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Item:203747983242NUTCRACKER THEATRE HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE Christmas decoration ballet diorama RARE. (wikipedia.org). He bows to her, she kisses Clara goodbye, and leads them to a reindeer-drawn sleigh. It takes off as they wave goodbye to all the subjects who wave back. 3 Children's Gallop and Dance of the Parents Petit galop des enfants et Entrée des parents Детский галоп и вход (танец) родителей Presto – Andante – Allegro. Check out my other new & used items>>>>>>HERE! (click me) FOR SALE: A rare and retired interactive Christmas-themed centerpiece! 2009 MERI GO ROUND "THE NUTCRACKER TALE" THEATRE CENTERPIECE DETAILS: A stunning centerpiece perfect for adding a whimsical touch to your holiday décor! This eye-catching, diorama style centerpiece from Meri Go Round (A.K.A. Meri Meri) is sure to delight
family and guests this holiday season. "The Nutcracker Tale" theatre centerpiece will enchant young diners at the children's
table and entertain adults as they watch the characters glide across the stage with the practical use of
magnets! Perfect for displaying on a entryway (foyer) table, buffet table, end table, coffee table, or dinner table. Imagined
by Meri Go Round (A.K.A. Meri Meri) - a company known for creating
beautiful and
unique paper decorations, party supplies and on trend home décor since
the mid-'80s. "The Nutcracker Tale"
centerpiece kit includes a theater, instructions, magnetic wands, a
Christmas tree set piece, and four characters: Clara holding a
nutcracker, the Nutcracker, the Mouse King and the Sugar Plum Fairy and
her Cavalier. Each of the characters has a magnet on the base. You can use the included magnetic wands to have the characters glide on
the stage as you reenact the iconic The Nutcracker ballet. The characters
and scenery are made of thick cardstock paper and embellished with
glitter, metallic paper, ribbon, and tulle while the theater is made of a thick and sturdy cardboard printed with a holiday inspired floral design in teal and pinks. S imple to assemble with no gluing or cutting required! Stands approximately 12 inches tall when assembled. A retired Meri Go Round (Meri Meri) product! The "The Nutcracker Tale" theatre centerpiece from Meri Go Round was sold only during the 2009 holiday season and has since been
retired and is very hard to find - making it a rare holiday collectible. Manufacture Year: 2009 Brand: Meri Go Round (A.K.A. Meri Meri) Designed In: England Made In: China Item No.: 45-0182 CONDITION: New. The box has some storage wear. Please see
photos. *To ensure safe delivery items are carefully packaged before shipping out.* THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK. *ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.* "The
Nutcracker (Russian: Щелкунчик[a], tr. Shchelkunchik About this
soundlisten (help·info)) is an 1892 two-act ballet ("fairy ballet";
Russian: балет-феерия, balet-feyeriya), originally choreographed by
Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
(Op. 71). The libretto is adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann's story "The
Nutcracker and the Mouse King". Although the original production
was not a success, the 20-minute suite that Tchaikovsky extracted from
the ballet was. The complete Nutcracker has enjoyed enormous popularity
since the late 1960s and is now performed by countless ballet companies,
primarily during the Christmas season, especially in North America.[1]
Major American ballet companies generate around 40% of their annual
ticket revenues from performances of The Nutcracker.[2][3] The ballet's
score has been used in several film adaptations of Hoffmann's story. Tchaikovsky's
score has become one of his most famous compositions. Among other
things, the score is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument
that the composer had already employed in his much lesser known
symphonic ballad The Voyevoda.... Composition After
the success of The Sleeping Beauty in 1890, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, the
director of the Imperial Theatres, commissioned Tchaikovsky to compose a
double-bill program featuring both an opera and a ballet. The opera
would be Iolanta. For the ballet, Tchaikovsky would again join forces
with Marius Petipa, with whom he had collaborated on The Sleeping
Beauty. The material Petipa chose was an adaptation of E. T. A.
Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", by Alexandre Dumas
called "The Story of a Nutcracker".[4] The plot of Hoffmann's story
(and Dumas' adaptation) was greatly simplified for the two-act ballet.
Hoffmann's tale contains a long flashback story within its main plot
titled "The Tale of the Hard Nut", which explains how the Prince was
turned into the Nutcracker. This had to be excised for the ballet.[5] Petipa
gave Tchaikovsky extremely detailed instructions for the composition of
each number, down to the tempo and number of bars.[4] The completion of
the work was interrupted for a short time when Tchaikovsky visited the
United States for twenty-five days to conduct concerts for the opening
of Carnegie Hall.[6] Tchaikovsky composed parts of The Nutcracker in
Rouen, France.[7] History Saint Petersburg premiere (Left to
right) Lydia Rubtsova as Marianna, Stanislava Belinskaya as Clara and
Vassily Stukolkin as Fritz, in the original production of The Nutcracker
(Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, 1892) Varvara
Nikitina as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Pavel Gerdt as the Cavalier, in a
later performance in the original run of The Nutcracker, 1892 The
first performance of The Nutcracker was not deemed a success.[8] The
reaction to the dancers themselves was ambivalent. While some critics
praised Dell'Era on her pointework as the Sugar Plum Fairy (she
allegedly received five curtain-calls), one critic called her
"corpulent" and "podgy". Olga Preobrajenskaya as the Columbine doll was
panned by one critic as "completely insipid" and praised as "charming"
by another.[9] Alexandre Benois described the choreography of the
battle scene as confusing: "One can not understand anything. Disorderly
pushing about from corner to corner and running backwards and forwards –
quite amateurish."[9] The libretto was criticized as
"lopsided"[10] and for not being faithful to the Hoffmann tale. Much of
the criticism focused on the featuring of children so prominently in the
ballet,[11] and many bemoaned the fact that the ballerina did not dance
until the Grand Pas de Deux near the end of the second act (which did
not occur until nearly midnight during the program).[10] Some found the
transition between the mundane world of the first scene and the fantasy
world of the second act too abrupt.[4] Reception was better for
Tchaikovsky's score. Some critics called it "astonishingly rich in
detailed inspiration" and "from beginning to end, beautiful, melodious,
original, and characteristic".[12] But this also was not unanimous, as
some critics found the party scene "ponderous" and the Grand Pas de Deux
"insipid".[13] Subsequent productions Main article: List of productions of The Nutcracker Olga
Preobrajenska as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nikolai Legat as Prince
Coqueluche in the Grand pas de deux in the original production of The
Nutcracker. Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, c. 1900 In
1919, choreographer Alexander Gorsky staged a production which
eliminated the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier and gave their dances
to Clara and the Nutcracker Prince, who were played by adults instead of
children. This was the first production to do so. An abridged version
of the ballet was first performed outside Russia in Budapest (Royal
Opera House) in 1927, with choreography by Ede Brada.[14] In 1934,
choreographer Vasili Vainonen staged a version of the work that
addressed many of the criticisms of the original 1892 production by
casting adult dancers in the roles of Clara and the Prince, as Gorsky
had. The Vainonen version influenced several later productions.[4] The
first complete performance outside Russia took place in England in
1934,[8] staged by Nicholas Sergeyev after Petipa's original
choreography. Annual performances of the ballet have been staged there
since 1952.[15] Another abridged version of the ballet, performed by the
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, was staged in New York City in 1940,[16]
Alexandra Fedorova – again, after Petipa's version.[8] The ballet's
first complete United States performance was on 24 December 1944, by the
San Francisco Ballet, staged by its artistic director, Willam
Christensen, and starring Gisella Caccialanza as the Sugar Plum Fairy,
