Glass Christmas tree story. Christmas decorations: history, trends, fashion. Where did the glass toy come from?

24.11.2019

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Decorating the Christmas tree is pre-holiday creative process, in which, as a rule, almost all family members participate - parents, children, grandparents. And, as a rule, each family member has favorite New Year's toys. The little ones have the richest imagination, so children prefer to decorate the Christmas tree with toys depicting fairy-tale heroes. Thus, they have the opportunity to visit a fairy tale. Young people prefer to decorate the Christmas tree with fashionable balls, looking optimistically into the future and looking forward to the new year with its new events. Parents and grandmothers keep New Year's toys in a box, which can be called a heirloom of this family. When you pick up such a toy, that same New Year’s holiday floats before your eyes, and that huge table, and the big Christmas tree, and the young parents who brought this toy, and a carefree childhood. To such Christmas tree toys treated with special care - it retains the warmth of several generations of this family.

How did these beautiful Christmas tree decorations come about?

There have long been canonical rules for decorating the “Christmas tree”. The top is crowned by " Star of Bethlehem". The balls (formerly they were apples) personify the forbidden fruit that the ancestors Adam and Eve tasted. Burning candles are the essence of Christ’s sacrifice. All kinds of curly gingerbread cookies and cookies, which replaced the waffles obligatory in the Middle Ages, are reminiscent of the unleavened bread used during the rite of communion. Thus, at first, Christmas tree decorations were only edible: eggs and waffles dangled on the branches next to fruits, sweets and nuts.

Starting from the 17th century, more elegant decorations began to be made: fir cones were gilded, empty egg shells were covered the thinnest layer hammered brass. There were paper flowers and skillful crafts made from cotton wool. From sheets of brass arose
Christmas fairies. Tin wires could be rolled, spiraled, folded or flattened to produce silver tinsel. Silver foil was used for elegant stars, butterflies and flowers.

In 1848, the first Christmas balls. They were made of transparent or colored glass, coated on the inside with a layer of lead, and the outside was decorated with sparkles. Fashion was changing, new products had to be invented, and Christmas decorations promised to become a profitable business. When it opened in Lauscha in 1867 gasworks, artisans, taking advantage of easy-to-customize gas burners very much with flame high temperature, were able to blow large thin-walled balls. Soon, the harmful lead coating was replaced by a layer of silver nitrate - and thus the familiar Christmas ball was born.

The imagination of glassblowers knew no bounds: they made birds, Santa Clauses and bunches of grapes in ceramic forms, as well as all sorts of things - anyone could think of anything: jugs, fragile amphorae and pipes that could even be blown. Women and children painted the craftsmen's products with gold and silver dust.

For decades, Lauscha has maintained its position as the world's leading manufacturer Christmas tree decorations. In the 20s of the twentieth century, the Bohemian town of Jablonec and the Japanese joined this fishery, then Poland and the USA.

Christmas tree decorations changed depending on fashion. Bright, covered in toys Christmas tree, so popular before 1900, at the turn of the century began to be considered a sign of bad taste, and it was replaced by a strict, stylish tree in silver and white. Later, the tendency to decorate the Christmas tree simply returned: with straw stars and figures made of paper and
cardboard

At first, such figures were carved out at home and hand-painted on Christmas tree decorations, and later industrial production. Factories in Dresden and Leipzig specialized in shallow embossing of gilt and silver cardboard for figurines that appeared to be made of metal sheets. New Year's toys from Dresden, hand-painted by homeworkers, were especially famous for their variety. All sorts of things were done here musical instruments, all sorts technical subjects- spinning wheels, horse-drawn carriages, paddle steamers, airships - and, of course, animals. Frogs, storks, pheasants, bears and elephants all found a place on the branches of Christmas trees. Wooden Christmas tree decorations date mainly from the twentieth century: for example, colorful angels and delicate carved toys.

When did the custom of decorating a Christmas tree come to Russia?

This custom was first adopted in Russia under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who became the wife of Emperor Nicholas I in 1817. Small bunches of fir branches became a festive attribute on the tables in the Winter Palace on Christmas Eve, in memory of the former Princess Charlotte's sweet native Prussia, where Christmas trees with burning candles decorated her entire childhood. This quiet celebration in the royal family was complemented by the custom of giving each other New Year's gifts at Christmas, which were usually placed next to the same tree on the table or hung on its thorny branches. There were a lot of gifts, and over time larger Christmas trees were needed for the royal holiday, until one day a real green one was brought into the palace hall. forest beauty, on which gifts for everyone could easily fit in one go royal family and children.

