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Many families begin the celebration on Heiligabend (literally, Holy Evening, or Christmas Eve) in the afternoon or evening. Although there are two legal holidays in Germany, [Austria], most cantons of Switzerland and Liechtenstein for Christmas, Christmas Eve is not one of them, and in Switzerland, many companies and stores are open for a half-day in the morning until 4 p.m, after which ...
Saxony’s Ore Mountain (German: Erzgerbirge) region [3] is one of the closely associated producers of this type of Christmas decoration [4] since the 19th century. Over the years, the Ore Mountains in Germany has become synonymous with high quality Christmas craftsmanship. [5] Mining was the economic driver of this area.
An example at the Christmas market in Düsseldorf. Christmas pyramids were originally hung from the ceiling of German families' houses. The custom spread across Europe, mainly to Italy and England and was brought to America by German immigrants in the 18th century. The origins of the Christmas pyramids date back to the Middle Ages.
As TIME Magazine reported, it is widely believed that in the Middle Ages, modern-day Germany revealed the first real Christmas trees. After all, "In 1419, a guild in Freiburg put up a tree ...
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The Belsnickel character originated in the Palatinate. When people immigrated to Pennsylvania, they brought their German traditions with them. [6] Belsnickel was known in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. [4] Amongst the Pennsylvania Germans, Belsnickel is the character who visits homes prior to Christmas to check up on the behavior of the children.
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition. Back in the 1600s, trees displayed in homes were not decorated with glass ornaments, but rather fruit.
Donald Heinz, a professor at California State University, Chico, states that Martin Luther "inaugurated a period in which Germany would produce a unique culture of Christmas, much copied in North America". [45] Among the congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church, Christmas was celebrated as one of the principal evangelical feasts. [46]