Chicago, IL – Before Christmas Eve became a night of stockings and candlelight services, it was once known across medieval Europe as Adam and Eve Day — a feast that marked the story of humanity’s first parents and the promise of redemption.
According to historians, the observance originated in the Middle Ages, particularly in German-speaking regions, where December 24 was celebrated as the Feast of Adam and Eve. The day commemorated the biblical fall of man — and more importantly, the coming of Christ as humanity’s redeemer, linking the Garden of Eden to the Nativity story that followed.
In towns and churches, the day was often marked by “Paradise Plays,” dramatic performances retelling the story of Adam, Eve, and the Tree of Knowledge. To represent that tree on stage, people used a fir tree decorated with apples — a direct ancestor of today’s modern Christmas tree.
Though the formal feast disappeared after the Reformation, the symbolism endured. In parts of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, families still bake “paradise apples” or hang red ornaments on their trees to honor the old custom.
Today, Adam and Eve Day survives mostly as a historical curiosity — a reminder that Christmas Eve once carried a deeper theological link between Eden’s loss and Bethlehem’s hope.
