My parents were born in Germany in the first decade of the twentieth century, though they did not meet until many years later after they arrived in America. My mother was a Lutheran from Prussian and my father was Bavarian and Catholic, and since different parts of Germany had different Christmas traditions, my life as a child was a bit confused when the Holidays were upon us.  It was if a Episcopalian from Massachusetts married a holy-roller from Arkansas.  But since my mother was the primary caregiver for my brother and me, most of the traditions handed down were from her side of the family. So, here are the early German Christmas traditions tht I’ve learned about.

She would tell me how German Christmas trees back then had candles instead of electric lights, and the most prized presents a child could receive were fruits (especially oranges) and nuts.  What I hope to do in this post is to recreate as much as possible those festivities that my parents would have experienced and remembered. You’ll quickly discover how much of our Christmas heritage we as Americans owe to Germany.

ADVENT CALENDARS (ADVENTSKALENDAR)

The etymology of the word ‘advent” is from the Latin adventus meaning ‘arrival,’ which in turn is a relative of advenire, with the prefix “ad” meaning “to” joined with the root “venire” or “come.” So, it addresses the coming of the Messiah as I discuss elsewhere in my blog (viz. here.) As a calendar, it then counts down the number of days in the advent season until Christmas.  But the calendar has gone through many different permutations over the past years.  According to historical historians, the calendar was introduced by Lutherans in Germany in the eighteenth century.  It involved either burning a candle for each day of advent or by putting a simple chalk mark on the wall of the house as each day in advent arrived (or both.)

From the humble beginnings of nothing more than chalk markings, the concept took off with children as the targeted audience:

“The German Advent calendar tradition goes back to the 19th century when children would draw Christmas pictures on 24 pieces of paper and hang them in the house. In the 1880’s, the wife of a German Lutheran pastor crafted small Christmas boxes (Schachteln) for her impatient son to open on each day leading up to Christmas. Each box was filled with a delicious cookie. The boy was allowed to open one per day and eat the cookie inside.”

Over time, the cookies were replaced by candy in some instances, or the drawers were replaced by windows on a card with a Bible verse leading up to Christmas.  Each day a different perforated window would be opened and the verse read aloud by the family. The verse was then pondered during the day.

Other advent calendars consisted of a series of drawings or illustrations, either produced by a family member in the home or perhaps purchased with professional photos or illustrations in miniature. Or, as in the photo, they could be quite elaborate with drawers.

“A new practice of hanging a devotional image every day ultimately led to the creation of the first known handmade, wooden, Advent calendar in 1851. Sometime in the early twentieth century (either 1902 or 1908 depending on whom you believe) the first printed calendars appeared, followed by Gerhard Lang’s innovation of adding small doors in the 1920’s…”

The sky was the limit and people who were highly imaginative or adept with crafts made quite some elaborate calendars.  Advent, itself:

“…is celebrated in most Christian churches and runs for four weeks beginning on the Sunday closest to the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30.)”

ADVENT WREATHS (ADVENTSKRANZ)

In the U.S., many churches (especially the Catholic and the liturgical protestant churches) have large advent wreaths in the front of their sanctuaries. They generally lay flat, but they can also be hung with special care for the candles.  These wreaths most often have four large purple (or more rarely, blue or some other colored) candles.  A different candle is lit successively on each of the four Sundays before Christmas until the last Sunday when all four candles burn brightly.  Once again, this is a Lutheran tradition that has crossed denominational boundaries.  The fundamental purpose on the wreath, of course, is to prepare the congregant’s heart for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

“Advent wreaths, known as an Adventskranz, is a tradition which the German Lutherans in the 16th century kick-started. Typically, the wreath consists of four candles in a bed of pine cones, berries, dried flowers and various festive ornaments. Most households will bring out the wreath at the beginning of December, lighting one candle each Sunday throughout the month.”

The circular shape of the wreath signifies eternity, and, of course, the greenery represents life, particularly eternal life.  The four candles are seen by various congregants as a measure of time, though some churches assign specific meanings to the individual candles (e.g., the Shepherd’s Candle or the Candle of Joy, the Candle of Love, etc.)

