Status: 26.12.2023, 04:54 a.m.
By: Anna-Lena Kiegerl
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When Christmas is over, it's time to go out with the Christmas tree. But how long does the tree actually stay standing?
Munich – Presents, cookies, Christmas decorations, a Christmas tree and maybe even snow are what many people associate with the contemplative time of the year. There are different rules when it comes to putting up the Christmas tree, and not everyone puts it up on the same day. Some prefer the beginning of Advent, others don't position it until Christmas Eve in the living room. Likewise, there are also differences in the dismantling of the Christmas tree.
Epiphany or Candlemas: Then you should take down the Christmas tree
Many people probably put down the Christmas tree again on the sixth of January. The reason: the sixth of January is Epiphany, and the Sunday after this day marks the end of the Christmas season for the Catholic Church and with it the time of the Christmas tree. This is how the mdr explains it. This year, by the way, this Sunday falls on January 7th. Numerous families then dispose of the tree. A good time, because many now have to go back to work and the holidays are over.
When Christmas is over, the question arises: When do I dispose of the Christmas tree? © Petra Schneider-Schmelzer/imago
But it wasn't always the case that the Christmas season ended on the Sunday after the Three Kings. This was only decided with the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. Before that, the Christmas season ended with another feast: Candlemas. This takes place exactly 40 days after Christmas and thus on the second of February. Many families still keep this date today and do not dismantle the tree and nativity scenes until the beginning of February. In this case, however, it is important that the tree is sufficiently cared for so that it can remain standing long enough.
A Christmas tree in a shopping arcade didn't even last until December 24: Last Generation activists destroyed it in one of their controversial actions.