In pictures: Christmas Tree's heartwarming avatars this winter around the globe
Intrinsic to the celebration of Christmas, many myths surround the origin of Christmas trees. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands to symbolise eternal life was a custom of the ancient Hebrews, Egyptians and Chinese. The modern tradition of erecting a decorated Christmas Tree in winter rose from Central Europe and the Baltic states, notably Estonia, Germany and Latvia, in the Middle Ages where Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. The trees have been related to the 'tree of paradise' in medieval mystery plays that were performed to celebrate the feast day
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A biker dressed as Santa and carrying a Christmas tree sets off from Lankwitz town hall, along with other bikers on a charity tour through Berlin, Germany. Around 400 bikers rode their festively decorated vehicles on the "Berlin Christmas Biketour" through the capital to aid those in need to have a lovely Christmas.
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A local from the Ousende village in Galicia, Spain, shows their Christmas tree made with crochet. The village collective makes handmade crafts, like the crochet, gathering attention during Christmas.
Image: Eva Korinkova / Reuters
An aerial view of an illuminated Christmas tree amidst the traditional Christmas market at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic.
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A technicoloured version of a Christmas tree draws onlookers at the Sao Paulo City Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
The Swarovski star is seen atop the Christmas tree during the Rockefeller Center's annual lighting ceremony in New York, US.
Image: Sam PANTHAKY / AFP
Guests mull around a Christmas tree made of about 300 umbrellas sourced from the Kutch region at the ITC Narmada Hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
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A Christmas tree made of fishing creels lights the harbour-side in Ullapool village, Scotland.
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A man builds a Christmas tree from dried coconut, corn, paddy stalks and dried leaves from local crops in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. The seven-metre-tall tree is also an expression of gratitude for the abundance of this year's harvest.
Image: Gleb Garanich / Reuters
People pass by a symbolic Christmas tree made from used artillery shells and parts of rockets brought in from the front line in central Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Customers view a modern, layered take on a Christmas tree at a shopping mall in Hangzhou, China.
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A Christmas tree shimmers in the Binnenalster, an artificial lake in Hamburg City, Germany
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A view of the Cutty Sark tea clipper with its sails decorated as a Christmas tree in Greenwich, south-east London, England.
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An inverted Christmas tree window display draws shoppers's attention at the Oxford Street retail district in London, England. In some European cultures, suspending the tree upside-down is a custom dating back to around the 17th century.
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A Christmas tree decoration made of war debris at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, West Bank. This year, the church had decorations made from rubble instead of a Christmas tree, representing the destruction in Gaza.
Image: Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters
A uniquely Japanese aesthetic defines the lighting on a Christmas tree at Marunouchi My Plaza in Tokyo, Japan.
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An unusual Christmas tree made of Jaegermeister liqueur bottles is seen in Gdansk, Poland.
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Crowds attend the lighting of the tallest Christmas tree in Torreon Park, Cartes, Spain. The tree is 65 metres high and decorated with 19,000 metres of LEDs.
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A view of the Gucci Christmas tree and decorations on display at the fashionable Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy.
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A view of the delectable 'bubblegum candy' Christmas tree set up outside a high-end department store in Shanghai, China.
Image: Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
Multicoloured reflections surround a Christmas tree as people ride up escalators inside the Westfield "Les Halles" shopping centre in central Paris, France.
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A Christmas tree in a delicate monochrome hue envelops passers-by in Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Two animated Christmas trees, projected onto the iconic chimneys of the Battersea Power Station in London, England, is the work of British artist David Hockney this winter.
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A golden Christmas tree fronts the Dior store in Shanghai, China.