CHRISTMAS ANGELS (WEIHNACHTSENGEL)

Christmas angels figure prominently in the nativity story, and are among the most popular of all Christmas decorations in Germany and many homes have more than one angel, some which have been passed down from generation-to-generation.  The angels represent hope and prosperity and they appear either as compliments to the Christmas tree, itself, or are located prominently elsewhere in the home.

The Thirty-Years-War in seventeenth century Europe led to the deaths of fifty percent of the German population, including the daughter of a German dollmaker, who made a special angel trimmed with gold foil and dedicated to the memory of his child. According to legend, “as his daughter lay dying of fever, he heard the flutter of angel’s wings.” This special angel that was first manufactured by that dollmaker in Nuremberg is known as the Rauschgoldenge, though in truth, gold-foil likely enhanced Weihnachtsengel a number of years before dollmaker was even born.

CHRISTMAS BEVERAGES

GLÜHWEIN (GLOW WINE)

Mulled Wine, sometimes referred to as Spiced Wine, refers to wine, most often of a red variety, infused with various fruits and spices and then served warm. The German word for “glow” in the term is designed to create a sense of warmth and peace.  This traditional is quite popular in Alsace and other Franco-German states around the holidays and is synonymous with Christmas markets all around the world. Spiced wine is very popular in Europe and has been served during the winter months for centuries. Ingredients can include dry red wine, orange, sugar, cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, star anise and cloves.

FEUERZAGENBOWLE (FIRE TONGS PUNCH)

This is a tricky concoction to make without setting your kitchen or your hair on fire.  It includes the need for “sugar loaves” available on Amazon as “sugar cones.”  The sugar is thoroughly saturated in rum, which is then set alight.  But it is a very popular Christmas drink in Germany, and the origins of this drink is centuries old:

“It is believed that this beverage dates back more than 200 years and was also known as Krambambuli owing to its close resemblance with this red spirit produced in Gdansk and popular amongst German student fraternities during the 19^th century.”

While the drink can be made easily enough in the home, the Christmas Markets provide Feuerzangenbowle on a much grander scale:

“Many towns in Germany still follow this tradition today: Munich and Nuremberg even organise giant Feuerzangenbowlen at their Christmas markets. There, gigantic cauldrons some 2,5 meters wide and 3,5 meters deep, hold almost 9000 litres of punch heated to 70°C. It is eagerly shared with passers-by and remains a real symbol of cozy Yuletide festivities!”

See the recipe for Feuerzangenbowlen at the bottom this post.

KINDERPUNSCH (CHILDRENS´ PUNCH)

Kinderpunsch is essentially non-Alcoholic Glühwein. Kinderpunch begins with a selected fruit tea to which the Christmas seasonal spices (cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and sugar) are added.  After mixing well, the concoction is briefly heated.

There are many other beverage choices in Germany for the Holidays, including mulled beer  (Glühbier); Hot Elder-Flower Punch („Heisser Hugo“); Hot Chocolate with Rum („Tote Tante“) and Grog which is always a crowd pleaser.

A note on spiced wine: Spiced wine can have fruity, tart, sweet and smoky notes; however, the warm flavors of this cocktail are more robust due to the added ingredients. Spiced wine is almost always sweeter and fruitier in flavor than red wine due to the added sugar and fruit used to flavor the cocktail.  Nuts, crackers and cheese make excellent compliments.

CHRISTMAS CAKE (LEBKUCHEN, PFEFFERKUCHEN & STOLLEN)

No matter where in the world Christmas (or perhaps, any holiday) is observed, sweets and baked goods figure prominently in the equation, and Christmas in Germany is no exception.  Take Lebkuchen for example, which is what we would call gingerbread. It is usually, but not always, cookie-like in appearance, though more cake-like in texture.  Germans in Europe and around the world consume almost a billion such cookies annually, with Germans in Germany accounting for 85% of the world’s consumption. once a difficult delicacy to purchase in the U.S., most major supermarkets now carry this and other German baked good if not year round, then certainly in the months of October and November. There is a long history to this dessert as well:

“Lebkuchen, a delectable German gingerbread, has a rich history steeped in tradition, dating back centuries. Originating in the medieval monasteries of Franconia [i.e., Northern Bavaria], these spiced treats have evolved over time, becoming an integral part of German holiday festivities. The dessert’s roots can be traced to the 13th century when spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg were introduced to Europe. Franconian Monks are believed to have been the first to combine honey, spices, and breadcrumbs to create a sweet, flavorful dough. Lebkuchen has become associated with the holidays since then.

