The forerunner of the pyramid was a construction known as a  (literally: 'light stand') which were very popular in the 18th century. They were constructions made of four poles, decorated with evergreen boughs, tied together at the top and lit with candles. In the large cities, the Christmas tree, now recognizable all over the world, gradually replaced the , but in the mountains, the people did not see a simple tree bedecked with lights; rather they were reminded of the capstans, which were commonly used in the mines of the Ore Mountains.
The origin of the pyramid was a construction called a  (literally: 'light stand'), which were popular during the 18th century. These structures featured four poles decorated with evergreen boughs and lit with candles, tied together at the top. In large urban areas, the Christmas tree eventually replaced this structure, while in mountainous regions, people remembered capstans used for mining in the Ore Mountains.