The Christmas tree firmly became fashionable among the courtiers, and then spread throughout St. Petersburg and throughout Russia. Moreover, it was customary to allow not only courtiers into the Winter Palace for Christmas, but everyone who wanted to share the holy holiday with the Tsar (but no more than 4,000 people). The royal Christmas tree for the royal children was seen by thousands of eyes. The Christmas tree has become the idol of the Russian heart. Then the revolution strictly banned the Christmas tree as a bourgeois relic, and by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 24, 1918, it was introduced a new style maintaining a calendar with a difference between the old ones of 13 days. At the beginning of January 1937, the first Soviet Christmas tree was solemnly erected in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. The tree reached 15 meters in height.
Today, a New Year's toy is not only holiday decoration Christmas trees, but also a source of pride for collectors; a tradition has also emerged of presenting unusual and expensive Christmas tree balls with a logo as a New Year's gift. New Year. By the way, it is known that Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov is a collector of Christmas tree decorations. And as they wrote in the Izvestia newspaper, one of the gifts to Yuri Luzhkov were two exclusive Christmas tree decorations with a portrait of their owner in a cap with the patriotic inscription “Blossoming Moscow, United Russia.”

Our lives are rapidly changing, every minute of our time is worth its weight in gold. But still, despite a lot of worries before the New Year, we advise you to set aside an evening to decorate the Christmas tree with your family. This will help establish and strengthen relationships with your most beloved and closest people and give strength for the coming year.

The end of December is a favorite time of year for many, when the feeling of a holiday is simply in the air, anticipating New Year, a holiday that brings the charm of a fairy tale, the expectation of a miracle and the smell of fir branches to our home.

Every time you open a worn one cardboard box with Christmas tree decorations, with undisguised trepidation and tenderness we take out the toys and hang them on the tree in a certain order, traditional for our family. What could be more pleasant than finding a toy that you remember from childhood, the story of which you tell your children and grandchildren? Such toys are carefully stored and passed on from generation to generation, like a relic.

What do we know about Christmas tree decorations? The first association that comes to mind is colorful glass balls, and only then we remember all the variety of decorations that appear on Christmas trees on New Year's Eve.

Do you know when Christmas tree decorations appeared? What were they like when our grandparents were still children? Let's trace the history of this subject, familiar from childhood. So…

The history of Christmas tree decorations: symbols of Christmas

In the Middle Ages, residents of European countries tried to decorate their homes with evergreen branches for Christmas. The authorities have repeatedly introduced bans on such decorations due to damage to forests. But in the first half of the 17th century, the custom of decorating the Christmas tree nevertheless became fashionable.

There have long been unwritten rules for decorating a “Christmas tree.” The top is crowned with the "Star of Bethlehem". The balls (formerly apples) represent the forbidden fruit that the ancestors Adam and Eve ate. Burning candles are a symbol of Christ's sacrifice. All kinds of curly gingerbread cookies and cookies, which replaced the waffles obligatory in the Middle Ages, are reminiscent of bread transformed in the sacrament of communion.

" Thus, at first, Christmas tree decorations were only edible: eggs and waffles swayed on the branches next to fruits, sweets and nuts.

Christmas decorations and progress

Starting from the 17th century, more elegant jewelry began to be made: fir cones were gilded, empty egg shells were covered with the thinnest layer of hammered brass. There were paper flowers and skillful crafts made from cotton wool. Christmas tree fairies appeared from sheets of brass.

Tin wires could be rolled, spiraled, folded or flattened to produce silver tinsel. Silver foil was used for elegant stars, butterflies and flowers.

In 1848 in the town Lausha The first Christmas tree balls were made in Thuringia. They were made of transparent or colored glass, coated on the inside with a layer of lead, and the outside was decorated with sparkles. Fashion changed, new products had to be invented, and Christmas decorations, which were a success, promised to become a profitable business.

When the gasworks opened in Lauscha in 1867, craftsmen were able to blow large, thin-walled balls using easily adjusted gas burners with very high temperature flames. Soon, the harmful lead coating was replaced by a layer of silver nitrate - and thus the familiar Christmas ball was born.

"The imagination of the glassblowers knew no bounds: they made birds, Santa Clauses and bunches of grapes in ceramic forms, as well as all sorts of little things that anyone could think of - jugs, fragile amphorae and pipes that could even be blown. Women and children painted the products masters with gold and silver dust.

Christmas decorations are conquering the world

For decades, Lauscha has maintained its position as the world's leading manufacturer of Christmas tree decorations. In the 20s of the twentieth century, the Bohemian town of Jablonec and Japan joined this fishery, then Poland and the USA.

