Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was originally a metallic

garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...

for

Christmas decoration A Christmas decoration is any of several types of ornamentation used at Christmas and the greater Christmas and holiday season. Typical images on Christmas decorations include Baby Jesus, Mother Mary, angels, Father Christmas, Santa Cla ...

. The modern production of tinsel typically involves plastic, and is used particularly to decorate

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

s. It may be hung from ceilings or wrapped around statues, lampposts, and so on. Modern tinsel was invented in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, in 1610, and was originally made of shredded

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

According to the ''

Concise Oxford Dictionary The ''Concise Oxford English Dictionary'' (officially titled ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary'' until 2002, and widely abbreviated ''COD'' or ''COED'') is one of the best-known of the 'smaller' Oxford dictionaries. The latest edition contains o ...

'', the word is from the

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th sparkle".

History

In the 16th-century the word "tinsel" was used for a variety of lightweight fabrics with a metallic effect made with silk and gold and silver thread, including "tinselled satin". These tinsel fabrics were used in elite clothes (regulated by sumptuary law), masque costume, and for heraldic banners and flags. Elizabeth of York bought "tynsell satin" in 1502 and the wardrobe of Margaret Tudor included "tynsen" in 1515. Tinsel and "tilsent" were less costly than

cloth of gold Cloth of gold or gold cloth (Latin: ''Tela aurea'') is a textile, fabric woven with a gold-wrapped or spinning (textiles), spun weft—referred to as "a spirally spun gold strip". In most cases, the core yarn is silk, wrapped (''filé'') with a ...

. Tinsel was used for a veil or

caul A caul is a piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face. Birth with a caul is rare, occurring in less than 1 in 80,000 births. The caul is harmless and is immediately removed by the attending parent, physician, or midwife upon birt ...

worn by

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

at her coronation in 1553. Silver tinsel fabric, described in Italian as ''tocca d'argento'', was used for the sails of mechanical ships at a masque at the

wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis, Dauphin of France Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) married Francis II of France, Francis, Dauphin of France (1544–1560), at Notre-Dame de Paris on 24 April 1558. The festivities included pageants, some designed by Bartolomeo Campi. Background Mary became the ...

in April 1558. Modern tinsel was invented in

around 1610. Tinsel was originally made from

extruded Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...

strands of

. Because silver

tarnish Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that forms over copper, brass, aluminum, magnesium, neodymium and other similar metals as their outermost layer undergoes a chemical reaction. Tarnish does not always result from the sole effects of oxygen in ...

es quickly, other shiny metals were substituted. Before the 19th century, tinsel was used for adorning

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

rather than Christmas trees. It was added to

Christmas trees A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was developed in Ce ...

to enhance the flickering of the candles on the tree. Tinsel was used to represent the starry sky over a Nativity scene. Weihnachtsbaum und Geschenke 1970er

By the early 20th century, manufacturing advances allowed cheap aluminium-based tinsel, and until

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

was the world leader in its manufacture. Production was curtailed during the First World War as a result of wartime demand for

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

. During the 1950s, tinsel and tinsel garlands were so popular that they frequently were used more than Christmas lights, as tinsel was much less of a fire hazard than lights were for the then-popular

aluminum Christmas tree An aluminum Christmas tree is a type of artificial Christmas tree that was popular in the United States from 1958 until about the mid-1960s. As its name suggests, the tree is made of aluminium, aluminum, featuring foil needles and illumination fro ...

s, which were made from flammable aluminized paper.

Lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

was a popular material for tinsel manufacture for several decades of the 20th century. Unlike silver, lead tinsel did not tarnish, so it retained its shine. However, use of lead tinsel was phased out after the 1960s due to concern that it exposed children to a risk of

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, infertility, numbness and paresthesia, t ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) concluded in August 1971 that lead tinsel caused an unnecessary risk to

children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

, and convinced manufacturers and importers to voluntarily stop producing or importing lead tinsel after January 1, 1972. The FDA did not actually ban the product because the agency did not have the evidence needed to declare lead tinsel a "health

hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

." Modern tinsel is typically made from

polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons of ...

(PVC) film coated with a metallic finish. Coated

mylar BoPET (biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical stability, dimensional stability, transparency reflectivity, an ...

film also has been used. These plastic forms of tinsel do not hang as well as tinsel made from heavy metals such as silver and lead.

Figurative use

Germans refer to a row of

military Awards and decorations Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations awarded ...

as ''Lametta'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

for tinsel), similar to dressing in full regalia or with a high level of formality. The expression was coined earlier to describe the appearance of

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

, e.g. in a ''

Chanson A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...

'' by

Claire Waldoff Claire Waldoff (21 October 1884 – 22 January 1957), born Clara Wortmann, was a German singer. She was a famous kabarett singer and entertainer in Berlin during the 1910s to the 1930s, chiefly known for performing ironic songs in the Berlin dial ...

, ''Rechts Lametta, links Lametta, Und der Bauch wird imma fetta'' (Tinsel on the right, tinsel on the left, and the belly gets fatter and fatter). Humorist

Loriot Bernhard-Viktor Christoph-Carl von Bülow (12 November 1923 – 22 August 2011), known as Vicco von Bülow or Loriot (), was a German comedian, humorist, cartoonist, film director, actor and writer. As an artist, he was almost exclusively kno ...

's 1977 film ''Weihnachten bei Hoppenstedts'' about a family Christmas involved a Prussian-educated grandfather humming the ' with "ra-da-buff" and deploring the lack of tinsel („''Früher war mehr Lametta!''“ "There used to be more tinsel!"), thus lamenting the changes in life due to the course of time, has become proverbial.IMDb Title tt0393440 Loriot 14: ''Weihnachten bei Hoppenstedts.''

Other uses

Tinsel print A tinsel print is a print where tinsel is added after printing, for decorative effect, it is made in two ways. The first is a rare type of old master print parts of which are decorated with small thin shiny fragments of metal or quartz crystal ...

s are two different types of print, where tinsel is added after printing, for decorative effect. The older type is a rare style of German religious

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

from the early 15th century. The later type is English and 19th-century, especially used for prints of actors in their roles. Tinsel has many traditional uses in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, including decorations on images, garlands for weddings and other ceremonies, and ornamental trappings for horses and elephants. Tinsels of various types are popular materials used in

fly tying Fly tying (also historically referred to in England as dressing flies) is the process of producing an artificial fly used by fly fishing Angling, anglers to catch fish. Fly tying is a manual process done by a single individual using hand tools an ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Christmas decorations Christmas in Germany Christmas trees

History

Figurative use

Other uses

See also

References

External links