O Tannenbaum

It was 200 years ago (1824) that Leipzig organist and composer Ernst Anschütz penned the modern lyrics of the German song “O Tannenbaum” as a celebratory ode to the fir tree. The song later became associated with Christmas. The tradition of bringing a “Christmas tree” into the house and decorating it had originated in Germany, Estonia, and Latvia back in the 1600s, and in Anschütz’s day the tradition was spreading through Lutheran congregations in Germany. What Anschütz and most Europeans probably did not know is the balsam fir, which is what many of us in North America think of as a Christmas tree, was already held in high esteem by the inhabitants of this continent long before the 17th century, possibly even before the noted birth of a baby in Bethlehem.

Certainly, the balsam fir is not the only variety of “evergreen” tree used for Christmas trees. Its relative, the Fraser fir, is popular, as are other varieties of fir, spruces, and Scots pines in both Europe and North America. In places such as the deep South in the United States, cedars fill the bill for Christmas trees. But far and away the balsam fir is used the most as a Christmas tree in North America, probably because of its abundance but also because it is the most fragrant of the evergreens. In one report, more than 95% of Christmas trees grown in the province of New Brunswick were balsam fir.

The balsam fir, Albies balsamea, also called Canadian fir or eastern fir, ranges widely in North America, from central and eastern Canada and across the northern United States from Maine to Minnesota, down into the mountains of West Virginia and North Carolina. Mature trees can reach 40 to 60 feet in height and can live up to 200 years. In addition to Christmas trees and wreaths, balsam fir is a source of lumber and pulp for paper, and provides important wildlife habitat. 

One of its most interesting uses is contained within its very name: the aromatic resin it produces is sometimes called Canadian balsam. Canadian balsam was used widely by Indigenous people, particularly the Iroquois, Algonquin, and Abenaki, as a medicinal balm for treating wounds and toothaches. In more modern times, Canadian balsam has been used as a glue for glasses and optical instrument components and for preparing permanent glass slide mounts of microscopic specimens. 

Indigenous people also made tea from the inner bark of balsam fir to treat high blood sugar symptoms and used balsam fir to treat respiratory ailments. The needles have high amounts of ascorbic acid, leading one historian to argue that balsam fir was used to cure scurvy amongst Jacques Cartier’s men during his second expedition into Canada.

In addition to the resin, Indigenous people used balsam fir to build shelters, to provide soft insulating bedding, and to make tools, baskets, and canoe paddles. 

They believed the smoke of balsam fir carried prayers to the spirits, and they burned the resin and needles in ceremonies to purify and cleanse spaces. To the Indigenous populations the balsam fir was a connection to nature, of living in harmony with it, and a symbol of resilience, endurance, and strength.

So Anschütz was not far off the mark when he added his own lyrics to an old Silesian folk song in which he praised the fir as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness. As one version of the English lyrics goes: “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How green thy branches ever! Thou still art green when summer wanes, And wintry winds sweep o’er the plains.”

May the spirit of our balsam firs give all Vermonters comfort this holiday season.