Christmas tree decorations changed depending on fashion. The bright, decorated Christmas tree, so popular before 1900, began to be considered a sign of bad taste at the turn of the century, and was replaced by a strict, stylish tree in silver and white. Later, the tendency to decorate the Christmas tree simply returned: with straw stars and figures made of paper and cardboard.

"At first, such figures were carved at home, and subsequently industrial production appeared. Factories in Dresden and Leipzig specialized in shallow embossing of gilded and silver cardboard for figures that appeared to be made of metal sheets.

Toys from Dresden, hand-painted by homeworkers, were especially famous for their variety. All kinds of musical instruments, all sorts of technical objects were made here - spinning wheels, horse-drawn carriages, paddle steamers, airships - and, of course, animals. Frogs, storks, pheasants, bears and elephants all found a place on the branches of Christmas trees.

Wooden Christmas tree decorations date mainly from the twentieth century, such as colorful angels and delicate carved ornaments.

When did the custom of decorating a Christmas tree come to us?

So, for the first time this custom was adopted in Russia only under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who became the wife of Emperor Nicholas I in 1817. Small bunches of fir branches became a festive attribute on the tables in the Winter Palace on Christmas Eve, in memory of the former Princess Charlotte's sweet native Prussia, where Christmas trees with burning candles decorated her entire childhood.

This quiet celebration in the royal family was complemented by the custom of giving each other gifts for Christmas, which were usually placed next to the same tree on the table or hung on its thorny branches.

“There were a lot of gifts, and for the royal holiday, over time, larger Christmas trees were needed, until one day a real green forest beauty was brought into the palace hall, on which gifts for the entire royal family and children could easily fit at one time .

The custom of decorating the Christmas tree for Christmas quickly became fashionable among the courtiers, and then new fashion covered all of St. Petersburg and all of Russia. Moreover, it was customary to allow not only courtiers into the Winter Palace for Christmas, but also everyone who wanted to share the holy holiday with the king (but no more than 4,000 people). The royal Christmas tree for the royal children was seen by thousands of eyes. The Christmas tree has become the idol of the Russian heart.

Then the revolution strictly banned the Christmas tree, as a bourgeois relic, and by decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 24, 1918, a new style of calendar was introduced, the difference from the old one was 13 days. Weekdays passed between Christmas and New Year. It was the darkest time for children and parents. New Year became an ordinary working day of the week, we went to bed as usual - tomorrow for a shift. No gifts! No Christmas trees, which have become impossible to buy, and even dangerous to bring from the forest!

However, over time, the “father of nations” decided to entertain the people a little during the darkest years of his reign. At the beginning of January 1937, the first Soviet Christmas tree was solemnly erected in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. The tree reached 15 meters in height. A report from the hall was shown in the film magazine " Soviet Union“, and the very next year hundreds of holiday trees across the country took up the Kremlin’s initiative.

The real cult of the New Year arose in the USSR when, in 1947, January 1 was finally declared a non-working day, as in pre-revolutionary times.

“True, the holiday of Christmas, in honor of which the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree once appeared, was never mentioned in the Soviet Union.

History of Christmas tree decorations - history of the USSR

An interesting fact is that Christmas tree decorations, history, politics and art are inextricably linked. The curators of the museum at the residence of Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug say that you can “read” the history of the country from the Christmas tree decorations.

Here is just a small fragment of the excursion.
A researcher at the historical, architectural and art museum-reserve leads the tourists from tree to tree, from one stand to another, and the adult part of the group suddenly “falls into childhood”:

- Oh, I remember this old postcard with the Snowman flying to the Moon.
- And I had the same silver airship made of cardboard, it cost six kopecks in the store.
- These Father Frost and Snow Maiden are very similar to those gorgeous ones made of brocade that my parents gave me. I remember cutting the Snow Maiden’s braid and giving her a hairstyle like Lyudmila Gurchenko’s...

No matter what events took place in the country, the masters of Christmas tree decorations, like true artists, always actively responded with new toys. For Pushkin’s anniversary, for example, sets of toys with images of heroes from the works of the great poet were released.

"During the Great Patriotic War The most popular toys are skydivers. They were made very simply: pieces of fabric were tied to all Christmas tree decorations, regardless of the character.

Also, military Christmas trees were decorated with “pistols”, “orderly dogs”, and on New Year's cards Santa Claus beat the enemy...

