An historical account of the Blackhead’s Guild recorded in 1510 sheds some interesting light on Riga’s claim to Yuletide fame. According to the medieval document, the guildsmen placed a decorated tree on the town square on Christmas day and then set it on fire at the end of the holiday season. This is supposedly one of the earliest accounts of a Christmas tree in Europe and certainly the first in Riga. Today a commemorative monument marks the approximate spot on Rātslaukums (Town Hall Square), just outside the Blackheads’ House, where this interesting piece of history took place.