John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 1818

I believe that the Germans, if they had a minister, would tend to hold a church service on Christmas Day.  Whether there would be a Communion Service would depend on other factors.

On the dates that Sandra gave, Communion Services in 1775 and in 1776 were both held on Christmas Day, which tells us that it was not a requirement that the day be a Sunday.  If possible, they would like to hold a church service on Christmas Day regardless of when in the week that it came.  At Hebron, the Communion Services were generally held in the spring and fall, perhaps because of the weather and the demands on the farm.  We know of Communion Services on two Christmas Days when Jacob Franck was the minister (the ones in 1775 and 1776).  One year that he was there, there was no Communion Service on Christmas.  Later, two other Communion Services were held on Christmas.

The more general rule is that Christmas was a religious day with perhaps a big dinner afterwards.  I have read that even artifacts such as Advent Calendars and Manager Scenes were frowned on because they were regarded as idolatrous.  This was akin to worshiping images, and the Lutherans and Reformed were skeptical of images.  But, there was a lot of variation in individual churches.  Some Lutheran Churches used the building, altar, and images that the Catholics had been using.  Some simplified the presentation.  If you visited the Oberfischbach Church (Reformed), you would not see any images to speak of.

In the Eighteenth Century, I think you would find that Christmas was a religious day for the Germans, not a day for fun and frivolous affairs.

With the Amish, the day after Christmas is as sacred as Christmas Day.  Maybe Elke can tell us whether December 26 is a special day at this time for the conventional churches.
(02 Dec 03)

(Reply from Elke Hall, in answer to John's question above:

Christmas is still a sacred religious holiday in Germany, both for Catholics and Protestants.  The "Christkind" brings the gifts for children on Christmas Eve, and then there are two Christmas Holidays, the 25th and the 26th of December, where everything is closed!  If you forgot to buy something, tough luck!  No stores are open!  Families gather for a big dinner (at noon) on Christmas Day, after church services in the morning.  (The churches are not very crowded in cities today.  In smaller villages and towns, more people still go to church.

Christmas Eve in our house was always very special, my father trimmed the tree in the living room during the day, and my brother and I were not allowed to see it before nightfall.  My father had lost a leg in WWII and wore a wooden leg.  He rigged a little bell on a string in the wooden leg and when the bell rang, we were able to enter.  As long as we lived at home, my brother and I pretended not to know that he had the bell in his leg and that the Christkind actually rang the bell as a signal that it had left the living room.  Then the living room door was opened and the Christmas tree was trimmed with all kinds of ornaments and "Lametta" (tinsel) which had been hung individually and absolutely straight by my father (in true German order!) and all the candles on the tree were lit.  It truly was a special sight.  Everyone wished the other "Frohe Weihnachten", then we sang some Christmas songs, and then we were able to open the gifts under the tree.  They were of course not as numerous as today, we received a candy bar, oranges, a sweater, a book.  A few treats and 'useful' things.  Elke [02 Dec 03] )

(Second reply from Elke:

Just realized I didn't really answer John's question in my previous reply.  He is right, both Christmas Holidays are equally solemn and religious days and "family days".  Some parents in Germany are very upset that our American "Santa Claus" is getting more and more important to the children, mainly due to advertising in stores and on TV.  I read last year that some small town in Austria, I believe, actually had a petition not to let Santa Claus take over Christmas.  Elke [02 Dec 03] )

(Third reply from Elke:

On December 4 is Barbaratag (St. Barbara's day).  We used to cut branches from a fruit tree, like a cherry or apple tree, and place them in water.  If we were lucky, then the branches would blossom in the warm living room on Christmas day.  I think if the blossoms opened exactly on Christmas Day, it was a good sign for the future.  Since we have so many Germanna women named Barbara, I thought it might be a nice custom to follow.

On December 6 is Nikolaustag (St. Nikolaus Day) in Germany.  All the little children polish their shoes and put them outside the front door on the evening before (evening of December 5).  If they were good, then St. Nikolaus will fill the shoe with goodies, chocolates, and sweets.  If they were bad, he comes with his helper, Knecht Ruprecht, and puts a bunch of branches in the shoe for punishment.  That was the custom of the "Olden Days"; today's parents hopefully no longer use the switch!  Of course I always was a good little girl, always had oranges and candy in my shoe.  We always put our biggest boots out there, just so that there was enough room for all the goodies.  Elke [02 Dec 03] )