During Stalin's reign, everyone listened to the leader's opinion. Stalin said that hockey was good, so they immediately began producing Christmas tree hockey players. Stalin loved the circus very much and, of course, not a single Christmas tree was complete without circus characters.

Then toys depicting vegetables and fruits, sheaves of wheat and bread appeared on the Christmas trees. At the end of the fifties, when E. Ryazanov’s film “Carnival Night” was released on cinema screens, Christmas tree toys-clocks appeared, on which it was always five minutes to twelve. On the Christmas tree from the time of Khrushchev, the sixties - corn, astronauts, Chippolino.

Then, during the boring Brezhnev era, toys gradually became less attractive and varied. Stamping, the transition from quality to quantity. The economy must be economical! In the eighties, the ideology was shaken, and instead of the indispensable five-pointed red Soviet star, various icicle tops appeared - completely Western; but the golden star of Bethlehem was still “outlawed.”

Collections and modernity

Today, a Christmas tree toy is not only a festive decoration for the Christmas tree, but also a source of pride for collectors, and a tradition has also emerged of presenting unusual and expensive Christmas tree toys as a New Year's gift.

By the way, it is known that the former mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov is a collector of Christmas tree decorations. And, as they wrote in the Izvestia newspaper, one of the gifts to Yuri Luzhkov were two unique Christmas tree decorations with a portrait of their owner in a cap with the patriotic inscription “Blossoming Moscow, United Russia.”

“But the collection put together by the American Kim Balashak contains only Russian and Soviet toys. The collection contains more than 2.5 thousand copies, among which there are unique ones - for example, a series of balls from 1937 depicting... members of the Politburo!

No less interesting is the development fashion trends related to decorating the New Year tree. As always, timeless classics are in fashion, that is, decorating the spruce tree with balls of two colors that combine with each other (for example, blue and silver) not only in color, but also in size, as well as tying various brocade bows to the festive tree. Red and gold remain the current colors.

Just a few years ago, “minimalist Christmas trees” were in fashion, that is, a minimum of decorations, everything was strict and neat - few toys, more greenery and pine cones. Then a completely opposite direction appeared - the maximum of everything shiny and sparkling, so that the tree was lost under a layer of toys, streamers and “rain”.
Today, after all these extremes, extraordinary and non-standard toys and decorations have come into fashion. More and more often on Christmas trees you can find unusual materials, such as straw and various toys made from it, paper and scraps of fabric, as well as objects technical progress- such as computer disks.

In fact, it’s probably not that important what the Christmas tree is decorated with, the main thing is who will gather around it!

In the attic, Christmas tree decorations lie in boxes and are waiting for their finest hour to come - their fabulous time. Quietly calling each other throughout the year, they remember the past holiday. How bright and fun they were hanging on the tree, how everyone admired them, especially the kids.

How carefully and tenderly they were first hung on Christmas tree branches, one toy after another, ball after ball, icicle after icicle. The garland was always the first to appear on the tree - it was proud of it, blinking and shimmering with pride and pleasure. And the most important thing on the tree, on the top of the head, like on a throne, sat a peak. Finishing touch- tinsel - and the tree is ready. The lights turn off, the garlands come on, and the tree in all its glory causes a storm of delight among everyone who decorated it.

And now the toys hear steps and feel the gentle touch of human hands. A new fairy tale begins!

The first fairy tale, about New Year's toys

Days fled by days, inexorably approaching the holidays - and the New Year. The snow cover had long since fallen to the ground, covering it with its delicate blanket. And the fairy tale hovers everywhere and everywhere.

- Bah, when are we going to decorate the Christmas tree? — the Boy asked one day.

- Like what? — the Girl was surprised. - New Year's toys!

- Yes, that’s understandable! But which ones?

- As always - the ones in the attic in boxes! — the children looked at Grandmother in bewilderment, not understanding her.

- Do you know that before there were no toys on the Christmas tree - fruits, sweets, and nuts were hung on it?

- For what? — the Boy asked, not understanding more and more.

“That’s how they appeased the spirits of the forest in the old days.”

- Grandma - is this yours? new fairy tale?! - a joyful echo scattered around the room.

- You can say so. The main thing is to see and hear her,” Grandmother said mysteriously. - So here it is. In those distant times, it was believed that the Christmas tree had a wonderful gift- the gift of eternity. She was the only one who was green at all times. In winter, among the trees that had shed their leaves, she showed off her evergreen clothes. People believed that the spirits of the forest lived in the tree, so they hung the gifts of nature, cajoling them so that the year would be good and fertile. Only later, after many, many centuries, they began to hang toys, but they still resemble those gifts. Well, tell me, what New Year's toy looks like a gift?

