The Christmas tree tradition, as we know it today, originates from several different customs involving trees in one form or another. Hence, the Nordic mythology had e.g. the tree of life in the form of the ash tree, Yggdrasil. The first decorated spruces can be traced back to medieval Livonia - today, Estonia and Latvia. Here, the first Christmas tree was put up in 1441 in the trading centres of the two cities Riga and Reval (Tallinn). However, the decorated Christmas tree did not appear until 1510 in Riga, where the below plate has been inserted at the city's market square in connection with the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Christmas Tree (2010).
