GERMAN CHRISTMAS

Colorful Christmas tree decoration, military-style
Christmas tree ornament: glass ball with the Iron Cross in the colors of the Reich

Over the course of the nineteenth century, Christmas advanced to become the middle-class family holiday. In National Socialism the Christian content of the holiday was substituted by the Teutonic "Christmas of the Volk." In the postwar period, the different world views in East and West influenced the way the holiday was celebrated. In socialism the religious meaning of the festival receded into the background, while people in the West plunged into the rush of Christmas shopping with increasing prosperity.

alternative Navigation To the first room of the exhibition: getting in the mood for the celebrations To the second room of the exhibition: the historical roots of Hanukkah To the third room of the exhibition: of the birth of a god and baby cribs: the beginnings of  Christmas To the fourth room of the exhibition: how the main holiday rituals originated and what they mean Light the Hanukkah candles in the right order To the fifth room of the exhibition: Hanukkah and the struggle against oppression “Väterchen Frost” music box, 1945-1989, Copyright: Dokumentationszentrum Alltagskultur der DDR e.V., photo: Jens Ziehe, Berlin To the seventh room of the exhibition: Chrismukkah - or: how holidays unite