English Translation

To overcome Christian customs, wobo: but at that time above all this strange horseman, who in turn is none other than the one who ruled that the Roman Mithras cult on Decomber 25th Mold Rider: Wodan. Yes, in Pomerania one speaks garadezu of the day of the "sol invictus", the invincible sun god. "Wode, in Mecklenburg from the wild "Waul" and lets the "Witt- But also in the Nordic-Germanic habitat were the 12 nights molded" riding through the village. And in Thuringia from December 25th to January 6th wailing (ze the wihen nachten, the children speak in one breath the gift bearer as lord therefore "Christmas"). This time was full of mystical secrets, "Wude Nikolaus"! Even in East Prussia the mold in the donn in it closed death with the life cen ring of the eternal New Twelfth, but above all on the pre-Christmas day. The first creation. It is said that at Christmas Wodan goes with the wild army (the souls of the deceased Rccken) over the earth and the wife of the army of the good is Schimmelreiter. However, his horse consists only of a linen-covered. Wooden frame with a ge- Hollo with the train of the unboroned and dead children. Immeasurably carved and painted mold head, which he himself deep above the body was this strong and natural conception of the harmony and context of all living and toton and cesses sense-stülpt. He holds reins and whips in his hand, and so he runs from picture, the winter solstice celebration, so rooted in the German Seelo, house to house, followed by the similarly designed goat and that the Synod of Mainz in 813 the church celebration of the strongly biting stork. All three are dressed in white and stand out well from the dark pea bear, which the bearded bear-Christbirthfest also holds in Germany on the day of the winter leaders at the reins. At the very end, the "all woman" set the sun turn. But until the present are under or the "Parkemann" behind the group. And the old man bears the new ecclesial garment old feasts and customs alive, whose meaning is often no longer understandable to us dolls in the cradle, and the coupleman drags on his back oinen cuss stuffed man, whose boots are in height, but who still proclaim the silent power of the Old Norse myths. They collect noisy apples, peppercakes, and money, and afterwards place their frames with a particularly respected woman, who always tells the her - a boy — girl —: take out and wrap up the mold a mysterious 'When we speak the different the "smoker's blessing, whose wording has not yet been heard by a stranger. Children look at such familiar figures who say in the pre-Christmas period A boy — girl — or even on Christmas Eve itself The most famous Christmas symbol for us is, however, probably dor Christmas going from house to house and the night bcum. In his present form, he has only been bringing gifts for a few years, so we discover hundreds known — in a travel report from the year 1605 behind the all-fathers Wodan and Frikka we find for the first time the description of a fir tree. It is said that Mrs Holle or Mrs Harke, whose words are: "At Christmas, the Dannenbäum in Strasbourg is placed in the picture with that of the Nornen Stuben cuf, where you can cut roses from multicoloured paper in the "Christkind", apples, oblates, zish gold, sugar, etc. " of a new unit. But of the fact that one even decorates a tree with lights and needs it as a ceremonial sign, we have a much earlier customer. In the Protestant north of Germany mostly the Christmas calendar of 1152 is marked by the Christmas day by two at night man the greatest importance as a giver, in the south rather cross-wise laid trees, and around 1200 the Christkind writes. But very often they come together to the children; Santa Claus as a servant Ruprecht or Bishop Nikolaus in succession or as a harbinger of the Christ child, also as fur-dresses (Pelz-martin: Franken) and fur-nickel (Peltnikolaus: Hunsrück); in Lower Silesia he is the "Jussuff" (Josef) and in Transylvania the "Christ-mann" or the "Christian Angel". Manchmel is also simply called the "Christmas Gifter" (Stettin). But in the Bavarian Forest and in the Sudeten comes the "golden Rössel" ridden or also the "Golden Car", and so the folk song "Es raier" tells a gentleman to the Schlößli: 730 731