Can Old Believers set up a Christmas tree for Christmas and New Year? #

Attitudes toward New Year and Christmas trees vary greatly within the Old Believer community. This depends on many factors. What might be beneficial for one person could prove harmful for another. Traditions differ, as does the environment in which we live. Ultimately, everyone can choose the approach that suits them best. If you have doubts, it’s best to discuss the matter with your spiritual father.

So why is a fir tree chosen? Because it is an evergreen plant, symbolizing eternal life. A flower symbolizes resurrection: from a seed cast into the earth and dying, new and beautiful life emerges, even after the chill of winter, which serves as a symbol of death and nature’s dormancy. Unlike a flower, however, the fir tree does not wither even in winter. It is a symbol of victory over death, a sort of substitute for flowers. Therefore, decorating a tree for the birthday of Him who defeated death and grants eternal life is appropriate and carries symbolic meaning.

The custom of decorating a tree for the holiday arose during Christian times and is in no way connected to pagan rituals. The fir tree has long served as a symbol of the tree of paradise, its branches adorned with edible fruits symbolizing the Body of Christ. Such scenes were enacted in Christian Europe on the eve of Christmas, as early as the 5th century. The star crowning the top of the tree recalls the light of the star of Bethlehem.

No one is troubled by the Orthodox tradition of celebrating Palm Sunday with willow branches in hand, or by churches being decorated with birch trees for the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Similarly, we can celebrate Christmas by decorating churches and homes with green fir branches. In the Old Testament, the Lord Himself commanded the celebration of a feast with branches of beautiful trees:

“On the first day [of the feast] ye shall take the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God.”
(Leviticus 23:40)

In traditional European culture, a decorated fir tree specifically symbolizes the celebration of Christmas. Today, opponents of traditional Christian culture often oppose the setting up of trees in public squares. I believe Christians should not join in such anti-Christian campaigns.

Orthodox Christians do not celebrate the civil New Year because it falls during the strict days of the Nativity Fast. Therefore, whether to set up a tree for the secular New Year celebration is a matter for each Christian to decide individually, possibly in consultation with their spiritual father.

— Priest Evgeny Gureev