The History of the Christmas Tree Candle
The Christmas tree candle and other Roman traditions
The Christmas tree candle is said to have originated in Germany; however, it has also been linked to Ancient Rome.
Laura Legend explores the origin of the Christmas tree candle…
The word “Christmas” is a derivative of a Latin word for the Roman celebration of Cristes Maesse (or Christ’s Mass), from the days of Constantine who was Rome’s first Christian ruler.
It was Constantine that declared that December 25th should be the day of feasting to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in the early to mid 300s AD.
Romans that were not Christians celebrated the Sun God and candles were a large part of their light or sun celebrations. Thus, the candle lighting traditions could be said to have originated in Ancient Rome, before the use of the Christmas tree candle gained popularity in Germany.
Even so, December 25th was recognized by many as a pagan holiday and thus, the celebration of Christmas was banned by a number of Christian churches. The celebration of Christmas among Christians seems to have been brought back to life in the early 1800s.