- Balloons! - the Boy shouted loudly. - They look like apples!

- Do you want us to decorate our Christmas tree with virtues this year?

- How is that? — the Boy was surprised.

- We'll make them toys. For example, if you dream of love, then do something kind to your loved ones, or say kind, gentle words, or give a gift to your loved one. And only then, depicting love in a toy, hang it on the Christmas tree. This is how the first toys appeared!

“Oh,” the Girl cried out enthusiastically, “I know how to portray it!”

- So how is it?

- Hearts!

- And you can also have a swan, a dove. Whoever wants it. Well, what are we doing?

- Let's do it!

For several days, the children cut out and glued something in their room, and in the evenings Grandma told them interesting stories.

— We can say that the first garland appeared on the tree along with the gifts. While appeasing the spirits of the forest, people did not forget about the evil spirit that could prevent them from living in goodness. To defeat him and prevent him from doing evil in the city, the tree was illuminated with smoldering firebrands. They shined in the dark and evil spirit ran away, to the delight of everyone.

Time passed, and candles replaced the firebrands. When the candles are lit, a special atmosphere is created in the house - an atmosphere of celebration, comfort, warmth and, one might say, mystery.

Now, of course, there are many different modern garlands of light bulbs, but they, just like their ancestors - candles and firebrands, protect the house from the forces of evil. When the garland lights up, it winks, letting us know that the main magic happens at night!

- Which! - everyone gasped.

—Toys tell stories. Everyone has their own, and while the tree is standing, they have time to tell their tale to their neighbors.

Everyone's eyes lit up - they so wanted to hear a new fairy tale.

The second tale, the story of an old toy

- Whose turn is it to talk today? - the garland sang as it flowed.

- Hush hush! - the icicles whispered. “Otherwise we won’t hear her story!”

“Mine,” said the old blackened toy, hanging in the very middle of the tree, barely audibly. It was an angel, once white. Only in some places its original color still remains. In his hands he held an incomprehensible burden. If you looked closely, you could see its color - silver.

“I wasn’t immediately the way you see me now.” A long time ago, a little girl cut me out of cardboard and hung me on a Christmas tree branch.

- What a beautiful angel I turned out to be! - she rejoiced.

Hanging nearby beautiful ball and, looking into it, I saw my reflection, and I really liked it. Only I couldn’t understand what it was sticking out behind me. The next day, an angel who looked like me was hanged next to me.

- That's how well it turned out! — the girl clapped her hands. - Look what I did. Two angels, lucky for us!

He and I became friends and swayed merrily when the frosty breeze from the window blew on us.

I heard that adults called me the “White Angel - the Angel of Salvation”, and my friend - the “Silver Angel - the Angel of Love”. We were happy, the girl was happy, and everyone who came to look at us was happy. But the joy was darkened on one of the pre-holiday days, spoiling it, as it seemed to me then.

One evening, a prickly wind flew in through the window and began to rock the tree. All the toys screamed with fear, and some also with fear that they would fall and break forever. The wind laughed evilly and, flying up to us, jerked us off the branch. We held hands tightly as best we could, supporting each other. The wind became even more angry and pushed us towards the candle fire. The light tried to evade, which finally angered the prickly wind so much that it separated us with a strong jerk and carried my friend to the fire in the hearth.

I don’t know how it happened, but what was behind me straightened out, and I flew. At the last second he pulled his friend out of the flames, but, alas, it was too late. He began to melt.

“Oh,” the toys sighed, and even the garland went out a little.

“I pressed him to my chest, not letting him disappear alone. Die together! And we collapsed on the floor. Confusion and incomprehensible screams brought me to my senses.

- Look! Look! - everyone around shouted. — He holds a silver heart in his hands!

I was hanging on a branch again and, looking into the ball, I saw myself, and in my hands this very heart. My friend's heart.

A miracle happened, as they called it. A miracle on such a long-awaited day!

“Granny,” the Girl whispered quietly, “what a day they were talking about!”

— A miracle happened on Christmas Eve! The Savior was born in the name of love!

- Bah, I love you very much! — the Boy said tenderly, rushing to her and hugging her.

- Grandma, I love you very, very much! - the Girl whispered. And the Kitten and the Puppy had long ago mentally told her about their love. Grandmother, having gathered everyone in an armful, smacked everyone, saying:

- You are good, my beloved!

This year the Christmas tree was strewn with hearts. different colors and sizes. And on top of the toys and garland, the “rain” glowed silver, sparkling in the rays of the new day.

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