Importance of Olive Wood Gifts from Bethlehem to Christians

Have you ever thought that a piece of wood would be so sacred? This is the case with olive wood from the Holy Land, specifically that in Bethlehem. Those of the Christian faith find this wood very holy and the gifts made out of it are popular. When you look through history you can find that among the goods produced and traded from the Holy Land, that olive wood holds the key. Some say that there is even evidence from history which suggest that Jesus himself might have worked on this type of wood. He was a carpenter before he began his three years of preaching. This is why the olive wood is so important. The legacy of this still lives and now it is in the form of religious gifts. Among these gifts, the hand carved ones are the most sought out. About This olive wood grows mostly in and around Bethlehem. Most of these trees are hundreds and thousands of years old. They are adored all across the world for their beauty, variant grains, smoothness and the wide variety of colors. This type of wood comes in red and creamy pigments with lines in brown, gray and black. These lines sometimes create a marbled effect and it is this that gives the Olive Wood from Bethlehem its gorgeous look. History The first olive tree is believed to have started growing in the Holy Land around 4,000 B.C. - since then these trees have spread throughout the region. We have read in the bible that Christ is said to have prayed under an olive tree on his way to Jerusalem before he was crucified. There are also unconfirmed reports that the cross used to crucify Jesus was made from olive wood. Most of us think that the olive tree is somewhat of an immortal tree. This is not true. When the tree is two centuries old its trunk disappears and new shoots starts developing from its base and you can see a new tree grow in its place. Thus the olive tree never actually dies, rather it just carries on from generation to generation in the same place. Many consider the rebirth of olive trees as the rebirth of the Christ himself. Today's Gifts from the Holy Land Religious gifts made out of olive wood, and specifically those made by hand in Bethlehem, are popular around the world. Christians find these gifts very holy. It was the Franciscan monks who came to the Holy Land that started making gifts from this holy wood. The monks taught the natives of the Holy Land on how to create gifts from olive wood. The gifts from the locally sourced olive wood are prepared by native craftsmen. The tree is completely indigenous to the region and so the gifts made out of them are available only from the Holy Land.