There are various regional varieties of Lebkuchen, each with its unique twist on the classic recipe. Nuremberg is renowned for its Elisenlebkuchen, which is made with a high nut and almond content, while Aachen boasts Printen, a type of Lebkuchen with a distinctive blend of spices. These regional differences contribute to the diverse flavors and textures found in Lebkuchen throughout Germany.”

Pfefferkuchen is likewise a form of gingerbread shaped like small cookies.

Stollen is more properly bread–a bread packed with fruit and nuts.  Germans have enjoyed Christmas stollen for more than six hundred years.  Dresden, Germany is particularly known for its stollen.

“On the Saturday before the second advent, a stollen weighing between three and four tonnes is paraded in a carriage through the streets of Dresden to the Striezelmarkt, the oldest Christmas market in the world. One of the bakers then ceremoniously cuts the cake with an enormous metre-long, 12kg silver-plated knife, after which pieces are served to the public by donation to local charities.

Part cake, part fruit bread, stollen is made with a yeast-leavened dough, to which is added candied citrus, rum-soaked raisins, almonds and warming spices such as cardamom and cinnamon. Running through the cake is a core of rich marzipan. When the cake is still warm from the oven, it is brushed lavishly with melted butter and rolled in sugar to seal in the flavour. Ideally the stollen will age at least a few weeks in a cool dark place, to let all the flavours properly mingle. It’s then dusted with icing sugar before being presented in all its glory to be eaten.”

Stollen is usually shaped like a rectangular loaf, symbolizing the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS (STILLE NACHT,  O TANNENBAUM) 

“Silent Night” is a song most Americans are familiar and it was composed in Austria in 1818.  In Austria, today, “Stille Nacht” is normally not played publicly before Christmas Eve. 

The origins to the song go back to a cold Christmas Eve in 1818 pastor Joseph Franz Mohr (1792-1848) [an illegitimate child who needed a papal dispensation to enter the ministry] walked the three kilometers from his home in the Austrian village of Oberndorf bei Salzburg to visit his friend Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863) Mohr had written a poem a poem in the past. With a Christmas Eve service later that day, he needed a hymn in a hurry. Hoping Gruber who was the church’s choir master and organist, could help him set his poem to music, they quickly got busy, finishing in time for the service.  In 1914 while the European powers were fighting World War I, British and German soldiers observing a cease fire in the hostilities joined their voices together in singing the song.

The melody to “O Tannenbaum” originates in the 16th century with folk songwriter Melchior Franck and his composition “Ach Tannenbaum,” a short tune about a fir tree in midwinter. Franck’s family was lost to the Thirty Years War mentioned above.  The lyrics had absolutely nothing to do with Christmas and were subsequently changed several centuries later to focus on a jilted lover with only an oblique reference to the Holy season if at all.

Other favorite Holiday hymns in Germany include “Süsser die Glocken nie klingen’” which translates to “Never have the Bells Rung Sweeter” and “Kommet, ihr Hirten” (“Come, All Ye Shepherds.”)

CHRISTMAS EVE (HEILIGER ABEND or HEILIGABEND)

Christmas Eve begins at home, with the family decorating the house and the tree before the family leaves for the Candlelight service.  It is perhaps the busiest day of the year:

“According to tradition, the ‘Christkind’ (Christ child) delivers the presents when the children are waiting outside the room. A bell will be rung for children to step inside the room, where the family will then sing carols before the bescherung (opening of gifts) begins. Some families head to Christmas Eve services at their local churches afterward, while others may indulge in delicious food.” 