and Jocelyn Vollmar as the Snow Queen.[17][8] After the enormous success
of this production, San Francisco Ballet has presented Nutcracker every
Christmas Eve and throughout the winter season, debuting new
productions in 1944, 1954, 1967, and 2004. The original Christensen
version continues in Salt Lake City, where Christensen relocated in
1948. It has been performed every year since 1963 by the
Christensen-founded Ballet West.[18] The New York City Ballet
gave its first annual performance of George Balanchine's reworked
staging of The Nutcracker in 1954.[8] The performance of Maria Tallchief
in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy helped elevate the work from
obscurity into an annual Christmas classic, and the industry's most
reliable box-office draw. Critic Walter Terry remarked "Maria Tallchief,
as the Sugar Plum Fairy, is herself a creature of magic, dancing the
seemingly impossible with effortless beauty of movement, electrifying us
with her brilliance, enchanting us with her radiance of being. Does she
have any equals anywhere, inside or outside of fairyland? While
watching her in The Nutcracker, one is tempted to doubt it."[19] Since
Gorsky, Vainonen and Balanchine's productions, many other
choreographers have made their own versions. Some institute the changes
made by Gorsky and Vainonen while others, like Balanchine, utilize the
original libretto. Some notable productions include Rudolf Nureyev's
1963 production for the Royal Ballet, Yury Grigorovich for the Bolshoi
Ballet, Mikhail Baryshnikov for the American Ballet Theatre, Kent
Stowell for Pacific Northwest Ballet starting in 1983, and Peter Wright
for the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. In recent years,
revisionist productions, including those by Mark Morris, Matthew Bourne,
and Mikhail Chemiakin have appeared; these depart radically from both
the original 1892 libretto and Vainonen's revival, while Maurice
Béjart's version completely discards the original plot and characters.
In addition to annual live stagings of the work, many productions have
also been televised or released on home video.[1] Roles The
following extrapolation of the characters (in order of appearance) is
drawn from an examination of the stage directions in the score.[20] Act I Herr Stahlbaum His wife His children, including: Clara, his daughter, sometimes known as Marie or Masha Fritz, his son Louise, his daughter Children Guests Parents dressed as incroyables Herr Drosselmeyer His nephew (in some versions) who resembles the Nutcracker Prince and is played by the same dancer Dolls (spring-activated, sometimes all three dancers instead): Harlequin and Columbine, appearing out of a cabbage (1st gift) Vivandière and a Soldier (2nd gift) Nutcracker (3rd gift, at first a normal-sized toy, then full-sized and "speaking", then a Prince) Owl (on clock, changing into Drosselmeyer) Mice Sentinel (speaking role) The Bunny Soldiers (of the Nutcracker) Mouse King Snowflakes (sometimes Snow Crystals, sometimes accompanying a Snow Queen and King) Act II Ivan Vsevolozhsky's original costume sketch for The Nutcracker (1892) Angels and/or Fairies Sugar Plum Fairy Clara/Marie The Nutcracker Prince 12 Pages Eminent members of the court Spanish dancers (Chocolate) Arabian dancers (Coffee) Chinese dancers (Tea) Russian dancers (Candy Canes) Danish shepherdesses / French mirliton players (Marzipan) Mother Ginger Polichinelles (Mother Ginger's Children) Dewdrop Flowers Sugar Plum Fairy's Cavalier Plot Below
is a synopsis based on the original 1892 libretto by Marius Petipa. The
story varies from production to production, though most follow the
basic outline. The names of the characters also vary. In the original
Hoffmann story, the young heroine is called Marie Stahlbaum and Clara
(Klärchen) is her doll's name. In the adaptation by Dumas on which
Petipa based his libretto, her name is Marie Silberhaus.[5] In still
other productions, such as Baryshnikov's, Clara is Clara Stahlbaum
rather than Clara Silberhaus. Act I Scene 1: The Stahlbaum Home Konstantin Ivanov's original sketch for the set of The Nutcracker (1892) The
ballet is set on Christmas Eve, where family and friends have gathered
in the parlor to decorate the beautiful Christmas tree in preparation
for the party. Once the tree is finished, the children are summoned.
