Diamond T Design
Let your light shine!
Creative ideas for creative minds.
Let your light shine!
Creative ideas for creative minds.
Christmas is about the
birth of Christ
pure and simple.
It is centered around
family, faith, and love.
It is about traditions that help people identify to the birth of Christ.
Many Germans display a traditional wooden Christmas pyramid in their living room. This pyramid is actually a little carousel with angels and a nativity scene, that stand on several levels and spin. The carousel spins with the help of lit candles that through the heat of their flames set the mechanism in motion. The tradition of using Christmas pyramids originated in the area of the German ore mountains ('Erzgebirge') in eastern Germany and dates back to the middle ages and is thus a much older tradition than the use of decorated Christmas trees.
Evergreen trees (and other evergreen plants) have traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pre-Christian/pagan and Christian) for thousands of years. Pre-Christian/Pagans used branches of evergreen trees to decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. However, they were quite different to what we now think of as Christmas Trees.
Nobody is really sure when Fir trees were first used as Christmas trees. It probably began about 1000 years ago in Northern Europe.
Christmas Trees might well have started out as 'Paradise Trees' (branches or wooden frames decorated with apples). These were used in medieval German Mystery or Miracle Plays that were acted out in front of Churches during Advent and on Christmas Eve. In early church calendars of saints, 24th December was Adam and Eve's day. The Paradise Tree represented the Garden of Eden. It was often paraded around the town before the play started, as a way of advertising the play. The plays told Bible stories to people who could not read.
Christmas Trees as they came to be now started around the late 1400s into the 1500s. In what's now Germany (was the Holy Roman Empire then), the Paradise Tree had more decorations on it (sometimes communion wafers, cherries and later pastry decorations of stars, bells, angels, etc. were added) and it even got a new nickname the 'Christbaum' or 'Christ Tree'.
Some early Christmas Trees, across many parts of northern Europe, were cherry or hawthorn plants (or a branch of the plant) that were put into pots and brought inside so they would hopefully flower at Christmas time. If you couldn't afford a real plant, people made pyramids of woods and they were decorated to look like a tree with paper, apples and candles. It's possible that the wooden pyramid trees were meant to be like Paradise Trees. Sometimes they were carried around from house to house, rather than being displayed in a home.
Some trees (or at least small tops of them or branches of fir trees) were hung from the ceiling, mainly in some parts of Germany, some Slavic countries and parts of Poland. This might have been to save space or they just looked nice hanging from the rafters! (If you have lighting hooks on the ceiling, they would also be an obvious place to hang things from.)
The first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is argued between the cities of Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia! Both claim that they had the first trees; Tallinn in 1441 and Riga in 1510. Both trees were put up by the 'Brotherhood of Blackheads' which was an association of local unmarried merchants, ship owners, and foreigners in Livonia (what is now Estonia and Latvia).
Little is known about either tree apart from that they were put in the town square, were danced around by the Brotherhood of Blackheads and were then set on fire. This is like the custom of the Yule Log. The word used for the 'tree' could also mean a mast or pole, tree might have been like a 'Paradise Tree' or a tree-shaped wooden candelabra rather than a 'real' tree.
In the town square of Riga, the capital of Latvia, there is a plaque which is engraved with "The First New Year's Tree in Riga in 1510", in eight languages.
A picture from Germany in 1521 which shows a tree being paraded through the streets with a man riding a horse behind it. The man is dressed a bishop, possibly representing St. Nicholas.
Also in 1521, on December 21st, records in the town of Sélestat, in the Alsace region in north east France, show that 4 shillings were paid to a forest ranger to "watch over a tree from St Thomas". But this might not have been a 'Christmas Tree' as December 21st is also the feast day of St Thomas the Apostle. Also in the town of Turckheim in Alsace, from 1576 there's a record of a sculpture/decoration of a Christmas Tree on a keystone. In nearby Strasbourg, also in Alsace, a Christmas Tree was set-up in the Cathedral in 1539.