On Christmas Eve when I was a small child, my family would exchange gifts, which gave me a tactical advantage among my friends who had to wait until the next day to see what new toys they received.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS: (WEIHNACHTSMÄRKTE)

When people think about Christmas in Europe, they immediately think of those quaint German villages with bright seasonal stalls that glow in the wintry night.  Perhaps they’ve seen them on Christmas cards or Hallmark movies? There are 2,500 – 3,000 Weihnachtsmärkte each year in Germany. It’s the perfect place to sample mulled beverages.

“Nothing will warm you up quicker than these hot spiced cups of wine, which, since you will pay a deposit for the mug it is served in, make nice souvenirs as they are often personalized for that mark.”

“Europe’s Christmas markets date back to medieval times when German territories covered a wide swath of the continent. Some of Germany’s existing Christmas markets trace their origins as far back as the 15th and 16th centuries. Dresden’s market first opened for one day on Christmas Eve in 1434. Meanwhile, the oldest evidence of Nuremberg’s Christmas market dates it to 1628, though some suspect it stretches back at least to 1530.”

Each city and town market is both similar and different.  The staple goods, entertainment and so on are a common denominator.  However, some cities feature specialty goods associated with that place more than other goods.

“The most celebrated of all the markets is Nürnberg’s Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt. The Frauenkirche, overlooking the market has a glockenspiel, a bell clock on which wooden figures cavort several times a day.

The Christkindlesmarkt is the place to sample all the good things associated with Nürnberg. There is the celebrated lebkuchen a very rich honey spiced cookie. There are those little finger-length bratwurst. There is the tinsel angel with a wax face, and the edible prune man, made of nuts and dried fruit.

The Nürnberg event is Germany’s biggest, but it has no more atmosphere than any one of hundreds of other markets, some of which are no doubt handier to you. Just about every big city and many smaller communities, especially those with reputations as tourist attractions, have Christmas markets.”

CHRISTMAS MEAL (WEIHNACHTSESSEN)

Germans have a variety from which to choose as far as their Weihnachtsessen is concerned.  Roasted meat such as turkey or duck is often served. Rather that mashed potatoes, Germans prefer potato dumplings or potato salad (Kartoffelsalat.) A German potato salad is made with vinegar, bacon, and mustard instead of mayonnaise.  Potato pancakes (Reibekuchen), made from shredded potatoes that are deep fried until crispy is another popular choice.  Braised cabbage or stewed kale, a vegetable similar to spinach but perhaps a tad bitter (at least to me) is often a side dish on German tables. And then, of course, there are the deserts such as Stollen or Lebkuchen.  However:

“Goose [by far is the traditional fare on the First Christmas Day, or perhaps rabbit or a roast. These are accompanied by traditional German fare such as apple and sausage stuffing, red cabbage, and potato dumplings.”

CHRISTMAS TREE¹ (WEIHNACHTSBAUM)

The very first Christmas Trees in German were fir trees, likely due to St. Boniface because around 700 A.D., St Boniface announced that the fir tree had a special place in God’s heart.

“The first known Christmas tree was set up in 1419 in Freiburg by the town bakers, who decorated the tree with fruits, nuts, and baked goods, which the children were allowed to remove and eat on New Year’s Day.”

GLASS ORNAMENTS AND TINSEL: GLASKUGELN UND LAMETTA 

My parents would have been familiar with Glaskugeln und Lametta, though they were a relatively new addition to Christmas tree decorations.  Again, the focus on these new decorations were the original fruit and nuts that were common to Christmas trees in Germany.

“In 1847 Hans Greiner (a descendent of the Hans Greiner who had established Lauscha’s first glass works) began producing glass ornaments (Glasschmuck) in the shape of fruits and nuts. These Glaskugeln were made in a unique hand-blown process combined with molds (formgeblasener Christbaumschmuck). The inside of the ornament was made to look silvery, at first with mercury or lead, then later using a special compound of silver nitrate and sugar water.”

Tinsel seems to have predated glass ornaments however:

“Tinsel (das Lametta) was probably invented in Germany in the early 1600s. The precise details about where and by whom are vague, but the original tinsel was made out of real silver with machines that pressed the silver into thin strips. Silver was durable, but it tarnished easily, especially with the smoke from the candles commonly used on Christmas trees in Germany. Later versions were also made out of pewter, a tin alloy.” 

