The German roots of Christmas (CS Monitor)
Neat, in-depth piece. ~ pinto
The German roots of Christmas
By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer / December 21, 2013
The sun is starting to dip when Hagen and Renate Wotzel peer into a pine-trimmed wooden stall laden with Christmas tree ornaments – hand-carved nutcrackers, rocking horses, and simple snowflakes and stars.
Just as in years past, the aroma of cinnamon, smoked fish, and sizzling bratwurst fills the crisp air. Ms. Wotzel, a retired teacher wearing a thick, white knitted headband covering her ears, digs out her purchase: candles made of rolled honeycomb. They are as ubiquitous and predictable as the homemade decorations, handmade fingernail brushes, and gingerbread cookies iced with kitschy pictures of Santa Claus or pastel letters reading "I love you" in German that make up the goods on sale here each December.
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Many of the longest-held traditions celebrated at Christmas have their origins in German-speaking Europe, from the Christmas tree to the rituals of decoration to Advent calendars and gingerbread houses. Today, it is the Christmas market that is spreading. There are thousands of such markets across Germany each December, from big-city events like Stuttgart's – expected to attract 4 million visitors this season – to the quaint celebration of Bad Herrenalb, a village of just 7,000 in a valley of the Black Forest. And they've been exported across the continent and the Atlantic to the United States – where the Christmas season brings with it two ongoing debates: whether government inclusivity and secularism are fueling a "war on Christmas," and whether Christmas is being hyper-commercialized and devalued.
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It might seem ironic that so many of the Christmas traditions today considered "authentic" have their roots in pagan rituals that predate Christianity – and were, for centuries, rejected by churchmen and women.
The traditions that emerged in ancient northern European societies had their founding as midwinter festivities that marked the winter solstice and the end of the agricultural cycle. They prevailed from generation to generation because of the power of the season: The longest nights of the year demanded respites, and because the harvest was over, there was bounty and downtime enough to celebrate – often raucously.
"It is hard for us to imagine the power of that darkness now, when we are used to switching on switches and getting rid of it," Nissenbaum says.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2013/1221/The-German-roots-of-Christmas
= new reply since forum marked as read
grandparents keeping some of these traditions.
I used to love to go to their house in NY during the winter.
They had an old sleigh in the back woods that was great fun.
Pagan or christian, makes not difference to me. I love many of the rituals and traditions.
