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Since we are such an international group, I thought someone might be able to
help me with a question. Yesterday I was reading Victoria Magazine and came
across an ad for a set of decorations for a new bride. There were 12
decorations and each one represents a good wish for the couple. The ad said
it was a German tradition. I thought they would make great gifts for my friends who got married this
year, but they were $85 a set! Way out of my budget. So, I was hoping that someone out there would be able to provide a list of
the decorations and what they mean. I searched the web to no avail (lots of
sites on international Christmas traditions, but none that mentioned this
one) and didn't have any luck at the local library, either. Then I try to
find the decorations individually and hopefully for a lot less than $85! |
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- I'm Canadian, not German, but I just happen to be involved in a group
making "Bride Tree" decorations for a friend who is getting married. I had
never heard of it before either, but the girl who is organizing it had said
it was a german thing, so it must be the same thing. Here is a list of the
twelve decorations, and what they mean. -Cross-Eyed Cricket Collection has the charts for the decorations and a
keeping box. #139, 140, 141 -I came from Germany (southern part), and have never heard of this
tradition either...sometimes, I think the catalogs make these things
up. There is another catalog that claims it is a German tradition to
put a glass pickle on the tree- never heard of that one either.
We always put candles on our tree, and painted wooden decorations- some
are fairy tale characters, some are angels, and some are mushrooms (he
fairy-tale variety with the white-spotted red tops). It was also a
tradition to never decorate the tree before Christmas Eve, and the
decorating was done by the adults. I can remember peeking through the
keyhole to see what they were doing. Gifts were always distributed on
Christmas Eve, and Santa did not come on Christmas morning. St. Nick
came on December 6 with candies and a sack of coal.
My grandfather always used to hang tools- wrenches, hammers, and the
like- on the tree for a couple of days to bring the branches down.
One year, there was a new maid in the house, and he convinced her that
the tools were the actual decorations for the tree. Out of courtesy
she tried to act pleased, but he could tell that she was very
disappointed. When she saw the real thing her face really lit up! |
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