History
Ss. Adam and Eve have long been commemorated by the Church in December—even longer on December 24th in light of their connection to Christ’s coming and redemption of mankind. One of the ways in which their feast day was often celebrated before the Reformation was through the presentation of a Paradise Play, which told the story of humankind from the creation of Adam and Eve through the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
This play differed greatly from region to region around Europe, but one thing was kept in common. It featured a large evergreen tree called the Paradise Tree that was decorated with red apples set in its branches. In Germany, especially, dried apples were affixed to the prop. In Alsace in 1419 bakers decided to decorate their Paradise Trees with baked goods. And it was in Thuringia in 1880 that glassmakers discovered how to make blown glass balls that were red in color and mimicked the apple decorations.
The most problematic thing about decorating the Paradise Tree for the play was that in the years preceding the Reformation, Christians stole communion hosts from the mass and hung them on the tree in a Christian sign of redemption. These hosts were meant to be a direct counterpart to the apples, symbolizing the life brought to Christians through eating. However, as you might imagine, this trivialization of Christ’s body angered Luther, and he saw this evolution of the tradition as just one of the many ways in which the customs of the Western Church had strayed from Christ’s own Word and institution. Some concessions were made on the order of the pope, and while communion hosts were removed from the Paradise Tree, the other decorations stayed and were only added to in the post-Reformation years.
This Paradise Tree is thought by many to be part of the origin of the Christmas tree. While there is some disagreement between Roman Catholics and Lutherans regarding the beginnings of this Christian tradition, it is true that the Paradise Tree likely played a role in its development. We’ve published before about Martin Luther and his connection to the origins of this ever-popular tradition—his inspiration for decorated trees surely came in part from this play.
Apple & Orange Garland
Thinking about the classic traditions associated with decorating a Christmas tree, the orange garland is about as nostalgic as you can get. It is the perfect way to give your decorating that “homemade” touch without spending lots of time or money. The use of other fruits (such as apples), nuts, and popcorn are great options for the same reason. This tradition has been part of tree decorating since the Middle Ages and gives a nod to the aforementioned Paradise Play custom.
In your own decorating, the combination of orange and apple garlands not only harkens back to this custom of times past but also serves as a reminder of our First Parents and need for a Savior. Our rendition of this tradition calls for you to make separate apple and orange garlands to be used in various facets of your decorating, but you could just as easily combine the fruits as part of one strand. We included the instructions for dehydrating both at once to save time and effort, but we promise that this is meant to be easy!
We hope that you loved reading more about the history of this well-known tradition and its association with Ss. Adam and Eve. As the Church, we think about their day in December as a preparation for the upcoming Christmas season and a reminder of the sin into which we were born as well as the more important salvation we have received through Christ.
Ingredients
4 Oranges & 4 Apples
Instructions
- Preheat your oven for 200°F.
- Slice your oranges and apples into thin pieces, about 1/4” thick. Discard the ends of the orange with mostly pith and rind. Be sure to cut apples lengthwise from stem end through core. Dip apples into lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Lay the orange slices on a paper towel or clean, thin tea towel and press out any extra juice. This will save you some time on the baking step because you’re already doing some of the work and getting out excess juice.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange pressed oranges and the lemon-dipped apples in a single, even layer. You don’t want any overlapping because then they won’t dehydrate evenly.
- Bake for 4-6 hours+, taking them out when hard but leaving them in if they are still soft and bendy.
- Leave to cool, standing a couple of hours.
- Once cooled, use the end of a straightened paper clip or toothpick to poke a hole through the flesh of the dried orange and apple slices and string with twine.
- Arrange as many as you like onto the length of twine for a garland, or you could thread a smaller piece through one piece and tie into a circle as a decoration to hang on the tree.
