Pretty! Sparkly!
- Tinsel is a long, sparkly string that is traditionally used to decorate a Christmas tree.
- Tinsel comes from the French word ‘estincele, meaning sparkle.
- Tinsel was first invented in the 1610s, in Germany.
- Tinsel was originally used to decorate sculptures and statues.
- Tinsel was first made from shredded silver, but it lost its sparkle quickly.
- Modern tinsel is made from metallic coated glossy plastic (PVC).
- Before the use of PVC, aluminium and other shiny metals were used to make tinsel.
- After the use of silver, lead foil was a popular material used in tinsel but was banned due to the risk of lead posioning.
- Tinsel is typically used at Christmas time but some celebrations in India require tinsel as well.
- Tinsel was first designed to bring out the shine of Christmas candles.
Bibliography:
Tinsel 22 December 2012, Wikipedia,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinsel>
