Скачать или смотреть The Forbidden History of the Christmas Tree

Uncover the dark, pagan origins of the Christmas tree that the church once banned. From ancient evergreen worship to forbidden German rituals – the shocking truth behind your holiday tradition.
For centuries, the Christmas tree was condemned as heathen idolatry. Ancient Romans, Norse pagans, and Celtic druids revered evergreens as sacred symbols of eternal life during the dead of winter – rituals that terrified early Christians. Yet by the 16th century, devout Protestant families in Alsace and the Baltic were secretly dragging fir trees indoors, adorning them with apples, wafers, and real flaming candles in defiance of church authorities who saw them as relics of Saturnalia and Yule.
This cinematic documentary traces the tree’s clandestine evolution: how Martin Luther supposedly invented tree lights after seeing stars through branches (a legend with no proof), how 19th-century German princes turned it into aristocratic spectacle, and how a single 1848 illustration of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children gathered around a candle-lit tree in Windsor Castle detonated a global obsession overnight.
Discover why the Catholic Church fought the custom for 400 years, how American Puritans fined people for displaying trees, and how 19th-century German immigrants smuggled the tradition past hostile New England pastors. Learn the hidden meaning behind every ornament – from the controversial “Christmas pickle” to the star that replaced pagan sun wheels.
Featuring rare archival images, haunting reenactments of medieval mystery plays, and expert interviews with historians of religion and folklore, this is the definitive untold story of how one of the most “Christian” holiday symbols actually rose from the ashes of Europe’s oldest pagan rites.
Perfect for history lovers, mythology enthusiasts, and anyone who’s ever wondered why we bring a tree inside and cover it in lights every December. The truth is far stranger – and far older – than the fairy tales we’ve been told.