In 1584, the historian Balthasar Russow wrote about a tradition, in Riga, of a decorated fir tree in the market square where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”. There's a record of a small tree in Breman, Germany from 1570. It is described as a tree decorated with "apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers". It was displayed in a 'guild-house' (the meeting place for a society of business men in the city).
The first person to bring a Christmas Tree into a house, in the way we know it today, may have been the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther. A story is told that, one night before Christmas, he was walking through the forest and looked up to see the stars shining through the tree branches. It was so beautiful, that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas. So he brought a tree into his house and decorated it with candles to represent the stars.
Some people say this is the same tree as the 'Riga' tree, but it isn't! The story about Martin Luther seems to date to about 1536 and Riga tree originally took place a couple of decades earlier.
The custom of having Christmas trees could well have travelled along the Baltic sea, from Latvia to Germany. In the 1400s and 1500s, the countries which are now Germany and Latvia were them part of two larger empires which were neighbors. Fir, or other evergreen trees like conifers, were common throughout northern Europe at this time, so that's why firs and conifers became the 'standard' Christmas Tree.
Another story says that St. Boniface of Crediton (a village in Devon, UK) left England in the 8th century and traveled to Germany to preach to the pre-Christian/pagan German tribes and convert them to Christianity. He is said to have come across a group of pre-Christian/pagans about to sacrifice a young boy while worshipping an oak tree in honour of Thor. In anger, and to stop the sacrifice, St. Boniface cut down the oak tree and, to his amazement, a young fir tree sprang up from the roots of the oak tree. St. Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith and his followers decorated the tree with candles so that St. Boniface could preach to the pre-Christian/pagans at night. St Boniface was certainly involved in spreading Christianity in parts of Germany, although the legends of the tree seems to have started several centuries later and they're not mentioned in the early writings about St Boniface.
Hanging Trees upside down has also been connected with St. Boniface. One story/theory says that he used the 'triangle' shape of an upside down fir tree to help explain the trinity in the Christian faith (God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit). Being upside down it that looked a bit like a cross and so also helped to explain the crucifixion.
There is another legend, from Germany, about how the Christmas Tree came into being, it goes:
Once on a cold Christmas Eve night, a forester and his family were in their cottage gathered round the fire to keep warm. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When the forester opened the door, he found a poor little boy standing on the door step, lost and alone. The forester welcomed him into his house and the family fed and washed him and put him to bed in the youngest son's own bed (he had to share with his brother that night!). The next morning, Christmas Morning, the family were woken up by a choir of angels, and the poor little boy had turned into Jesus, the Christ Child. The Christ Child went into the front garden of the cottage and broke a branch off a Fir tree and gave it to the family as a present to say thank you for looking after him. So ever since them, people have remembered that night by bringing a Christmas Tree into their homes!
In Germany, the first Christmas Trees were decorated with edible things, such as gingerbread and gold covered apples. In 1605 an unknown German wrote: "At Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlours of Strasbourg and hang thereon roses cut out of many-colored paper, apples, wafers, gold foil, sweets, etc.".
Some other trees were used in different parts of Germany, such as box or Yew. In the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz it was common to decorate just a branch of a yew tree.
At first, a figure of the Baby Jesus was put on the top of the tree. Over time it changed into a star like the Wise Men saw or an angel/fairy that told the shepherds about Jesus. The 'angel' might also might have started as a version of the 'Christkind' which translates as 'The Christ Child' but is normally shown as a little angel figure with blond hair!
The first Christmas Tree in the UK was probably set-up by Queen Charlotte, the German wife of King George III. Queen Charlotte grew up in Mecklenburg-Strelitz and in the 1790s there are records of her having a yew branch in Kew Palace or Windsor Castle. She helped to decorate it herself and it became a popular event for the royal court. In 1800 she had a full yew tree set-up at the Queen’s Lodge in Windsor for a children's party for rich and noble families. Dr John Watkins, who went to the party described the tree like this: "...from the branches of which hung bunches of sweetmeats, almonds and raisins in papers, fruits and toys, most tastefully arranged; the whole illuminated by small wax candles.". And "...after the company had walked round and admired the tree, each child obtained a portion of the sweets it bore, together with a toy, and then all returned home quite delighted.".