They stand in awe of the tree sparkling with candles and decorations. The
party begins.[21] A march is played.[22] Presents are given out to the
children. Suddenly, as the owl-topped grandmother clock strikes eight, a
mysterious figure enters the room. It is Drosselmeyer, a local
councilman, magician, and Clara's godfather. He is also a talented
toymaker who has brought with him gifts for the children, including four
lifelike dolls who dance to the delight of all.[23] He then has them
put away for safekeeping. Clara and her brother Fritz are sad to
see the dolls being taken away, but Drosselmeyer has yet another toy for
them: a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man, which
the other children ignore. Clara immediately takes a liking to it, but
Fritz accidentally breaks it. Clara is heartbroken, but Drosselmeyer
fixes the nutcracker, much to everyone's relief. During the
night, after everyone else has gone to bed, Clara returns to the parlor
to check on her beloved nutcracker. As she reaches the little bed, the
clock strikes midnight and she looks up to see Drosselmeyer perched atop
it. Suddenly, mice begin to fill the room and the Christmas tree begins
to grow to dizzying heights. The nutcracker also grows to life size.
Clara finds herself in the midst of a battle between an army of
gingerbread soldiers and the mice, led by their king. The mice begin to
eat the gingerbread soldiers. The nutcracker appears to lead the
soldiers, who are joined by tin soldiers, and by dolls who serve as
doctors to carry away the wounded. As the seven-headed Mouse King
advances on the still-wounded nutcracker, Clara throws her slipper at
him, distracting him long enough for the nutcracker to stab him.[24] Scene 2: A Pine Forest The
mice retreat and the nutcracker is transformed into a handsome
Prince.[25] He leads Clara through the moonlit night to a pine forest in
which the snowflakes dance around them, beckoning them on to his
kingdom as the first act ends.[26][27] Act II Scene 1: The Land of Sweets Ivan Vsevolozhsky's original costume designs for Mother Gigogne and her Polichinelle children, 1892 Clara
and the Prince travel to the beautiful Land of Sweets, ruled by the
Sugar Plum Fairy in the Prince's place until his return. He recounts for
her how he had been saved from the Mouse King by Clara and transformed
back into himself. In honor of the young heroine, a celebration of
sweets from around the world is produced: chocolate from Spain, coffee
from Arabia,[28][29] tea from China,[30] and candy canes from Russia[31]
all dance for their amusement; Danish shepherdesses perform on their
flutes;[32] Mother Ginger has her children, the Polichinelles, emerge
from under her enormous hoop skirt to dance; a string of beautiful
flowers perform a waltz.[33][34] To conclude the night, the Sugar Plum
Fairy and her Cavalier perform a dance.[35][36] A final waltz is
performed by all the sweets, after which the Sugar Plum Fairy ushers
Clara and the Prince down from their throne. He bows to her, she kisses
Clara goodbye, and leads them to a reindeer-drawn sleigh. It takes off
as they wave goodbye to all the subjects who wave back. In the
original libretto, the ballet's apotheosis "represents a large beehive
with flying bees, closely guarding their riches".[37] Just like Swan
Lake, there have been various alternative endings created in productions
subsequent to the original. Musical sources and influences This
section needs additional citations for verification. Please help
improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "The
Nutcracker" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December
2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The
Nutcracker is one of the composer's most popular compositions. The music
belongs to the Romantic period and contains some of his most memorable
melodies, several of which are frequently used in television and film.
(They are often heard in TV commercials shown during the Christmas
season.[38]) Tchaikovsky is said to have argued with a friend who
wagered that the composer could not write a melody based on a
one-octave scale in sequence. Tchaikovsky asked if it mattered whether
the notes were in ascending or descending order and was assured it did
not. This resulted in the Adagio from the Grand pas de deux, which, in
the ballet, nearly always immediately follows the "Waltz of the
Flowers". A story is also told that Tchaikovsky's sister Alexandra (9
January 1842 — 9 April 1891[39]) had died shortly before he began
composition of the ballet and that his sister's death influenced him to
compose a melancholy, descending scale melody for the adagio of the
Grand Pas de Deux.[40] However, it is more naturally perceived as a
dreams-come-true theme because of another celebrated scale use, the
ascending one in the Barcarolle from The Seasons.[41] Variation of the Sugar Plum Fairy (1:46) Menu 0:00 Danse de la Fée-Dragée (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy) is the third pas de deux in Act II Problems playing this file? See media help. Tchaikovsky
was less satisfied with The Nutcracker than with The Sleeping Beauty.
