Latvia

Riga proudly claims to be the birthplace of the first Christmas tree

By The Baltic Review November 14, 2014

The citizens of Brussels will be able to enjoy one of the most traditional aspects of Christmas this year courtesy of a gift from Riga: a giant Christmas tree

Riga proudly claims to be the birthplace of the first Christmas tree, despite similar claims from Baltic rival Tallinn (which no sane person would take seriously) and part of that tradition has been exported to the Belgian capital in the form of a giant fir that will dominate the central Grande Place from November 28 to January 4.

The switching on of the tree’s lights will be attended by Riga mayor Nils Usakovs along with his Brussels counterpart Yvan Mayeur and the Brussels Latvian Choir.

Today, November 14, the tree will start its journey and is expected to arrive on November 20. Luckily, it is travelling by ship rather than via the mail service.

Source: Latvia’s public television and radio services

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1 Comment

Mike Johnson says:

14 November, 2014 at 2:06 pm

When searching for the historical beginning of the first Christmas tree, one must go very deep into the past. Just like Santa Claus one finds that the first Christmas tree was combination of many different facts, legends and customs. The first documented use of a tree in a winter Christmas celebration was in several locations in Northern Europe including the current countries of Estonia, and Latvia in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.