Portland has sparked outrage after stripping its Christmas tree of its name, referring to it only as “the tree” during its lighting ceremony.

As thousands gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the city’s 41st annual tree-lighting on Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads.

The festive occasion was kicked off with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking everyone in the crowd for coming out on Native American Heritage Day.

She introduced two younger members of the tribe, who referred to the celebration only as “the tree lighting,” before handing the microphone to another featured speaker.

Draped in a Palestinian flag, the woman used her stage time to lead the crowd in

See Full Page