(In the film Fantasia, commentator Deems Taylor observes that he "really
detested" the score.) Tchaikovsky accepted the commission from
Vsevolozhsky but did not particularly want to write the ballet[42]
(though he did write to a friend while composing it, "I am daily
becoming more and more attuned to my task").[43] Instrumentation The music is written for an orchestra with the following instrumentation. Woodwinds 3 flutes (2nd and 3rd doubling on piccolo) 2 oboes 1 cor anglais 2 clarinets in B♭ and A 1 bass clarinet in B♭ 2 bassoons Brass 4 French horns in F 2 trumpets in A and B♭ 2 tenor trombones 1 bass trombone 1 tuba Percussion Timpani Snare drum Cymbals Bass drum Triangle Tambourine Castanets Tam-tam Glockenspiel "Toy instruments" (rattle, trumpet, drum, cuckoo, quail, cymbals, and rifle) Keyboard Celesta Voice Soprano and alto chorus Strings 2 harps Violin I's Violins II's Violas Violoncellos Double basses Musical scenes From the Imperial Ballet's 1892 program Titles
of all of the numbers listed here come from Marius Petipa's original
scenario as well as the original libretto and programs of the first
production of 1892. All libretti and programs of works performed on the
stages of the Imperial Theatres were titled in French, which was the
official language of the Imperial Court, as well as the language from
which balletic terminology is derived. Casse-Noisette. Ballet-féerie in two acts and three tableaux with apotheosis. Act I Petite ouverture Scène: Une fête de Noël Marche et petit galop des enfants Danse des incroyables et merveilleuses Entrée de Drosselmeyer Danses des poupées mécaniques— Le Soldat et la vivandière Arlequin et Colombine (originally composed for a She-devil and a He-devil) Le Casse-Noisette—Polka et la berceuse Danse "Großvater" Grand scène fantastique: la métamorphose du salon La bataille de Casse-Noisette et du Roi des souris Le voyage Valse des flocons de neige Act II Entr'acte Grand scène de Confiturembürg Grand divertissement— "Chocolat"—Danse espagnole "Café"—Danse arabe "Thé"—Danse chinoise Danse des Bouffons Danse des mirlitons La mère Gigogne et les polichinelles Grand ballabile (Waltz of the Flowers) Pas de deux— Adage Variation du Prince Coqueluche (M. Pavel Gerdt) Variation de la Fée-Dragée (Mlle Antoinetta Dell'Era) Coda Coda générale Apothéose: Une ruche Structure List
of acts, scenes (tableaux) and musical numbers, along with tempo
indications. Numbers are given according to the original Russian and
French titles of the first edition score (1892), the piano reduction
score by Sergei Taneyev (1892), both published by P. Jurgenson in
Moscow, and the Soviet collected edition of the composer's works, as
reprinted Melville, New York: Belwin Mills [n.d.][44] Scene No. English title French title Russian title Tempo indication Notes Listen Act I Miniature Overture Ouverture miniature Увертюра Allegro giusto Menu 0:00 Tableau
I 1 Scene (The Christmas Tree) Scène (L'arbre de Noël)
Сцена (Сцена украшения и зажигания ёлки) Allegro non troppo – Più
moderato – Allegro vivace scene of decorating and lighting the
Christmas tree 2 March (also March of the Toy Soldiers) Marche Марш Tempo di marcia viva Menu 0:00 3
Children's Gallop and Dance of the Parents Petit galop des
enfants et Entrée des parents Детский галоп и вход (танец) родителей
Presto – Andante – Allegro 4 Dance Scene (Arrival
of Drosselmeyer) Scène dansante Сцена с танцами Andantino –
Allegro vivo – Andantino sostenuto – Più andante – Allegro molto vivace –
