It’s Christmas time again:

The aroma of Cypress wafts thru' the air

By Ananda Kannangara

Christmas is celebrated by Christians all over the world. However, Christmas is incomplete without a Christmas tree-decorating the Christmas tree is almost a ritual in every Christian home.

Some people trace the origin of the Christmas tree to an earlier period. Even before the Christian era, trees and boughs were used for ceremonials. Egyptians, in celebrating the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - brought green date palms into their homes as a symbol of “life triumphant over death”. When the Romans observed the feast of saturn, part of the ceremony was the raising of an evergreen bough. The early Scandinavians were said to have paid homage to the fir tree.

To the Druids, sprigs of evergreen holly in the house meant eternal life; while to the Norsemen, they symbolized the revival of the sun god Balder. To those inclined toward superstition, branches of evergreens placed over the door kept out witches, ghosts, evil spirits and the like.

This use does not mean that our Christmas tree custom evolved solely from paganism, anymore than did some of the present-day use of greens in various religious rituals.

Trees and branches can be made purposeful as well as symbolic. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees.

Children believe that Santa Clause visits their homes on X’mas eve and hangs gifts on branches of the X’mas tree which is decorated with colourful lights.

`Christmas Trees’ are made out of the branches of Cypress trees or Fir trees. Although, these trees are called by two different names, the leaves and bark of these triangular shaped trees are similar.

They grow in evergreen forests in cool Northern countries. The trees are tall and straight. A unique aroma pervades the air from the fresh leaves. Cypress plants do not need much water to grow.

In addition to X’mas trees, the leaves of Cypress trees are used to make bouquets, garlands and wreaths. The `Oxford Dictionary mentions that people decorate Cypress trees with colourful lights and ornaments during X’mas season.

In Sri Lanka Cypress plants are mainly grown in Nuwara Eliya, Bandarawela, Diyatalawa, Matale and Talawakele areas . Among them acres and acres of Cypress could be seen in the forest ranges of Nuwara Eliya and Talawakele areas.

After a recent tour of Kimbulapitiya in Negombo to see the cracker production during this X’mas season , the Sunday Observer last week had the opportunity of visiting Nuwara Eliya to meet Cypress land owners and X’mas tree suppliers.

A long standing environmentalist and a journalist in Nuwara Eliya, P. Rajaratnam said transporting lorry loads of Cypress trees to Colombo and several other major cities had become a lucrative business of many persons in Nuwara Eliya during the Christmas season.

He said these trees are commonly seen in the Town Hall area in Colombo, near Kollupitiya Junction, along the Galle Road in Bambalapitiya, Moratuwa, Mt. Lavinia, Ratmalana, Negombo and Kandy prior ten days to the X’ mas festival.

According to Rajaratnam, who has a wide knowledge of Cypress cultivation, he said unlike in the past, there is a slight decline in Cypress tree cultivation in Nuwara Eliya due to strict regulations, imposed by Local Authorities when transporting them to Colombo and other cities.

He said at present only a few people are engaged in Cypress transportation during the X’mas festive season.

Many people in Nuwara Eliya in the past sent over 600 lorry loads of Cypress trees to other areas, but now only a few lorry loads are seen during this festive season due to restrictions, imposed by local authorities.

He said whenever a person wants to send even a small stock of cypress to a relative in Colombo or any other place, he has to get a permit from the Gramaseva Niladari with the approval of the area Divisional Secretariat.

Since it is a long process to obtain a permit, many people who were engaged in transporting cypress trees have stopped even planting them in nurseries, because they don’t want undergo harassment.

He urged authorities to minimise restrictions, so that people in Nuwara Eliya and Talawakele will again start planting Cypress in nurseries and then will transport them to other areas during the X’mas festive season. Rajaratnam also said many Cypress trees in the Nuwara Eliya Town area were cut down in the recent past on the instructions of Local Authorities to beautify the city limits, but later a replanting program commenced on a directive made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A resident of Nuwara Eliya and a long standing horticulturist, Piyasena Wedage said Cypress transportation has dropped from 100 percent to 18 percent due to strict regulations and urged authorities to grant relief to regular traders, so that lorry loads of Cypress will once again be transported to Colombo and other major cities from Nuwara Eliya, and there will also be a healthy cultivation of these trees in Nuwara Eliya itself. Tars giving Nuwara Eliya the ‘Old feel’ surrounding the area with its wonderful pungent aroma.

As a horticulturist, he said cutting off branches from Cypress trees will not affect the trees and more new twigs will come up after few days.

If people stop cutting branches due to Government restrictions, new branches will not come up and it affects the trunk of the tree, as pruning the tree is essential far its survival.

He also said there are many state owned barren lands in Nuwara Eliya and proposed the Government to encourage people to plant more Cypress nurseries to increase the number of trees.

He also opposed the destruction of forest lands in Nuwara Eliya for agricultural and other development purposes, since it will affect to the existing Cypress forest ranges and also nurseries.

A major X’mas tree transporter of Nuwara Eliya , Rajendra Thuraisingham asked the authorities to stop transporting lorry loads of cypress trees to Colombo during the festive season, as it will help only large scale businessmen to expand their business activities.

He urged the authorities to allow ordinary traders to send small quantities of Cypress trees, so that everybody could earn money during this period.

A small scale Cypress cultivator of Talawakele, R. Pathmanthan said the cutting down of Cypress branches will commence after December 15, since the leaves wither after 10 days.

A businessman in Nuwara Eliya, Gamalath Peris urged the Government to stop importing artificial X’mas trees from countries such as China and Thailand, since it will affect local cypress cultivators and such a situation will also discourage genuine persons, engaged in the cypress selling business.

A 48-year old Cypress tree businessman of Nuwara- Eliya, Mohan Selvaraj said he stopped transporting Cypress trees to Colombo from the time the Local Authorities imposed strict regulations.

I have now straight dealings with florists and hoteliers in Colombo and Negombo to provide Cypress trees throughout the year,

He said any amount of Cypress trees could be transported from Nuwara Eliya during the non-festive season even without permits.

A Cypress nursery owner, Muthu Kulasingham said Cypress cultivation had earlier become a self-employment project in the District and cultivators used to plant nurseries in small polythene bags and send them to Colombo,

He said strict regulations have reduced this home garden project to 20 per cent and asked the Government to refrain from imposing laws to develop the cypress cultivation.

He also asked the authorities to protect small scale cypress cultivators from middlemen, so that each X’mas tree could be sold in Colombo or any other city at a cost of Rs. 200, but now each tree is sold at Rs. 400- Rs. 600 by traders at present.

Pix: P. Rajaratnam, Nuwara Eliya

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