Soon having a tree had become popular amongst some rich families. Queen Charlotte died in 1818 and by then, having a Christmas Tree was a tradition among much of the upper classes.
There's no mention of a Christmas Tree in 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, which was published in 1843.
They became very popular throughout the country from the mid 1840s, when reports of 'the Royal tree' were printed in newspapers. In 1848, a drawing of "The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle" was published in the Illustrated London News. It showed Queen Victoria, her German Husband Prince Albert and their young children around a tree which was set-up on a table. The drawing was republished in Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia in December 1850 (but they removed the Queen's crown and Prince Albert's moustache to make it look 'American'!).
The publication of the drawing helped Christmas Trees become popular in the UK and USA. The custom of Christmas Trees had been taken to the USA by settlers from Germany and other European countries. However, they were seen as a rather strange decoration until the publication of the drawing of the British Royal family's Christmas Tree!
In Victorian times, the tree would have been decorated with candles to represent stars. In many parts of Europe, candles are still used to decorate Christmas trees.
Christmas Tree 'skirts' started as Christmas Tree 'carpets'. They were made from heavy fabric, often decorated and with fancy frills around the edges, and were used either on the floor, or on tables, and went under the trees and their stands - rather than 'around' them. They were used to catch the needles from the trees and also protect the floor or table tops from dripping wax coming from the candles on the trees.
In Germany in the early/mid 1800s it was also 'fashionable' to have a forest scene and/or a nativity scene under trees (especially if the trees were placed on tables) and so these scenes also stood on the Tree carpets.
At this point trees were either normally put in pots (if they still had roots on them) or they were attached to a larger piece of wood or other heavy support (if they'd been cut) and so the scenes help to hide these.
In the 1860s proper metal tree holders, for cut trees, started being made. If you were rich, you could get them in very fancy shapes - and some even had music boxes in them, so they 'plinked' Christmas tunes!
Less expensive tree holders also became available and were made out of cheaper metals (and they also didn't look so good), so the 'carpets' became smaller and were also put 'around' the tree holders and became the Christmas tree skirts that we have today.
Lead and glass decorations started being made in the 1860s and 1870s. Some of the first glass decorations were apples - and that's probably where round, red, baubles on Christmas Trees comes from! Frank Woolworth started selling glass ornaments in his stores in the USA in 1880. There's also the legend of The Christmas Pickle ornament!
Candles were the main way of having lights on Christmas Trees for hundreds of years. However, they could easily cause a fire. The first electric Christmas Lights were invented in the late 1800s and changed how Christmas Trees (and many other things) were lighted forever.
The most lights lit at the same time on a Christmas tree is 194,672 and was done by Kiwanis Malmedy / Haute Fagnes Belgium in Malmedy, Belgium, on 10 December 2010!
In 1895 the President of the USA, Grover Cleveland, had the tree in the White House decorated with lights as his young daughters liked them! The tradition of the National Christmas Tree on the White House lawn started in 1923 with President Calvin Coolidge.
Many towns and villages have their own Christmas Trees. One of the most famous is the tree in Trafalgar Square in London, England, which is given to the UK by Norway every year as a 'thank you' present for the help the UK gave Norway in World War II. The White House in the USA has had a big tree on the front lawn since the 1920s.
The record for the most Christmas trees chopped down in two minutes is 27 and belongs to Erin Lavoie from the USA. She set the record on 19th December 2008 on the set of Guinness World Records: Die GroBten Weltrekorde in Germany.