Tempo di Valse – Presto Drosselmeyer's arrival and distribution of
presents 5 Scene and Grandfather Waltz Scène et danse du
Gross-Vater Сцена и танец Гросфатер Andante – Andantino –
Moderato assai – Andante – L'istesso tempo – Tempo di Gross-Vater –
Allegro vivacissimo 6 Scene (Clara and the Nutcracker)
Scène Сцена Allegro semplice – Moderato con moto – Allegro
giusto – Più allegro – Moderato assai departure of the guests 7 Scene (The Battle) Scène Сцена Allegro vivo Tableau II 8 Scene (A Pine Forest in Winter) Scène Сцена Andante a.k.a. "Journey through the Snow" 9
Waltz of the Snowflakes Valse des flocons de neige Вальс
снежных хлопьев Tempo di Valse, ma con moto – Presto Act II Tableau III 10 Scene (The Magic Castle in the Land of Sweets) Scène Сцена Andante introduction 11
Scene (Clara and Nutcracker Prince) Scène Сцена Andante
con moto – Moderato – Allegro agitato – Poco più allegro – Tempo
precedente arrival of Clara and the Prince 12 Divertissement Divertissement Дивертисмент a.
Chocolate (Spanish Dance) a. Le chocolat (Danse espagnole) a.
Шоколад (Испанский танец) Allegro brillante b. Coffee (Arabian Dance) b. Le café (Danse arabe) b. Кофе (Арабский танец) Commodo Menu 0:00 c. Tea (Chinese Dance) c. Le thé (Danse chinoise) c. Чай (Китайский танец) Allegro moderato Menu 0:00 d.
Trepak (Russian Dance) d. Trépak (Danse russe) d. Трепак
(русский танец, карамельная трость)[45] Tempo di Trepak, Presto
Menu 0:00 e. Dance of the Reed Flutes e. Les Mirlitons
(Danse des Mirlitons) e. Танец пастушков (Датский марципан)[45]
Andantino Menu 0:00 f. Mother Ginger and the
Polichinelles f. La mère Gigogne et les polichinelles f.
Полишинели Allegro giocoso – Andante – Allegro vivo 13 Waltz of the Flowers Valse des fleurs Вальс цветов Tempo di Valse Menu 0:00 14 Pas de Deux Pas de deux Па-де-дё
a. Intrada (Sugar Plum Fairy and Her Cavalier) a. La Fée-Dragée et
le Prince Orgeat a. Танец принца Оршада и Феи Драже Andante
maestoso b. Variation I: Tarantella b. Variation I:
Tarantelle (Pour le danseur) b. Вариация I: Тарантелла Tempo di
Tarantella c. Variation II: Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy c. Variation II: Danse de la Fée-Dragée (Pour la danseuse)
c. Вариация II: Танец Феи Драже Andante ma non troppo – Presto
Menu 0:00 d. Coda d. Coda d. Кода Vivace assai 15
Final Waltz and Apotheosis Valse finale et Apothéose
Финальный вальс и Апофеоз Tempo di Valse – Molto meno Concert excerpts and arrangements Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a File:Чайковский Танец Феи Драже и Трепак из балета Щелкунчик.webmPlay media Cut concert performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Trepak by the orchestra of the Moscow Conservatory Tchaikovsky
made a selection of eight of the numbers from the ballet before the
ballet's December 1892 première, forming The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a,
intended for concert performance. The suite was first performed, under
the composer's direction, on 19 March 1892 at an assembly of the Saint
Petersburg branch of the Musical Society.[46] The suite became instantly
popular, with almost every number encored at its premiere,[47] while
the complete ballet did not begin to achieve its great popularity until
after the George Balanchine staging became a hit in New York City.[48]
The suite became very popular on the concert stage, and was excerpted in
Disney's Fantasia, with everything omitted prior to Sugar Plum Fairies.
