WEIHNACHTSZEIT IN DEUTSCHLAND (CHRISTMASTIME IN GERMANY)

We spent another busy week in the office. Among other things we completed country strategies for Türkiye, Belgium and the Netherlands. Seven countries down, two to go!

Each Tuesday afternoon Sister Enger, who is almost 80 years old offers a German culture class for senior missionary sisters. I have never taken the opportunity to go because of our workload. This week I decided to treat myself. We met in her cozy apartment. She had heating blankets on the floor for our feet- such a luxury on a bitter cold day. She taught us about German Christmas Traditions.

The Advent Wreath serves as a spiritual compass to prepare for Christmas. Each advent Sunday in December families gather, light a candle and focus on the weekly focal point: hope, peace, joy, and love. In America we hang wreaths on our doors; in Germany the wreaths are found on tables.

Advent Calendars are a wonderful tradition to count down to Christmas Day. We send our grandchildren advent calendars each year, lately of the Lego variety. This year we sent them one from Germany. Sister Enger showed us a simple advent calendar like she and her son used to make. They cut down an evergreen bough and tied Christmas thoughts on the limbs. They bicycled through the snow to deliver them to neighbors and friends.

December 6 is Saint Nicholas Day. St Nicholas was born during the third century in a village in modern day Türkiye. His wealthy parents raised him to be a devout Christian, but they died in an epidemic while he was still young. Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the poor, sick and suffering. As a bishop he was known for his generosity to those in need and his dedication to the protection of children. Legends told through the centuries help explain why he was the inspiration behind Santa Claus. On the eve of December 5th German children place their shoes outside their doors. St Nicholas fills the shoes with small gifts and sweets and checks up on the children to see if they were good, polite, and helpful over the last year.

Krampus is said to accompany St Nicholas on the night of December 5. While Saint Nickolas rewards well-behaved children with small gifts, Krampus punishes badly behaved ones with birch rods. He grabs naughty children and stuffs them in his sack.

Sister Enger has a lovely collection of Christmas angels. They have been crafted in Grunhainichen in the Ore mountains for over 100 years.

Elder Lamb has been painting every night preparing Christmas gifts for the missionaries and employees in the Welfare and Self-reliance department. He has done a watercolor of a temple that has meaning to each person.

On Saturday we enjoyed a Christmas Market at Ronneburg castle. A medieval fortress was built here in the 1200’s to protect trade routes. It is one of the few hilltop castles in Germany that has been preserved in its original 16th century state. The castle has a 97 meter deep well with an old treadmill to bring up the water. A fire burns in the historic castle kitchen. We climbed to the top of the tower.