- Christmas in Nazi Germany
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Christmas presents for the poor in 1935
The Christian festival of Christmas was celebrated in Nazi Germany, although with variations from traditional practice. It was referred to as "Julfest".
Contents
Changes during the Nazi era
Nazi ideologists claimed that the Christian elements of the holiday had been superimposed upon ancient Germanic traditions.[1] They argued that Christmas Eve originally had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ, but instead celebrated the winter solstice and the 'rebirth of the sun',[1] that the swastika was an ancient symbol of the sun, and that Santa Claus was a Christian reinvention of the Germanic god Odin. Accordingly, holiday posters were made to depict Odin as the "Christmas or Solstice man", riding a white charger, sporting a thick grey beard and wearing a slouch hat, carrying a sack full of gifts. Other changes were made to the manger, which was replaced by a Christmas garden containing wooden toy deer and rabbits; Mary and Jesus were also depicted as a blonde mother and child.[1]
The Christmas tree was also changed. The traditional names of the tree, Christbaum or Weihnachtsbaum, was renamed in the press as fir tree, light tree or Jul tree. The star on the top of the tree was sometimes replaced with a swastika, a Germanic "sun wheel" or a Sig rune.[1][2] During the height of the movement, an attempt was made to remove the association of the coming of Jesus and replace it with the coming of Adolf Hitler, referred to as the "Saviour Führer".[1]
Christmas carols were also changed. The words to "Silent Night" were changed so it made no reference to God, Christ and religion.[1] Words were also changed to the hymn "Unto Us a Time Has Come" so as to remove references to Jesus. The modified version of the hymn is still sung in modern-day Germany.[2][3] Shop catalogues containing children's toys made available during the holiday season regularly featured toy tanks, fighter planes and machine guns. As a sign of appreciation, Heinrich Himmler frequently gave SS members a Julleuchter ("Yule lantern"), a kind of ornate Germanic candlestick, some of which were made at Dachau concentration camp.[1][4] Housewives were prompted to bake biscuits in the shape of birds, wheels and swastikas for their children.[5]
German Volkssturm soldiers in Christmas 1944By 1944 the movement to remove Christian influences from Christmas lessened as the government concentrated more on the war effort.[1][5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Paterson, Tony (21 December 2009). "How the Nazis stole Christmas". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/how-the-nazis-stole-christmas-1846365.html. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ a b Boyes, Roger (17 November 2009). "How the Nazis tried to take Christ out of Christmas". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6919302.ece. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ "How Hitler and the Nazis tried to steal Christmas". Daily Telegraph. 17 November 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/6587738/How-Hitler-and-the-Nazis-tried-to-steal-Christmas.html. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ Smith, David Gordon (13 November 2009). "Swastikas and Tinsel: How the Nazis Stole Christmas". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,661161,00.html. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
- ^ a b "How Hitler's Nazi propaganda machine tried to take Christ out of Christmas". Daily Mail. 18 November 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1228630/How-Hitlers-Nazi-propaganda-machine-tried-Christ-Christmas.html. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
External links
- Inside a Nazi Christmas Party, 1941 - slideshow by Life magazine
Categories:- Christmas in Germany
- Religion in Nazi Germany
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