Tinsel was first created in Nuremberg, Germany in the 1878 when thin strips of silver foil were sold as 'Icicles'. In 1880 'angel hair, made from spun glass was sold. The first 'tinsel' garlands were sold in the 1890s from silver plated copper wire. But when plastic/man made tinsel was invented, it became very popular as it was much cheaper than metal tinsel and also lighter to go on the tree!
There are also folk stories about how tinsel was created - by The Christmas Spider!
These tales seem to have started in Eastern Germany, Poland or Ukraine but are also told in parts of Finland and Scandinavia. The stories are now also popular in other countries such as the USA; although I live in the UK and most people in my country have never heard of the story/legend!
All the versions of the story involve a poor family who can't afford to decorate a Tree for Christmas (in some versions the tree grew from a pine cone in their house, in others the family have bought a tree into the house). When the children go to sleep on Christmas Eve a spider covers the tree in cobwebs. Then on Christmas morning the cobwebs are magically turned into silver and gold strands which decorate the tree!
Some versions of the story say that it's the light of the sun which changed the cobwebs into silver and gold but other versions say it's St Nicholas / Santa Claus / Father Christmas / das Christkind which made the magic happen.
In parts of Germany, Poland, and Ukraine it's meant to be good luck to find a spider or a spider's web on your Christmas Tree. Spider's web Christmas Tree decorations are also popular in Ukraine. They're called 'pavuchky' (which means 'little spider') and the decorations are normally made of paper and silver wire. You might even put an artificial spider's web on your tree!
I Saw Three Ships
The tune of this carol is a traditional English folk song and the words of this carol (of which there are several versions) were written by wandering minstrels as they traveled through the country. In the original version of the carol, the Three Ships were the ones taking the supposed skulls of the wise men to Cologne cathedral in Germany. However, since the Middle Ages, when it was first written, there have been many different lyrics with different Bible characters being on the ships. The most common lyrics used today are about Mary and Jesus traveling to Bethlehem. Sing along to I Saw Three Ships! (on a different site)
I saw three ship come sailing in,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
I saw three ship come sailing in,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And what was in those ships all three?
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And what was in those ships all three?
on Christmas Day in the morning.
Our Saviour Christ and His lady,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
Our Saviour Christ and His lady,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And where they sailed those ships all three?
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And where they sailed those ships all three?
on Christmas Day in the morning.
All they sailed in to Bethlehem,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
All they sailed in to Bethlehem,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the angels in heaven shall sing,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the angels in heaven shall sing,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
And let us all rejoice again,
on Christmas day on Christmas day.
And let us all rejoice again,
on Christmas Day in the morning.
Good King Wenceslas
This carol was written in 1853 by John Mason Neale to a traditional folk tune (which had been used as a Spring carol for several hundred years!). It was written in the town of East Grinstead, in the county of West Sussex, at Sackville College where he was staying at the time. The story in the carol is about the King (or Duke) of Bohemia (an area in Central Europe which is now part of Czechia) from over 1000 years ago, seeing peasants, on Boxing Day, from his castle and taking food and wood to them. The story in the carol was probably completely made up to reflect the view that you should be charitable at Christmas. In fact the real story of King Wenceslas (907-935) is rather gory!
Wenceslas' father was the Duke of Bohemia and a Christian but it's thought that his mother might have been a pre-Christian/pagan. His father died when he was 12 and, as he was not old enough to become Duke until he was 18, his mother took control of the land as regent. During this time his grandmother, Ludmilla, took care of Wenceslas and brought him up as a Christian (she smuggled priests into the house to help teach him). It's thought that his mother had Ludmilla banished to a distant castle where she was murdered by the Queen's guards!
Wenceslas was still a Christian after this and learned to read and write, something which was unusual for even a King/Duke in those days! He had local Bishops smuggled in at night to teach him the Bible. When he reached 18, Wenceslas took control of his dukedom. He then defended Bohemia from a couple of invasions by Dukes of neighboring regions and legend says that he banished his mother and her pre-Christian/pagan followers from his castle.
Wenceslas put in a good education system and a successful law and order system, so the parts of the carol story about him being a kind King are certainly true!
