Day 5 - Christmas lights

[Angela1056]

I am old enough to remember that when I was a child there were no Christmas lights in the cities, at least until the early 50s. In Germany, where I was born and raised, candles were used inside houses and torches or lanterns outside. On windowsills, people would often place handmade wooden Christmas decorations with candles to lighten up the darkness of the night. Even the Christmas tree was strictly decorated with candles that were lit only on the evening of Christmas Eve, as per tradition in Germany.

In the mid-60s I moved to Italy, and once married, I designed and built our own family tree. It was made of green wooden strips, that had a hole in the center and were crossed on an iron stick. Every Christmas since then we’ve been assembling our handmade tree. It is decorated with candles, various wooden, straw and clay ornaments and has been in use for more than 50 years now! According to our tradition we light it on Christmas Eve and sometimes even on the evening of the Epiphany, if the candles have not been consumed before. You can see it lit in this photo. 

Among the many Christmas decorations in Germany there are also these "Weihnachtspyramiden" (Christmas pyramids) that were characteristic of Silesia, the area where I was born. It is a densely forested region, so wood was a material available to everyone. The large propellers, which are set in motion by the heated air that the candles produce, spin a two or sometimes three-story construction hinged on a central stick. Figurines of the Holy Family, and of the shepherds with the sheep are placed on the floors while at the very top there are the angels. These Weihnachtspyramiden are a small version of the nativity scene. Here you can see one of our Weihnachtspyramiden. Originally it was made of unfinished wood, but my husband wanted to color it and I must say that it turned out very well.

For Christianity light has always been a symbol of God's presence and so it is not surprising that during Christmas time lights are such a common decoration. But the Christmas period also coincides with the winter solstice, when you reach and then overcome the longest night of the year. Decorative lights then also celebrate the return to this new light of day. 

Many years ago, when we visited California, where our daughter Emanuela lives with her family, we saw that someone took the Christmas light idea to a whole new level…

[Ann72]

@Angela1056  I loved reading about your personal journey with Christmas lights.  Beautiful tree and Weihnachtspyramiden, which I'd never heard of until today!

[Angela1056]

Thanks @Ann72 I also always discover new things here on the Community Center!

[J-Renato0]

@Angela1056 

Congrats on the design and for building your own christmas tree. Very interesting, beautiful and lasting one!
If the tree is great the "Weihnachtspyramiden" to me is a master piece! Love it! Being me an almost retired engiener... I thought the "Weihnachtspyramiden" very beautiful and interesting !
It is a beautiful model and contains a type of machinery that is simple, interesting and ingenious at the same time. I didn't know this or this tradition.

[Angela1056]

Thank you @J-Renato0 , it's a pity that I can't upload a video to show you how good the Weihnachtspyramide works when the candles are on!

[Cathie19]

So nice to see and hear traditions and how they are still relevant. Have a wonderful Christmas @Angela105. May there be plenty of positive light for you and yours across the season as well as in 2022. 🕯

[Linda3273]

Merry Christmas @Angela1056 'Frohe Weihnachten' and thank you so much for sharing those wonderful traditions that your family shares every year. Your wooden Christmas tree is such an excellent idea and it is also very 'eco' which I really respect in this time of global warming on our planet. I also love your 'Weihnachtspyamiden' tradition which adds such a lovely festive theme to your family celebrations during the holiday season. Happy Holidays 😎

[Angela1056]

Thank you so much @Cathie19 and @Linda3273 for your kind words and appreciation. I really like being able to share my memories and traditions of my "Heimat" 

Frohe Weihnachten and Buon Natale to all of you!

[Helen427]

That is so beautiful @Angela1056 coming from a European family we also shared some of those natural wonders with wood.

There's something magical about hand made wooden and craft objects and Celebrations at Christmas.

It wasn't that long ago really we all had hand lighted Lamps in our streets.

Do you still have them in your neighborhood?

If you know where they are they are an added amenity for Guests to look out for on walks.

Wishing you all the best for Christmas across the yonder in sunny New Zealand x

[Angela1056]

Thanks @Helen427 for your words of appreciation! 

We don't have hand lightened lamps on the streets anymore but the municipality of the small village where I rent replaced all the ugly, modern street lamps with old fashioned ones that better suit the atmosphere of the old village.

Merry Christmas to you, too!