Donkey, angel, Christmas tree: an ABC of Christmas

Customs - Donkey, angel, Christmas tree: an ABC of Christmas

Christmas can stand for many things. If you just take the initial letters, your mind can start spinning. Here are a few ideas:

W for Christmas carols

Almost every carol has its own story. One of the best known is the stellar career of "Silent Night", which was invented by an assistant priest and an elementary school teacher in a small village near Salzburg around 1818. The song reached North America through groups of singers in the mid-19th century - and the whole world via missionaries. The song also accompanied ceasefires in the middle of the war, for example at Christmas 1914 on the Western Front in Flanders. Translations into around 300 languages and dialects are known today.

E for donkey

When nativity scenes are set up in Germany, they often feature animals that do not appear in the biblical Christmas story. The Gospel according to Luke only mentions shepherds tending their flocks - so probably sheep or goats. There are many attempts to explain the idea of a kind of mini-zoo in the stable near the manger. The ox and donkey could go back to the Old Testament, where it says: "The ox knows its owner and the donkey knows its master's manger." Sheep are a symbol of the faithful. In biblical times, the lamb was a classic sacrificial animal. Jesus is therefore also symbolized as the "Lamb of God" through his death on the cross. Herding dogs are among the symbolic animals of vigilance. The camel, horse and elephant are associated with the idea of the wise men from the East.

I for idyll

Today's idea of Christmas mostly dates back to the 19th century, when the celebration moved into the living room of the middle classes. Thomas Mann offers a good description in his novel "Buddenbrooks". In his 1978 sketch "Christmas at Hoppenstedt's", Loriot describes with a great deal of humor how difficult it is to meet all the expectations of the festive season. And this is still true today: 30 percent of families report quarrels, says book author Wolfgang Krüger. A third of all break-ups occur after Christmas. What helps? The psychotherapist advises talking a lot about the wishes of the couple before the festive season - and avoiding critical topics or leaving the living room before things get heated.

H for Three Wise Men

Bad luck for carol singers! Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar do not exist in the Bible. The Gospel of Matthew only mentions wise men from the East, but does not mention their names, number or rank. The legends are said to have begun around the third century AD. The names also stand for the three continents that were known at the time: Europe, Africa and Asia.

N for nutcracker

Tools in the form of figures to crack open nutshells have been around for centuries. But the traditional figure, usually dressed in the colorful habit of a soldier, king or miner, was born in the Erzgebirge in the late 19th century. Friedrich Wilhelm Füchtner from the toy-making town of Seiffen is considered to be the father of the turned nutcracker. He is said to have been inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann's fairy tale "Nutcracker and Mouse King" from 1816, in which the girl Marie receives a nutcracker as a Christmas present. The figure later became world-famous thanks to Peter Tchaikovsky's ballet. Today, alongside candle arches and pyramids, it is impossible to imagine Christmas markets between Tokyo and Texas without it.

A for Every year again

Christmas again, wasn't it just Christmas? Scientists have investigated why older people often have a different perception of time - as if time passes more quickly than when they were young. One explanation for this is processing patterns in the brain. The perceived duration of past events is strongly related to the number of new experiences. The more new emotions or unusual sensations are involved, the more "storage space" the brain needs to record memories. They therefore take up a lot of space and the associated event has a longer effect. In old age, there are usually fewer events that leave such a strong impression on the brain. This is why time seems to fly by.

C for Christ Child

Curly-haired, girlish and angelic, white dress, wings and halo: it was supposedly reformer Martin Luther who, as an opponent of the Catholic veneration of saints, replaced St. Nicholas with the Protestant counterpart of the Christ Child. In Luther's day at the beginning of the 16th century, only St. Nicholas was responsible for the gifts on December 6. However, since the Reformation, the Christ Child has taken over this task and secretly brings the presents on Christmas Eve. Today, children in Catholic regions tend to write wish lists to the originally Protestant Christ Child, while in Protestant regions Santa Claus, who is derived from St. Nicholas, usually takes over this task.

H for Christmas Eve

According to the Jewish and ancient Christian calendar, a day ends at sunset. The evening of December 24 (Christmas Eve) is therefore already part of Christmas Day according to the church's understanding. The birth of Jesus turns the night into a holy, consecrated night - "Christmas". Originally a day for fasting and praying, Christmas Eve with its gift-giving is now more important to many than the actual Christmas celebration on December 25. The Christian festival is close to the winter solstice, which different cultures celebrate as a new beginning: from December 23, the nights in the northern hemisphere become shorter again and the days correspondingly longer.

T for Christmas tree

Who doesn't know the catchy tune "O Tannenbaum"? Less well known is the curious history of this song. In its first version, it was the lament of a disappointed lover who, around 1820, set the lyrics "O little maiden, O little maiden, how false is your spirit" to a well-known melody. The fir tree, which kept its needles even in winter, seemed to him to be a symbol of fidelity in comparison to the maiden. But the unhappy love disappeared from the text. Since the First World War at the latest, only the version of the cheerful Christmas carol for children is known.

E for angel

The term is derived from the Greek word "angelos", which means messenger or envoy. They are already mentioned in the Old Testament as messengers of God. In the New Testament, an angel announces the birth of Jesus to Mary. Angels are familiar to Jews, Christians and Muslims - often in the image of immortal beings with wings. However, the peoples of the ancient Orient were already familiar with supernatural beings who guided destinies. They continue to inspire painters, poets, writers, musicians and filmmakers. In Wim Wenders' modern masterpiece "The Sky Above Berlin", for example, an angel gives up his immortality out of love for a woman.

N for Nazareth

The Christmas story according to the Gospel of Luke tells how Joseph sets out from the city of Nazareth with his pregnant wife Mary. On the orders of Emperor Augustus, he wants to register on a tax list in the town of Bethlehem. According to the biblical story, their son Jesus later grows up in Nazareth. Today, the town in the north of Israel with its picturesque alleyways and an oriental market in the old town has almost 80,000 inhabitants. Nazareth is one of the largest Arab cities in the country. Most of the inhabitants are Muslims, followed by Christians.

Read also:

North America was introduced to the popular Christmas carol "Silent Night" through groups of singers in the mid-19th century, originating from a small village near Salzburg.Wolfgang Krüger highlights that 30% of families report quarrels during the festive season, with 1/3 of all break-ups occurring after Christmas.In the historical Gospel of Matthew, only shepherds and their flocks are mentioned in the biblical Christmas story, but today's nativity scenes often feature a variety of animals, including a donkey and ox.Psychotherapist Wolfgang Krüger recommends discussing wishes before the festive season and avoiding critical topics to avoid quarrels during Christmas.The nutcracker figure, inspiring Christmas markets around the world, has its origins in the Erzgebirge candlemaker Friedrich Wilhelm Füchtner's workshop.According to researchers, the perception of time changes as we age; the more new experiences store in our brain, the longer the effect of those experiences, making time seem to fly by.Contrary to popular belief, the Three Wise Men do not appear in the Bible; it mentions only wise men from the East, and legends surrounding the characters emerged around the third century AD.The "Christ Child" as a central figure in the Protestant Christmas tradition originates from the teachings of Martin Luther, an opponent of the Catholic veneration of saints.During the Jewish and ancient Christian calendar, the night of December 24th, also known as Christmas Eve, is already part of the celebration of Christmas Day. The birth of Jesus is seen as a turning point, turning the night into a holy celebration.

Source: www.stern.de