Germany is the origin of many beautiful Christmas traditions which are derived from the country's history, folklore, and legends.

Christmas season in Germany starts at the beginning of Advent, which is four Sundays before Christmas Day. Advent wreaths are one of the many symbolic German Christmas traditions. These wreaths are decorated with four candles around the outer circle and with one large candle in the middle. The four outer candles symbolize the 4,000 years that the world had to wait for Christ's coming. One candle is lit the first Sunday of Advent with two being lit the second Sunday and so on. The large candle in the center is lit on Christmas Day.

he Christmas tree, or Tannenbaum, has its roots in pre-Christian Germany when eligious rites were held in the forests and trees were decorated with candles. The oak was sacred to the Germans, so it was often the oaks that were lit and not the pines. The use of evergreens can be traced back to the 8th century, which is when St. Boniface engaged in the common practice of adopting local pagan customs to help Christianize the indigenous peoples. He substituted the fir tree (Tannenbaum) for the oak and then dedicated it to Christ, making it the Christbaum. The Christmas tree is not the only familiar Christmas symbol that America gets from Germany. Santa Claus also had his origins there. When Germany was being Christianized in the early Middle Ages, St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop of Asia Minor, became popular there. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and his feast day is December 6th. A custom grew up where on the eve of St. Nicholas' feast day children would place their shoes or boots out for St. Nicholas to fill with candy and fruit, with the bad children getting twigs. St. Nicholas carried with him a book of sins with which he determined whether the child warranted the goodies or the twigs. Historically, St. Nicholas rode a white horse and he traveled with a dark-faced companion. After the Protestant Reformation in Germany, German authorities wanted to do away with the image of a Catholic saint distributing gifts, so the idea of Santa Claus was born. This included the white beard, red suit, and sleigh.

Food and drink are major players in the German Christmas celebration. In cities throughout Germany there are Christmas markets where one can enjoy all types of delicious Christmas edibles and beverages. Christmas goodies are plentiful. On Christmas Day many German families sit down and enjoy a plump roast goose for dinner.

We Americans share many of these traditions with our German friends. Germans make up the largest European ethnic group in the United States and have contributed greatly to the culture of the American melting pot.

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