After four years of happiness, when Wenceslas was 22, his brother Boleslav, became very jealous of Wenceslas and plotted (possibly with the pre-Christian/pagan followers of their mother) to kill Wenceslas. Boleslav invited Wenceslas to celebrate a saint's day with him, but on the way to the Church, Wenceslas was attacked and stabbed to death by three of Boleslav's followers!
The (fictitious) story told in the song was written by a Czech poet Václav Alois Svoboda in 1847. He wrote many 'manuscripts' that tried to prove that Czech literature was much older and more developed than it really was. The poem was written in three languages, Czech, German, Latin, and was called 'Sankt Wenceslaw und Podiwin' (Saint Wenceslas and the Crocheteer). The Poem found it's way into the UK in the 19th Century where JM Neale put the translated words to the tune of a 13th century spring carol 'Tempus Adest Floridum' ('It is time for flowering') that was came from a collection of old religious songs called 'Piae Cantiones' that was published in 1582 in Sweden/Finland!
So this Christmas song has got quite a confusing story behind it!
Sing along to Good King Wenceslas! (on a different site)
ALL:
Good King Wenceslas looked out,
upon the Feast of Stephen,
when the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even:
brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel,
when a poor man came in site,
gathering winter fuel.
KING:
Hither page and stand by me!
I you know it telling:
yonder man who is he,
where and what his dwelling?
PAGE:
Sir he lives a good way hence,
underneath the mountain;
right against the forest fence,
by Saint Agnes' fountain:
KING:
Bring me food and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither:
you and I will see him dine,
when we take them thither.
ALL:
Page and monarch forth they went,
forth they went together,
through the wild wind's loud lament,
and the bitter weather.
PAGE:
Sir the night is darker now,
and the wind grows stronger;
fails my heart - I know not how,
I can go no longer.
KING:
Mark my footsteps well my page,
follow in them boldly:
you shall find the winter's rage,
chills your blood less coldly.
ALL:
In his masters steps he trod,
where the snow lay even,
strong to do the will of God,
in the hope of Heaven:
therefore Christians all be sure,
grace and wealth possessing,
you that now will bless the poor,
shall yourselves find blessing.
Silent Night
The words of Silent Night were written by a Priest called Fr. Joseph Mohr in Mariapfarr, Austria, in 1816 and the music was added in 1818, by his school teacher friend Franz Xaver Gruber, for the Christmas Eve service at St. Nicholas church in Oberndorf, Austria.
Fr. Mohr asked Franz Gruber to compose the melody with a guitar arrangement. It was several years later that Franz Gruber wrote an arrangement for the organ. Historians who have conducted research in recent years believe that Fr. Mohr wanted a new carol that he could play on his guitar.
There is a legend associated with the carol that says, Fr. Mohr wanted the carol to be sung by the children of the village at the midnight Christmas Eve service, as a surprise for their parents. But in the middle of practising, the organ broke and not a note would come from it! So the children had to learn the carol only accompanied by a guitar. They learnt the carol so well that they could sing it on its own without accompaniment.
However, there are no records to indicate that a children's choir was involved or that the organ was broken!
At Midnight Mass in 1818, Fr. Mohr and Franz Gruber sang each of the six verses with the church choir repeating the last two lines of each verse. Mohr set down the guitar arrangement on paper around 1820 and that is the earliest manuscript that still exists. It is displayed in the Carolino Augusteum Museum in Salzburg. There are a number of manuscripts of various 'Stille Nacht' arrangements that were written by Franz Gruber in later years.
The original words of the song were in German (and it was called 'Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht') and the first translation into English went:
Silent night, holy night,
Bethlehem sleeps, yet what light,
Floats around the heavenly pair;
Songs of angels fills the air.
Strains of heavenly peace.