The outline below represents the selection and sequence of the
Nutcracker Suite made by the composer. Miniature Overture Danses caractéristiques Marche Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy [ending altered from ballet-version] Russian Dance (Trepak) Arabian Dance Chinese Dance Reed Flutes Waltz of the Flowers Grainger: Paraphrase on Tchaikovsky's Flower Waltz, for solo piano The
Paraphrase on Tchaikovsky's Flower Waltz is a successful piano
arrangement from one of the movements from The Nutcracker by the pianist
and composer Percy Grainger. Pletnev: Concert suite from The Nutcracker, for solo piano The pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev adapted some of the music into a virtuosic concert suite for piano solo: March Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Tarantella Intermezzo (Journey through the Snow) Russian Trepak Chinese Dance Andante maestoso (Pas de Deux) Contemporary arrangements This
section needs additional citations for verification. Please help
improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (March 2020) (Learn how and when
to remove this template message) In 1942, Freddy Martin and
his orchestra recorded The Nutcracker Suite for Dance Orchestra on a set
of 4 10-inch 78-RPM records. An arrangement of the suite that lay
between dance music and jazz, it was released by RCA Victor.[49]
In 1947, Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians recorded "The Nutcracker
Suite" on a two-part Decca Records 12-inch 78 RPM record with one part
on each side as Decca DU 90022,[50] packaged in a picture sleeve. This
version had custom lyrics written for Waring's chorus by among others,
Waring himself. The arrangements were by Harry Simeone. In 1952,
the Les Brown big band recorded a version of the Nutcracker Suite,
arranged by Frank Comstock, for Coral Records.[51] Brown rerecorded the
arrangement in stereo for his 1958 Capitol Records album Concert Modern.
In 1960, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn composed jazz
interpretations of pieces from Tchaikovsky's score, recorded and
released on LP as The Nutcracker Suite.[52] In 1999, this suite was
supplemented with additional arrangements from the score by David Berger
for The Harlem Nutcracker, a production of the ballet by choreographer
Donald Byrd (born 1949) set during the Harlem Renaissance.[53] In 1960, Shorty Rogers released The Swingin' Nutcracker, featuring jazz interpretations of pieces from Tchaikovsky's score.
In 1962, American poet and humorist Ogden Nash wrote verses inspired by
the ballet,[54] and these verses have sometimes been performed in
concert versions of the Nutcracker Suite. It has been recorded with
Peter Ustinov reciting the verses, and the music is unchanged from the
original.[55] In 1962 a novelty boogie piano arrangement of the
"Marche", titled "Nut Rocker", was a No.1 single in the UK, and No.21 in
the USA. Credited to B. Bumble and the Stingers, it was produced by Kim
Fowley and featured studio musicians Al Hazan (piano), Earl Palmer
(drums), Tommy Tedesco (guitar) and Red Callender (bass). "Nut Rocker"
has subsequently been covered by many others including The Shadows,
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Ventures, Dropkick Murphys, The Brian
Setzer Orchestra, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The Ventures' own
instrumental rock cover of "Nut Rocker", known as "Nutty", is commonly
connected to the NHL team, the Boston Bruins, from being used as the
theme for the Bruins' telecast games for over two decades, from the late
1960s. In 2004, The Invincible Czars arranged, recorded, and now
annually perform the entire suite for rock band. The
Trans-Siberian Orchestra's first album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories,
includes an instrumental piece titled "A Mad Russian's Christmas",
which is a rock version of music from The Nutcracker. On the
other end of the scale is the comedic Spike Jones version released in
December 1945 as "Spike Jones presents for the Kiddies: The Nutcracker
Suite (With Apologies to Tchaikovsky)", featuring humorous lyrics by
Foster Carling and additional music by Joe "Country" Washburne. An
abridged version was released in 1971 as part of the long play record
Spike Jones is Murdering the Classics, one of the rare comedic pop
records to be issued on the prestigious RCA Red Seal label.
