Every December, communities around the UK come together for Tree Dressing Day, a celebration of the cultural, spiritual, and practical significance of trees. Revitalised in 1990 by the environmental arts organisation ‘Common Ground’, this event encourages people to honour their leafy neighbours – not just for their natural beauty, but for the deep stories they hold and the sense of community they foster.
Tree Dressing Day is more than just a modern festival; it draws on a rich tapestry of traditions from around the world, blending ancient customs with contemporary practices to create a unique celebration.
The Universal Language of Tree Dressing
The act of decorating trees has been part of human culture for millennia. In Celtic traditions, ‘clootie trees’ were adorned with cloth dipped in holy wells, a practice believed to bring healing. In Japan, trees are decorated with strips of white paper, or tanzaku, inscribed with wishes and poems during festivals like Tanabata. Similarly, Buddhist traditions in South Asia use ribbons and beads to honour sacred trees, while in Hindu rituals like Raksha Bandhan, threads are tied to branches to invoke protection and blessings.
These diverse practices share a common thread: a profound respect for trees as bridges between the earthly and the divine. By dressing trees, communities reinforce their spiritual connection to nature and express gratitude for the role trees play in their lives.
Trees in Local Histories and Landscapes
Trees are not only spiritual symbols but also living witnesses to history. The ancient oaks of England, such as the famed Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, have stood sentinel over centuries of human activity. These venerable trees inspire awe and serve as focal points for storytelling and folklore. For example, Gospel Oaks – once the sites of outdoor sermons – survive in place names even when the original trees are gone.
Trees have also shaped practical aspects of human life. From the timber that built ships and homes to the fruits and nuts that sustained early communities, they’ve been indispensable to our survival and culture. Family names like Woodward, Cooper, and Turner reflect ancestral ties to the craft and care of trees.
Even in modern times, trees weave their stories into our daily lives. The oak acorn that adorns your window blind is a nod to ancient beliefs about the oak’s protective powers. These subtle connections remind us of the enduring relationship between trees and human culture.
This is no different here at Weald & Downland Living Museum, where we have cultivated an orchard of heritage apple, pear and medlar trees. We aim to keep alive varieties of fruit that would be otherwise lost, or even undiscovered. We realise the vivid connection between us and the past we can foster through the growing and eating of historic plant types. Indeed, we use the fruit from these trees in our historic kitchens, cooking traditional recipes. We pursue a circular system of sustainability: we use what we grow. Produce and herbs are used in historical cooking demonstrations, some are used during courses and interpretation demonstrations, some kept for seed and some go to the deer, pigeons, rabbits, mice and voles.
We use coppice, resources and materials from our woods, fruit from our trees, vegetables and flowers from our gardens. We use hazel & brushwood from our traditionally managed woodland for fencing material, bean poles, pea sticks, plant supports and protection. Additional hazel is also sourced locally from West Dean woods nature reserve, a traditional coppiced woodland. The old material provides fuel for fires around the Museum, such as the Bakehouse oven.
This speaks to the heart of what Tree Dressing is all about: cultivation, conservation and sustainability; fostering a relationship with the natural world, just as much as using what it can give us.
The Green Man and the Cycle of Renewal
Tree Dressing Day also evokes the figure of the Green Man, a symbol of nature’s vitality and renewal. At its heart, the Green Man evokes our deep relationship with trees and nature. In a landscape once dominated by dense forests, early inhabitants of Britain depended on trees not just for survival but for meaning. Deciduous trees provided food, shelter, tools, and warmth, and their cycles of growth mirrored humanity’s own rhythms of life, death, and rebirth. As leaves unfurled in spring, they brought not only the promise of sustenance but also a profound sense of hope – a reason to celebrate.
The Green Man, then, may symbolize this vital connection to nature. His image – whether as a carved face exhaling foliage or a costumed festival figure – reminds us of a time when trees were revered as life-giving allies. We carved timber into homes, ships, and tools, fed our animals on acorns and nuts, and enshrined their symbolic power in rituals and stories. Even today, echoes of this connection persist in surnames like Woodward, Cooper, and Turner, all rooted in trades once tied to wood.
Throughout history, trees have been central to human culture and identity. Village greens were often centred around ancient oaks, some of which still stand as silent witnesses to centuries of change. With this, Tree Dressing is celebrated to rekindle awareness of the trees around us, to see them not as background scenery but as vital members of our shared ecosystem. By engaging with trees – caring for their roots, protecting them from disease, and honouring their stories – we can ensure their survival and our connection to them for generations to come.
A Shared Responsibility
Today, Tree Dressing Day is as much about conservation as it is about celebration. By gathering around trees, decorating their branches, and sharing stories, communities reaffirm their commitment to preserving these vital parts of our ecosystems. The festival is a gentle reminder of the threats trees face—from urban development to climate change—and a call to action for better stewardship.
During the celebrations, people create lanterns, hang ribbons, and even perform dances around chosen trees. These acts, though simple, symbolize a deeper promise to protect and cherish the trees that enrich our lives.
Join the Celebration
Join us here at Weald & Downland Living Museum for our Annual Tree Dressing celebration on the first Sunday of December!
Tree Dressing is a magical occasion for all the family, celebrating the importance of trees in our lives. And the tradition is more than a festival; it’s a movement that encourages us to look beyond the ordinary and rediscover the magic of the trees that shade our streets and shape our landscapes.
We invite our visitors to make and bring their own lanterns to carry during the procession and hang on the tree, but we will have a provision of jam jars where visitors can make lanterns in the Building from Lavant. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to help light the lanterns prior to the procession.
Members do not need to book for this activity – Just present a valid membership card at the admissions desk.