Now the first verse is normally translated as:
Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
It's thought that the song might have traveled around the area with an organ repairman, Karl Mauracher, who could have taken an early arrangement with him in about 1820. Then two singing families (like the 'Von Trappes' in The Sound of Music) seem to have discovered the song and performed it as part of their concerts. In December 1832, the Strasser family performed it at a concert in Leipzig. It was first performed in the USA in 1839 by the Rainer family, who sang 'Stille Nacht' at the Alexander Hamilton Monument outside Trinity Church in New York City. During this time the tune changed to the one we know and sing today!
It was translated into English in 1863 by John Freeman Young. The carol was sung during the Christmas Truce in the First World War in December 1914 as it was a song that soldiers on both sides knew!
By the time that the carol was famous, Fr Mohr had died. Franz Gruber wrote to music authorities in Berlin saying that he had composed the tune, but no one believed him and it was thought that Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven had written it! But then the 1820 manuscript was found and in the top right corner Fr Mohr had written: 'Melodie von Fr. Xav. Gruber.'.
It's now one of the most, if the most, recorded songs in the world! Sing along to Silent Night! (on a different site)
The 12 Days of Christmas
In England, between 1558 and 1829, it was not legal for Catholics to practice their kind of Christianity in public or private. Being a Catholic was treated as a bad crime. If you even owned a Catholic Bible, you could be put in prison! Catholics were stopped from worshipping because King Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic Church and started his own 'Protestant' Church (what is now the Church of England). There were many people who were still Catholics and they worshipped in secret.
'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was written in England at the beginning of this time. Some people think that it was written to help children learn about their Catholic religion. In the carol, the days are supposed to represent special symbols and have hidden meanings, because it was illegal to have anything in writing that would indicate that you were a Catholic.
But there's NO evidence that this is true and it seems most likely just to be a folk song and that the special 'Catholic' meanings were added at a MUCH later date!
Also, all the symbols can be used by Protestants and other Christians, not just by Catholics! There was another song called 'A New Dial' (also called 'In Those Twelve Days'), which goes back as far as at least 1625, which gave religious meanings to the 12 Days of Christmas, but NOT so people could practise their faith is secret. If you'd like to know more about this, please go to the 12 Days of Christmas page on snopes.com
The 12 Days of Christmas refer to the twelve day period that starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphany (6th January).
The song begins, "On the first day of Christmas my true love sent (or gave) to me...". In 'A New Dial' (and the legend/myth of the song having secret meanings), the 'true love' was meant to represent God, the true love of the world. The 'me' was meant to represent man or woman who receives these presents. The other meanings are given in 'A New Dial' are: (Extra item in brackets are extra meanings from the myth!)
| The 'partridge in a pear tree' means God. (In 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', it can also mean Jesus who died on the cross. In ancient times a partridge was often used as mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king. Partridges weren't introduced into England, from France, until the 1770s, which also points to any extra meanings being added later!) |
| The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. |
| The 'three French hens' are the Christian Trinity: God the Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (The hens could also mean faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy Spirit. [See 1 Corinthians 13]; or the Wise men who visited Jesus; or the three gifts they brought him!) |
| The 'four calling birds' (Originally 'four colly [or collie] birds' - an old name for Blackbirds; but there are some early versions with 'Coloured birds', 'Canary birds' and even 'Ducks quacking'!) are the four Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. (They could also mean the four major Old Testament prophets [Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel]; or the four horsemen of the Apocalypse!) |
| The 'five golden (or gold) rings' are the five senses. (They could also mean first five books of the Bible also called the Pentateuch, the Books of Moses or the Torah.) |
| The 'six geese a-laying' are the six days of creation. |
| The 'seven swan a swimming' are the seven 'liberal arts' studied in medieval universities. (They could also mean the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. [See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11]) |
| The 'eight maids a milking' are the eight beatitudes, Jesus' teachings on happiness. (See Matthew 5:3-10) |
| The 'nine ladies dancing' are the nine muses from Greek Mythology. (The ladies dancing could also mean fruits of the Holy Spirit. [See Galatians 5:22]) |
| The 'ten lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments in the Bible. (See Exodus 20) |
| The 'eleven pipers piping' represent eleven thousand [meaning a lot of people] who had been martyred (killed) for the Christian faith. (The pipers piping could also mean the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.) |
| The 'twelve drummers drumming' were the twelve disciples of Jesus (They could also mean the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed!) |
Some early versions also have the last four days/items in a different order: nine drummers drumming, ten pipers piping, eleven ladies dancing and twelve Lords a leaping. The order we have today was set in 1909 when it was published by Frederic Austin, a famous English singer and composer. He also added the extra beats in 'Five go-ld/gol-den rings' and starting each verse with 'On...'
