Christmas: the time to give extra attention
Christmas is pre-eminently the time to give extra attention to your living and working environment. Paul Jongerius says, “For me, it’s one of the most fun times of the year to work. The nice thing is that then I get to make it more beautiful everywhere.
We have it all in our homes; a tree, baubles, candles and often a nativity scene. But where did this come from? We celebrate Germanic/Norwegian and worldly holidays converted to Christian customs. December 21 is the darkest day in the northern hemisphere. For centuries, large fires were lit to celebrate on this dark day that the days were getting longer again and that spring was coming. People also did this to ward off evil. In our time, this is translated into the candles we burn.
Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree appears in all ancient civilizations. Celebrating the fertility of the earth, and the fact that the shortest day of the year has been. In winter there are no trees with leaves so it makes sense that pine trees were used for this purpose. The Egyptians celebrated these traditions centuries ago.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe was cut from the tree by the druids a day before the full moon with a bronze sickle. The Mistletoe was not allowed to touch the ground because it might lose its magical powers. Therefore, it was collected in a linen cloth. Various potions were made from the mistletoe to increase fertility. Later, the English and American tradition of kissing your lover under the Mistletoe became popular.
Christmas Ball
in the dark days of December, witch balls were hung up as far back as ancient times.
It served to deter evil by hanging the shiny glass balls. So that is also where gold and silver came from, these precious metals stood for prosperity and wealth. The round ball symbolizes the cycle of the year and this eventually became the Christmas ball.
Have you ever noticed that the Ox in the nativity scene is on the left next to Mary and the Donkey on the right next to Joseph? The ox is a pure animal that of course can only stand next to Mary who is also pure and pure. This is also why Mary is always depicted with the white lily. The donkey is not a pure animal and represents human urges. Just so it’s clear to everyone. With this beautiful symbolism, I wish everyone very happy holidays. Enjoy the beautiful days. Hopefully you will now look with slightly different eyes at the Christmas decorations that are now everywhere.”
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