Christmas is becoming more of a business transaction than a spiritual one. It is not uncommon to see large Christmas trees gleaming with multicolored lighting in Addis Ababa’s city centers, hotels, malls, and exhibition areas these days. The trees are appealing to customers in a variety of ways.
In the past, it is customary for people to cut off several pine tree branches to colorfully celebrate Christmas. Nowadays, both real and artificial trees are being used by urban residents in place of real ones, which is positive as it helps to stop deforestation.
The history of Christmas trees has various origins, ranging from the usage of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome to the German customs of illuminated trees that found their way to America in the 1800s. Discover the history of the Christmas tree, from the first winter solstice festivities to Queen Victoria’s decorating practices and the yearly lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City.
Ever since the earliest days of Christianity, people have associated winter with particular meanings for evergreen plants and trees. Many ancient peoples draped evergreen boughs over their doorways and windows, just as people do now with pine, spruce, and fir trees during the holiday season. It was thought that evergreens would ward off disease, ghosts, bad spirits, and witches in many different nations.
Furthermore, a Christmas tree, an evergreen tree, usually a pine, spruce, or fir, adorned with lights and decorations as part of the Christmas season. Christmas trees can be fresh-cut, potted, or artificial, and are used as both interior and outdoor decorations. While the trees have historically been connected with Christian iconography, their current application is primarily secular. Many families wrap gifts around an indoor Christmas tree to be unwrapped on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
The ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews all used evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands to represent perpetual life. The evergreen Christmas tree is one of the most often utilized trees for Christmas decorating across the world. Decorating dwellings with evergreen fir trees throughout the winter originated long ago as a sign of vitality among the dark, cold winter evenings.
Traditionally, it has been utilized to celebrate winter festivals to decorate residences in the middle of winter, which is an indication of the spring invasion. Most people use Christmas trees to symbolize the arrival of the New Year, hope, and a transition from the gloom of the rainy season to the radiance of winter. According to historical transcriptions, no one knows when or where the Christmas tree was originally utilized, although it is thought that it originated around 1000 years ago in Northern Europe.
It is often known that the Christmas holiday and its vibrant celebrations are the ideal occasions to foster hospitality, socializing, and cultural well-being. But why are some people unhappy with Ethiopia’s Christmas celebrations? The issue is, “Is the Christmas tree an Ethiopian tradition in the first place?”
In Ethiopia, especially in metropolitan areas, there was a random house design employing real pine trees and covering it with tissue paper or cotton, candy, snow balloons, and photos of Jesus. The natural Christmas pine tree has been replaced with artificial ones, which seem much more genuine and joyful throughout the holiday season. Nonetheless, residents in Ethiopia’s metropolitan regions have begun adorning their homes with Christmas trees, despite the fact that there is no historical, customary, or religious reason to decorate homes with evergreens in the country.
According to Ethiopian Orthodox Church External Relation, “the Western Church commemorates Jesus’ birth by adorning a Christmas tree to symbolize that Jesus Christ is the tree of life. Nevertheless, “Ethiopian Orthodox Church does not advise people to celebrate Christmas like that, because the church has bible based holiday celebration process.”
Aside from celebrating Christmas in their own ways—known as “ye Genna Chewata”—Ethiopians also congregate and share meals during indigenous holiday festivities, ride horses, and play hockey. They also seek blessings from nearby churches. In addition, traditional foods, attire, sports (such as Genna Chewata, a hockey game played on a horse), and religious ceremonies are held to commemorate the occasion. Moreover, religious fathers urged all Ethiopians to exert every effort for peace and the nation’s unity as Christians celebrated Christmas (Genna) throughout the country.
Religious leaders in their Christmas messages also encourage Christians around the country to work for peace in addition to supporting one another during the holiday season. On the eve of Genna, the faithful gathered at churches in white traditional clothing for mass church services that began after midnight and ended on the morning of Christmas day.
In Ethiopia, particularly among adherents of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which has its own set of customs and practices around Christmas and other religious observances. To commemorate the festival, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does not customarily utilize or display Christmas trees. This is due to the church’s distinct historical and cultural legacy, which differs from Western Christian traditions.
In general, Ethiopians celebrate with elaborate religious services, processions, and distinctive customs that are strongly established in Ethiopian culture and history. As a result, the usage of Christmas trees, which is more typically linked with Western Christian customs, is not a component of Ethiopian Christmas.
It’s important to note that individual Ethiopians may have their own personal views on Christmas trees, and attitudes toward them may vary. However, the absence of Christmas trees in Ethiopian traditions is primarily due to the unique religious and cultural practices of the church rather than a general opposition to the concept of Christmas trees.
Therefore, the Christmas tree is not Ethiopian culture and some people do not honor it. Ethiopians do not celebrate Christmas in the same way that other people do. They have their own traditions. The followers of religious fathers are advised not to imitate this behavior; instead, they should be taught how to celebrate holidays in Ethiopia. Even if they choose to utilize an artificial tree or decorate a real one without cutting it, they are still able to enjoy the occasion.
BY EPHREM ANDARGACHEW
The Ethiopian Herald JANUARY 7 / 2024