If you were receive all the presents in the song, you'd get 364!
Day 1 - receive 1 gift
Day 2 - receives 3 additional gifts, making 4 total gifts
Day 3 - receives 6 additional gifts, making 10 total gifts
Day 4 - receives 10 additional gifts, making 20 total gifts
Day 5 - receives 15 additional gifts, making 35 total gifts
Day 6 - receives 21 additional gifts, making 56 total gifts
Day 7 - receives 28 additional gifts, making 84 total gifts
Day 8 - receives 36 additional gifts, making 120 total gifts
Day 9 - receives 45 additional gifts, making 165 total gifts
Day 10 - receives 55 additional gifts, making 220 total gifts
Day 11 - receives 66 additional gifts, making 286 total gifts
Day 12 - receives 78 additional gifts, making 364 total gifts received.
Sing along to The Twelve Days of Christmas! (on a different site)
Little Drummer Boy / Carol of the Drum
The Little Drummer Boy was written in 1941 by the American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis and she originally called it the 'Carol of the Drum'.
Katherine Kennicott Davis was born in January 1892 in Saint Joseph, Missouri. She taught piano at Wellesley College and wrote over 1000 choral works during her life, both sacred and secular.
The song tells the story of a boy who has nothing to give the baby Jesus, except to play him his drum.
The inspiration for the song might have come from a 17th century French carol 'Patapan' which has a similar theme of shepherds playing basic musical instruments for the baby Jesus. In an interview the chair of the musical department of Wellesley College it's stated:
"One day, when she was trying to take a nap, she was obsessed with this song that came into her head and it was supposed to have been inspired by a French song, ‘Patapan'. And then ‘patapan’ translated in her mind to ‘pa-rum-pum-pum,’ and it took on a rhythm."
The song was first recorded in 1951 by The Trapp Family Singers, the real life family behind the story in The Sound of Music. In 1957 The Jack Halloran Singers recorded an arrangement for a Christmas album, but with a slightly different arrangement. And this is the one we're familiar with today.
The song really became popular in 1958 when it was recorded and released as a single by Harry Simeone but still as the Carol of the Drum. It wasn't really known as The Little Dummer Boy until it appeared as that title on The Harry Simone Chorale's Christmas Album 'Sing We Now of Christmas' a year later in 1959.
In 1967 there was a TV special of The Little Drummer Boy which added to its popularity. Since then it's become a Christmas classic and has been recorded by all sorts of different artists from the duet of Bing Crosby and David Bowie, to the unique vocal stylings of Bob Dylan!
Sing along to Little Drummer Boy! (on a different site)
Christmas Star
A diamond shines no brighter
than that lovely Christmas star
It shines in all its brilliance
it's seen from near or far.
A symbol of the Christ child
as He lay upon the hay,
It tell to all the waiting world
a King was born that day.
O Bethlehem Star keep shining
give us faith and hope and love.
Keep our thoughts forever turning
to the Savior up above.
Give us strength and hope and courage
to do our best by far
And never falter in our faith
as we watch that Christmas star...
The first-ever artificial Christmas tree was a German tree made of dyed goose feathers.