EPIPHANY (DAS DREIKÖNIGSFEST)

Epiphany commemorates the religious feast day known as das Dreikönigsfest (“Three Kings Festival”) in German.  The eve before Epiphany is known in England as Twelfth Night. January 6^th is when Christmas officially ends in Germany. 

GIFT GIVING(GESCHENKE MACHEN)

Gift giving is part of the Christmas Eve celebration, but it actually starts earlier in the month:

“Children in Germany receive their stockings on Saint Nicholas Day, 6th December. Known as the Feast of Saint Nicholas, this age-old tradition is observed in many European countries, regardless of religious denomination…The tradition is that you have to clean your shoes on the evening of the 5th and then overnight (if your shoes are clean) you will get presents. It is mostly smaller items such as oranges, chocolate, and maybe a small gift such as a book.”

KRAMPUS NIGHT (KRAMPUS NACHT)

We have all heard the lyrics to the popular Christmas song that Santa is “makin’ a list, checkin’ it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty and nice.” Likewise, that naughty little boys would get coal in their stocking instead of gifts.  This likely originated in the Netherlands where Sinterklaas would do this.  Why coal?  Because fireplaces would often have coal back then, so it was convenient to where the stockings were hung.

 

Germans have substituted Sankt Nikolaus for Santa Claus and have added an evil sidekick to tour with Sankt Nikolaus and underscore the point of why a child must be good.  After all, there are consequences for mischievous behavior. In the German version, you might indeed get coal in your stocking on December 6^th. Then again, you might be beaten or eaten alive!  This is where the devil Krampus fits in.  Krampus is a horned figure half-goat, half-demon who, during the festive season, scares children who have misbehaved.

“You can hear him coming from far away, the clanking of heavy chains draped from his shoulders and rattling cowbells, bedecked in horns and sheepskins, face hidden behind a most appalling mask – the definition of a demon. He is, in essence, a character from a nightmare…”

Krampus Nacht occurs the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas (December 5^th) On this festival, thousands of people across Deutschland (and other countries) dress up as Krampus and walk through the streets.”

However, in modern times some people in cosplay have crossed the line and become overly mischievous themselves, roughing up some people, and even a few bones have been known to break (accidentally, of course.) Krampus, whose origins are uncertain, is known and feared in eleven different European countries.

SNOW GLOBES (DIE SCHNEEKUGEL)

What would Christmas be without those popular snow globes that everyone likes?  With wintry scenes or Christmas trees, shaking them vigorously raises a blizzard of snow which eventually tapers off.  These can be used again and again and are beautiful reminders of other places, other times.

“Snow globes may have their origins in Grimnitz, Brandenburg where German alchemist Leonard Thurneysser is said to have made water-filled globes featuring flying birds in 1572.

Their popular appeal, however, can be traced to Austria in the first years of the twentieth century. Medical instruments-supplier Erwin Perzy attempted to adapt the shoemaker’s trick of using a candle and water to magnify light for surgery. He added glass shavings for more reflection. They sank too swiftly, but white particles of semolina took longer and reminded Perzy of falling snow. He filed a patent and, by 1905, production of Schneekuge in featuring sites such as Mariazell Basilica was underway. Droves of pilgrims bought them to leave as religious offerings. The Original Wiener Schneekugelmanufaktur remains a family business in Vienna’s Seventeenth District, with Erwin Perzy III at the helm.”

MISTLETOE (MISTELZWEIG):

Kissing under the mistletoe is as popular in Germany as is in the U.S., Canada and other parts of Europe.  The notion is that lovers who kiss under this parasitic plant will stay together forever.  The custom was originally not German, however, but Celtic and first came into fashion in Victorian England.  But Germans brought Mistletoe into their homes in winter long before that:

“Already since the Middle Ages, ordinary Germans had been bringing yew, juniper, mistletoe, holly, evergreen boughs – any plant that maintained its green color through the lifeless and dreary winter months – into their homes.”

