The History of Wreaths: Part 1

Wreaths are one of the first decorations to appear 

in the holiday season.

I love wreaths any time of year, but most especially at Christmas.

And this season, I've been very curious

to know the history of wreaths 

and when they became associated with Christmas.

So I'm going to share what I've learned.

To know the history of wreaths at Christmas,

we have to start in ancient Rome.

First, I found a website 

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Corona.html

that describes the Roman tradition of coronas, wreath-like crowns,

a tradition borrowed from the ancient Greeks, who adorned 

Olympic athletes with wreaths as a sign of honor.

These early Greek and Roman embellishments 

were made from a variety of materials:

leaves, flowers, herbs, and later metal, all placed around the neck or head.

Here's an unattributed image from that website,  

a woodcut of an early corona:

Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD), 

was a Roman who endeavored to write all of the knowledge of his time.

In his book Naturalis Historia, in Book XXI, Chapters 1 - 8,

he writes about wreaths and garlands. 

He describes "chaplets," that is, wreaths, and their history and purpose.

Chaplets were used at funerals, sacrifices, and as rewards for military valor.

Pliny says that the ancestors of the Romans 

used very small chaplets called struppi,

but exactly what form they took is not known.

But what is known, is that the earliest chaplets were fashioned

spontaneously from the leafy branches of trees.

They were woven together and placed on the recipients' head or neck

so everyone would know they had shown courage or honor in battle.

According to a footnote in the translation of Naturalis Historia,

Festus says these early chaplets 

were oak, olive, laurel, or myrtle branches.

So those who want an authentic wreath this Christmas

may want to find a wreath of bay or myrtle leaves.

Tomorrow, Part 2.

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