How to Host a Traditional German Christmas Dinner
Traditional German Christmas CookiesLebkuchen is a classic German variation of a gingerbread cookie; it’s softer and chewier than the crisp, thin versions. This bar cookie version is like a really moist and cakey gingerbread. This dough, with its many spices, needs to ripen overnight before baking. It keeps up to 2 months, so it is a good choice to make ahead for your Christmas cookie tin.
The Christmas Stollen is one of the Germany’s favorite holiday treats. More than 2.5 million Stollen are purchased in German retail stores each year, and countless more are baked in home kitchens. This deliciously sweet and fruity cake (quite different from British fruit cake) has also gained great popularity in North America over the past twenty years. Now one can find a large variety of domestic and imported Stollen in almost all food stores here.
So the question arises: what differentiates an average tasting Stollen from a good or even great one?
And what defines the uniqueness of the famed Dresdner Stollen?
Here are some of the secrets revealed:
Top-quality Stollen are incredibly delicious, and
– if consumed in moderation –
will not add to your waistline.
They have just the right amount of moisture, yeasty texture, balanced taste, yet distinct individual flavors of each component and are not too sweet. The right amount of butter is key. Light Weight Stollen doughs contain up to 10% fats, Medium Weight Stollen contains up to 30% fats, and Heavy Weight Stollen contains up to 50% fats. Due to its high content of fats and fruits, Stollen keeps fresh and can be stored for a long time before getting rancid or stale. Although not light in calories, high-quality Stollen burns fast and does not make you feel heavy. Connoisseurs can taste the difference.
Dresdner Stollen (protected recipe under EU law)
According to EU law, the name Dresdner Stollen is protected; that is, products sold under this name had to be made in or around the city of Dresden. The protection of geographic origin preserves distinct identities, qualities, and recipes for well-known regional European specialties. Dresdner Stollen is one of these select few foods. The Dresden bakers have to join the Association for the Protection of Dresdner Stollen and abide by prescribed manufacturing rules: they have to make the Stollen by hand, can use only butter, – at least a 50% ratio to the amount of flour used – and can use only rum-soaked sultanas – at least a 65% ratio to the total weight of flour. All Dresdner Stollen have to pass inspections by fellow bakers before receiving a quality seal and the EU seal for protected geographic origin.
Raisins, Sultanas or Currants?
Stollen can be made with any of the three dried fruits; they just have to be from top quality suppliers. Many great stollen varieties use sultanas because of the lighter color. What is the difference?
Raisins are dried white grapes, made from distinct varieties, such as Thompson Seedless or Muscatel and are produced mainly in the USA, Turkey, Greece and Australia.
Sultanas are smaller, sweeter and lighter than raisins, with a distinctive golden-pale color and no seeds inside. They originated in Manisa, Turkey, and most sultanas still come from that country.
Currants are dried, black, seedless grapes originally produced in Greece.
They are also known as ‘raisins of the sun’.
For 1.5 kg of flour, use 300gr sugar, 625 g butter, 125g lard, 750g Raisins, sultana or currants (softened in rum), 375 g of candied lemon zest, 375 gr sliced almond, 110 g yeast, 1 dash of salt, grated lemon peel, and 250 g milk. Store in a cool place after baking, before it is ready to eat.
Voila! These are (part of) the secrets of how to make a great tasting Stollen.
If you just can't get enough of Germany's tempting Stollen fruit breads during the Christmas season then this recipe is for you! Use any Stollen, but the Edel-Marzipan filled one is particularly delicious. Look for genuine German Stollen by Bahlsen, Dahli, Dr. Quendt, Elzer, Kuchenmeister, Lieken, Oebel, Otto Schmidt, Reimann, Schlunder, and Schwermer to name just a few.
Servings 6
Recipe for Dresdner Stollen
Recipe for Stollen Bread and Butter Pudding
Stollen Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chunks & Caramelized Bananas
A Guide to German Christmas Cookie Brands
Recipes for Classic German Christmas Cookies
Ten Beloved German Christmas Traditions
The very first string of electric Christmas tree lights was created in 1882.
In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.
Read more Trivia.
