The History of Glass Ornaments: From Simple Baubles to Elaborate Masterpieces
Today Christmas ornaments such as the glass ornaments hanging from Christmas trees are seen as a commercial; its custom is believed to have begun in Germany in the 16th century. The Germans were known to hang apples on evergreen trees, which they referred to as paradise tree. Later the tree was also decorated with other objects.
The tradition became widespread in Europe. It is believed that the first person to use a candle in decorating a Christmas tree was Martin Luther, who thought they represent the twinkling stars. Berries and paper streamers also became part of the decorations.
The Evolution of Ornament Design: From Traditional to Quirky
As time went on, people started hanging glass ornaments on their trees. Two legends are surrounding the use of glass ornaments. According to the first legend, it believes that the first person to make Glass ornaments was named Hans Greiner. Greiner made his glass ornaments, which were called glass apples at the time, because he couldn’t afford apples in the 16th century.
The second legend believes that Greiner made the apples in 1847 instead of the 16th century.
Glass ornaments became widespread and became an integral part of Christmas decorations. It was included in other embellishments, such as beads.
The Magic of Ornament Symbolism: Significance of Color and Shape
Christmas ornament decorations remained in Europe till the 1770s. They were brought to America by Hessian soldiers in the American Revolutionary war. Though it was initially thought strange by the Americans, they were adopted later into Christmas decorations.
In the 1800s, Christmas ornaments gained full acceptance worldwide due to immigration. These people brought the tradition to the various places they moved to, and the locals decided that Christmas ornaments might be a good idea after all. The popularity of Christmas ornaments was aided further during the reign of Queen Victoria. She honored her husband by applying Christmas ornaments to decorations despite the distrust of the English for Germans.