So we started preparations for the celebration of New Year and Christmas. Perhaps they are everyone's favorite holidays. Kids and adults are waiting for Christmas tales and New Year miracles.

Imagine this: Christmas decorations sparkle in a twilight, a garland shimmers with colored lights, the smell of pine needles and tangerines. Everyone froze in anticipation of the holiday. And here the feast breaks into the house with lights, noise, joyful laughter, music...

But have you ever thought about how Christmas decorations appeared? I propose to plunge into the depths of centuries and remember how a Christmas ball appeared, which is so familiar now.

Easy to say, hard to do... A long time ago, in the middle ages, the peoples living in Europe, worshiped the Forces of nature. Then people believed that there were different living beings, which possessed supernatural powers and helped people. And so that the help came in time, people did honor to these forces, offered sacrifices.

So, people believed that spirits lived on branches of trees, the harvest and heart depended on their sympathy. Therefore the sacred tree (initially, it was an apple tree) was generously dressed, and around it people sang cheerful songs and danced. Later, a fir tree became the ritual tree. Apparently, the European tradition to decorate a Christmas tree dates back to this Celtic tradition. In the middle ages, Europeans began to annually decorate their houses with fir branches. The tradition to bring home not branches but a fir-tree or a pine and decorate it appeared in Europe in the XVI century, the tree then became known as a "Christmas tree".

Of course, in those days, all the decorations were edible — everything that grew in the garden became decorations. A special respect was given to an apple because it represented a rich harvest. Apples held a place of honor among the variety of first ornaments. In autumn people selected the most beautiful apples — bright, smooth, large. They carefully stored them until winter. This continued for centuries.

The 19th century came. In Thuringia 1848 was a bad harvest year and there were little apples. Then the glass blowers form Lauscha came up with a replacement for apples — they blew glass balls. This event was the beginning of the history of a Christmas tree ball. Everyone immediately frll in love with those wonderful brightly colored balls. The production of balls became an annual event and I must say, it was very profitable.

But glass balls were expensive. Not everyone could afford them.

In Russia, the first Christmas tree appeared in the 19th century. They were put on roofs of pubs. This fun in Russia was made by the tsar Peter I. His decree is well-known: "And on large streets noble people and the houses of spiritual and secular rank must put in front of their gates decorations of trees and branches of pine and juniper". Toys for Christmas trees were ordered from Europe.

They were very expensive. And for a very long time only rich people could afford them.

"To buy a toy of glass for inhabitants of Russia at the end of the XIX century was the same as for a modern Russian citizen to buy a car".

(Sergey Romanov, toy historian and collector of Christmas decorations).

For decades, toys in Russia were made in a handicraft way — in small workshops or at home.

The first glass toys in the USSR were made during the First World War in Klin. Artisans blown glassware for pharmacies and other needs. But during the war German prisoners taught them to blow balls and beads. "Yelochka" factory in Klin, by the way, to this day remains the only Russian factory that makes beads for Christmas trees.

Here's a story about a Christmas tree ball. The story doesn't end here. Because Christmas balls are still favorite Christmas decorations.

Happy New year!