2018Christmas - First Day Cover

A Christmas tree is a decorated tree – a spruces is the preferred Christmas tree in Estonia – and it plays an important role in the modern secular Christmas tradition. Christmas trees are decorated with baubles, stars, angels, tinsel and candles. Oftentimes decorating a tree is a family ritual. Although these days Christmas is considered to be a family holiday, large Christmas trees are still set up in the central squares of cities where they are decorated with lights and set up so as to create a fairy-tale world around them. Celebrating Christmas at the townhall square is a tradition with very long history. There is data of Christmas celebrations held there already in 1441, when members of the Brotherhood of Blackheads brought the first Christmas tree to the square. That was supposedly the first Christmas tree in Europe. Nowadays, a charming Christmas market is organised around the abundantly decorated Christmas tree.