)... [and] green mantles with crimson borders.
Perhaps
the green and crimson was regarded by many as an elegant combination fit for
solemn occasions. Or perhaps it is just a coincidence. I can only sigh at the
sight of this nugget of knowledge, not sure what to make of it, and throw it in
my pouch with the rest, hoping that later, putting more of them together, I
will have a more accurate notion of an epoch long since gone by.
But
for now...
Merry
Xmas everyone!
.