SAINT NICHOLAS (SANKT NIKOLAUS)

Sankt Nikolaus was originally the one who delivered Christmas presents to people, but more and more inmodern times the credit goes to Christkindl (the Christ Child), especially the presents delivered on Christmas Eve:

“The real St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century and was the bishop of a region located in present-day Turkey. Through stories and legends associated with him, he became known as the protector of children and the anonymous bestower of gifts upon them. Over the centuries, the life and deeds of St. Nicholas were celebrated on the saint’s appointed day, the 6th of December. By the Middle Ages, the observance had already become a celebration of children and a day on which they received gifts. It was the German Martin Luther who sought to sever the connection between the saint and the gift-giving celebration for children, because in his Reformation theology, there was no place for the glorification of saints. Rather than abolishing the custom outright, Luther replaced the persona of Nicholas with that of the Christ child; in his Protestant teachings, not Nicholas but rather now the baby Jesus was attributed with bringing the children gifts, and not on the saint’s day but rather at Christmas. Today in many regions of Germany, not Saint Nick, but rather the Christkindl leaves Christmas gifts for children on December 24th.”

THE THREE KINGS (HEILIGE DREI KÖNIGE)

It is popular in some regions of German to chalk what seems to be some sort of secret code on the lintel of the front door of a house.  The inscription format that you would find this Christmas 2024 would be: 20*C+M+B+24, in which the star (*) represents the star of Bethlehem and the three crosses (+) represent the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The letters CMB stand for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, the legendary names for the three wisemen, though Scripture is silent and does not name them.  There is also an alternate meaning to the letters, namely:

“. . . the Latin phrase for ‘Christ bless this house’ or ‘Christus mansionem benedicat.’ However, few of the people practicing this custom are aware of this fact.”

In spite of everything above. Christmas in Germany does not have the same emphasis on the birth of Jesus as it does in the U.S. Over the past century, Germany as other European countries has become increasingly secularized, which relegates vestiges of religious occasions as nothing more than cultural celebrations. According to the Stuttgart Citizen:

“Only 78% of the people in Germany celebrate Christmas, compared to 93% of Americans. Germany is a largely Christian country, while the Holiday spirit is alive and well, the season identifies less-and-less with it’s church-going traditions. A year-on-year decline in people identifying as Christian and declining church numbers means only 10% of those identifying as Christian actually attend church, compared to 41% in the US.”

Still, you need not be of a particular religions persuasion to enjoy the various festivities and the happy, celebratory crowds of men, women and children.

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FOOTNOTES

¹“Before commercially made lights and ornaments, Christmas trees were decorated with hand crafted works of art and candles. Martin Luther is often credited with adding candles to Christmas trees in the 1600s c.e. There is a story that Martin Luther was walking home from church on a dark night around the Christmas season and looked up at the stars and saw them sparkling and was awe struck. Once he got home, he looked at his Christmas tree and the dark green branches reminded him of the dark night sky, and he thought that by adding candles they’d be the stars. Small candles were glued to tree branches with melted wax. From 1860 to 1914 a variety of fashionable candle holders were used to hold candles. In 1882 Edward Johnson lit up a tree in New York City with eighty small electric bulbs. Mr. Johnson created the first set of stringed lights, which were mass produced in 1890. By 1900 department stores were using the stringed lights in displays. At the White House President Grover Cleveland had the first electrically lit Christmas tree in 1895.”

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RECIPES

FEUERZAGENBOWLE (FIRE TONGS PUNCH)

Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 10-12

BUTTERGROG (BUTTER GROG)

Prep time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 Tbsp butter
• 4 cups apple cider
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Peel from 1 lemon
• Peel and juice from 1 orange 
• 1″ piece ginger root, sliced
• 2 tsp rum extract

DIRECTIONS

1.    Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan. Add the cider, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, lemon
and orange peels, orange juice, and ginger. Bring the liquid to a simmer, and then remove pan from
the heat. Add the rum extract. Let the mixture steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain and reheat to
serve warm.

Credit: David’s Blog

FOR FURTHR READING

Why the Perfect Christmas s German and Not American

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