Winter, Christmas, and the Christkind
The entrance to the Mainz Christmas market. Photo © Click Clack Gorilla
Though technically winter doesn’t start until the solstice—that is the shortest day and longest night of the year around December 22nd—for me the season is heralded by two things, regardless of the date: snow and Christmas markets. So now it finally feels official: though the Christmas market has been up and running since the end of November, the first snow arrived on my doorstep yesterday. The holiday season can begin.
In Germany December is dominated by Christmas celebrations. Red and gold and green and silver bobbles adorn shop windows and street lamps. Twinkle lights and bits of greenery are draped across streets. Little stands selling roasted chestnuts pop up on city corners, and the shopping district fills up with more traffic than it has seen all year. A part of every German city is transformed into a hut-speckled marketplace filled with visitors drinking Gluhwein (mulled wine), eating their way through the large selection of greasey or sugary snacks, and shopping for trinkets and gifts.
Growing up in America I had never been to a Christmas market, and then I marked the beginning of the season by the appearance of Santa Clauses around the city—sitting in temporary cabins at the mall for photos with children or ringing bells on street corners in order to collect donations for one charity or another. But you won’t see Santa Claus anywhere in Germany in late December. Here Santa, or St. Niklaus, comes on December 6th to fill children’s shoes, while it is the Christkind that brings presents to German children on Heilige Abend (December 24th).
At the heart of the Mainzer Christmas market. Photo © Click Clack Gorilla
Despite the fact that the Christkind is a part of every celebrating German’s Christmas tradition, I have yet to meet someone who could explain to me who exactly this person in white actually is and why I should expect it to bring me presents in late December. “It’s some sort of angel, I think,” a friend once told me. “Everyone has to leave the room and then the Christkind comes and puts the presents under the tree. Then a bell rings and you can go back in and open the presents. So you usually don’t even see him.”
“The name makes it sound like it’s Jesus who is bringing the presents,” I replied.
“Yeah, something like that,” was his vague answer. So finally I did what I always do when I want to know the story behind a foreign concept, and I turned to wikipedia. There I learned that the Christkind was an invention of Martin Luther during the Reformation, created “explicitly to discourage the figure of St. Nicholas.” And who is the Christkind exactly? Says wikipedia: “The Christkind is a sprite-like child, usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. Martin Luther intended it to be a reference to the incarnation of Jesus as an infant. Sometimes the Christ Child is, instead of the infant Jesus, interpreted as a specific angel bringing the presents, as it appears in some processions together with an image of little Jesus Christ.”
Christmas decorations pop up all over the city come December. Photo © Click Clack Gorilla
After over six years in Germany, my Decembers are now marked by many new traditions. Every year at least one visit to the Christmas market for a glass of something warm and a bag full of roasted chestnuts or a crepe smothered in Nutella. Far less snow than I was used to in upstate New York, but a sprinkling or two to keep me in the winter spirit. And though the Christkind won’t be visiting our house (neither will St. Nick for that matter), when bells start ringing in houses across Germany on December 24th, at least I’ll finally understand why.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! And for those who don’t: what makes your Decembers special?
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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wish i lived close enough to visit a christmas market…they look tasty
Where is the snow?
Just got back from my town’s Weihnachtmarkt where I looked at the crafts and feasted on nutella crepes and kinder punsch! Thanks for the explanation of the Christkind. A friend is her town’s Christkind and I was trying to find out why they name a teenage angel a Christkind!
PS Otel, it’s not always snowy in Germany. Luckily for us, though, we got snow earlier this week, so this weekend it was pretty for the opening of the markets.
Your article is partially correct, but the Christkind only comes to Catholic families.The Christchild was introduced, because Martin Luther invented Father Christmas, whose original name was Knecht Ruprecht. The Christchild was so to speak a reply to the new protestant meaning of Christmas.
Father Christmas comes to Protestants, Atheists and others who celebrate Christmas. He was a forester in the mountains of southern Saxony. Martin Luther, who also came from Saxony, heard of this man who went around all the houses in his village on Christmas Eve and layed apples and nuts out for them. Luther thought that Chistmas held very little for children and because one was meant to celebrate the birth of the Christchild who was then given gifts by the 3 Holy Kings, we should celebrate all our children and give them small gifts on Christmas Eve. And that is how “Santa” was born. — St. Nikolaus was a Byzantine bishop (from what is now Turkey) and lived many hundred years before Father Christmas. He was declared a Saint because he was helping the needy. It is said that he wore red, because he was a Bishop and wealthy. Father Christmas on the other hand wore green because he was a forester. Now, in Europe many countries celebrate St. Nikolaus Day (5th or 6th of December). Klaus comes from Nikolaus. And so the Dutch brought Santa Klaas (St. Nikolaus) over to America, where the Dutch and German influence created the anglo-american version of Santa Claus. — It was a German tradition also, to lay out carrots for Nikolaus’ horses, a glass of milk and a biscuit for Nikolaus himself. There you go …. Now, reindeers don’t eat carrots, but you’ll find that many kids in the US and the UK still put out carrots – you can’t get the myth out of the tradition … Nikolaus in Germany still lives in a forest and he comes on a horse sleigh, and we still put out carrots, hay, milk and cookies, too. And guess what, he brings us chocolates, nuts and fruits in a winter boot! And here’s your connection to the stocking. …. Father Christmas comes in person. No gifts under the tree but therefore a “colourful plate” with chocolates (hopefully Milka), oranges, dates, nuts and marzipan. We need to work for our presents. It is tradition to sing a Christmas song or recite a Christmas poem for each gift from Father Christmas. We also don’t party on Christmas – it is truely spiritual and calm celebration.
@ Otel
It doesn’t usually snow on Christmas unless you live in the mountains or high up in Scandinavia or some parts of Eastern Europe or maybe the Northern parts of Scotland, where snow falls early.
Unfortunately, for many of us a White Christmas is all too rare, but it does happen occastionally
Merry Christmas everyone!