Where was the first public Christmas tree put on display? In Latvia, everyone tells you that it was in Riga. But neighbouring Estonia sees things differently. And Lithuania has its very own answer to the question.
Setting up a festively decorated tree is a tradition in many countries around the world. But where was the custom actually established and who placed the first piece of tinsel on the classic evergreen? The question has caused a not-so-serious battle and seasonal dispute in the Baltics that has branched out to all three capitals.
In the end, it all depends on who you ask. For many Latvians, the answer is clear: Riga. The city claims that it is the site of what was believed to be the world’s first decorated tree in 1510.
A memorial plaque set in the cobblestones on the town hall square proudly marks the spot where it was allegedly set up in eight languages. Some years ago, the city also erected a permanent Christmas tree sculpture made of bronze on top of it.
The legend is presented in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation too, where visitors have the opportunity to see an ancient Christmas tree decoration: a small glass ball with a forged metal hook from the 17th century. Nearly 300 kilometres north of Riga, however, the inhabitants of the Estonian capital Tallinn sing a different carol.
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They claim the first decorated Christmas tree in their city already appeared in 1441 – 69 years earlier than in Riga. Every year ahead of Christmas, this leads to a friendly feud between Latvia and Estonia over which of the two cities has the right to be called the birthplace of the Christmas tree.
The only thing Riga and Tallinn are in agreement about is who first erected and decorated the tree in each capital: both contending accounts trace the tradition back to the mid-winter season ceremonies by the Brotherhood of the Blackheads – a medieval guild made up of young, unmarried German merchants living in both Hanseatic cities on the Baltic Sea.
Land of the first Christmas tree? The rivalry is deep and tense. A proposal several years ago by a Latvian parliamentarian suggesting that both sides agree that Livonia is the home of the Christmas tree was rebuffed by the then Estonian prime minster faster than one could say “Merry Christmas“, even though he later agreed on this diplomatic definition together with his Latvian counterpart.
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However, Tallinn has still taken a policy of total non-recognition when it comes to Riga’s claim – not least because the city fathers believe that the first festive ceremony in their town in 1441 involved a real tree: a spruce. In Riga, the historic guild records indicate that the merchants probably put up a treeshaped wooden candelabrum in 1510, decorated with dried flowers, fruit and vegetables, and even straw toys.
While some historians from both countries support and underpin each of the different versions with historical data, others are sceptical and stress that there is actually not enough contextual evidence. Neither Riga nor Tallinn could actually claim from the existing sources to have originated the Christmas tree, they argue in a Grinch-like manner.
For them, the legends circulated by both cities are no more than a myth and a modern marketing gimmick to attract tourists to the Baltics in the coldest and darkest time of year. Being the birthplace of the Christmas tree is a big selling point after all in the wintertime season – at least in non-Covid times.
Read more: In Vilnius, a surreal tree for a surreal year
Vilnius lights up the Christmas tree battle While Riga and Tallinn have been engaged in good-natured jousting and poring over historical documents under the evergreen branches for quite some time, Vilnius has now also entered the battle for Christmas tree supremacy.
Having no rival claim to be home of the first Christmas tree, the Lithuanian capital has entered the fray with ever more spectacularly decorated trees in recent years. Vilnius seeks to gain the limelight without any historical interpretations but by putting up a majestic towering tree on Cathedral Square adorned with tens of thousands of bulbs and a gigantic mantle of lights covering the Christmas market around it.
However, the essence of the controversy and the bickering over which nation first started decorating the Christmas tree is the notion that the tradition was born in the region – be it in Riga or in Tallinn. The public argument made international headlines and helped both cities – and to a lesser extent also Vilnius – to acquire international attention and notoriety.
This story was originally published in Baltic Business Quarterly magazine.
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