The urban legend site (www.snopes.com) lets the pickle "stand." But I had heard was that the "pickle story" was invented by German glass blowers to sell ornaments. I cannot recall where I read this.
>>> [log in to unmask] 10/16/03 02:30PM >>>
I did an exhibit on Christmas traditions a few years ago, and one that I
found out about at that time was of the German Christmas Pickle. A
glass ornament in the shape of a pickle would be the last piece put on
the tree, after the kids had gone to bed on Christmas Eve. In the
morning, the first one to find the pickle received a special gift.
The origins for this tradition appear to be in a 15th century legend of
two young men (in some versions, they are boys) traveling from
university/school in Spain home to Germany for the holidays. They stop
at an inn along the way, where the innkeeper murders them for the money
in their pockets, then stuffs them into pickle barrels. St. Nicklaus,
traveling past that same inn later that night, senses what the innkeeper
has done, and miraculously restores the boys to life.
I did a quick search on this on the 'Net, and found only a brief
mention of the legend at
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/4373/legends.html#Pickle
Oddly, I also came across a number of websites where people were
disputing the origin of the Christmas pickle as not being German at all.
I didn't encounter any of that when I was first researching the
tradition in 2001.
Cheers,
------------------------------------------------------------
Tim McShane, Assistant--Cultural History
Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery
1302 Bomford Crescent S.W.
Medicine Hat, AB T1A 5E6
(403) 502-8587
>>> [log in to unmask] 10/15/03 01:24PM >>>
This holiday season our museum is focusing on the various customs
practiced by the different immigrant groups that settled Frederick
County in its early years. We have lots of things relating to food but
since there is no food allowed in the museum areas that is problematic.
I am planning on making some fake food, but we would like to include
other non-food traditions. I thought some of you might have some
suggestions. The main groups we are focusing on are German (and
Moravian), English, Irish, French, African-American (both slave and
free), Jewish (Chunakah), and Greek or Greek Orthodox.
I would also like any suggestions of suitable children's crafts
relating to ethnic customs. We do Scherenschnette (German paper cutting)
and Moravian paper stars, but both are a bit too complicated for young
children.
Thanks in advance.
Heidi Campbell-Shoaf
Curator
Historical Society of Frederick County
24 E. Church St.
Frederick, MD 21718
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