The origins of the Christmas tree 🎄
Every year in December, Christmas trees reappear in public spaces, richly decorated and illuminated, but also in many French homes, where their lowest branches are waiting to shelter presents. Associated with the Christian feast of the Nativity, this tradition, which is deeply rooted in Europe, has no religious origin. What's even more surprising is that the Christmas «tree»... is rarely a real tree!
Guillaume Decocq and Thierry Gauquelin have looked into these paradoxes and helped us to identify the different types of tree used on 24 December.