International choreographer Val Caniparoli has created several versions
of The Nutcracker ballet for Louisville Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Royal
New Zealand Ballet, and Grand Rapids Ballet.[56] While his ballets
remain classically rooted, he has contemporarized them with changes such
as making Marie an adult instead of a child, or having Drosselmeir
emerges through the clock face during the overture making "him more
humorous and mischievous."[57] Caniparoli has been influenced by his
simultaneous career as a dancer, having joined San Francisco Ballet in
1971 and performing as Drosselmeir and other various Nutcracker roles
ever since that time.[58] The Disco Biscuits, a trance-fusion jam
band from Philadelphia, have performed "Waltz of the Flowers" and
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" on multiple occasions. The Los
Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) recorded the Suite arranged for four
acoustic guitars on their CD recording Dances from Renaissance to
Nutcracker (1992, Delos). In 1993, guitarist Tim Sparks recorded his arrangements for acoustic guitar on The Nutcracker Suite.
The Shirim Klezmer Orchestra released a klezmer version, titled
"Klezmer Nutcracker," in 1998 on the Newport label. The album became the
basis for a December 2008 production by Ellen Kushner, titled The
Klezmer Nutcracker and staged off-Broadway in New York City.[59] In 2002, The Constructus Corporation used the melody of Sugar Plum Fairy for their track "Choose Your Own Adventure". In 2009, Pet Shop Boys used a melody from "March" for their track "All Over the World", taken from their album Yes.
In 2012, jazz pianist Eyran Katsenelenbogen released his renditions of
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Dance of the Reed Flutes, Russian Dance
and Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker Suite. In 2014,
Canadian electronic music producer Brado Popcorn released three versions
of the song, titled "The Distorted Dance of The Sugarplum Fairy" on his
A Tribute to the Music of Tetris album.[60] In 2014, Pentatonix
released an a cappella arrangement of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" on
the holiday album That's Christmas to Me and received a Grammy Award on
16 February 2016 for best arrangement. In 2016, Jennifer Thomas included an instrumental version of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" on her album Winter Symphony.
In 2017, Lindsey Stirling released her version of "Dance of the Sugar
Plum Fairy" on her holiday album Warmer in the Winter.[61] In 2018, Pentatonix released an a cappella arrangement of "Waltz of the Flowers" on the holiday album Christmas Is Here!. In 2019, Madonna sampled a portion on her song "Dark Ballet" from her Madame X album.[62]
In 2019, Mariah Carey released a normal and an a cappella version of
'Sugar Plum Fairy' entitled the 'Sugar Plum Fairy Introlude', with her
signature whistle notes top open and close her 25th Deluxe Anniversary
Edition of Merry Christmas.[63] In 2020, Coone made a hardstyle cover version titled "The Nutcracker".[64] Selected discography Many
recordings have been made since 1909 of the Nutcracker Suite, which
made its initial appearance on disc that year in what is now
historically considered the first record album.[65] This recording was
conducted by Herman Finck and featured the London Palace Orchestra.[66]
But it was not until the LP album was developed that recordings of the
complete ballet began to be made. Because of the ballet's approximate
hour and a half length when performed without intermission, applause, or
interpolated numbers, it fits very comfortably onto two LPs. Most CD
recordings take up two discs, often with fillers. An exception is the
81-minute 1998 Philips recording by Valery Gergiev that fits onto one CD
because of Gergiev's somewhat brisker speeds. 1954, the year
in which Balanchine first staged his production of it, was also the
year that the first complete recording of the ballet appeared – a 2-LP
album set in mono sound released by Mercury Records. The cover design
was by George Maas and featured illustrations by Dorothy Maas.[67] The
music was performed by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
Antal Doráti. Dorati later re-recorded the complete ballet in stereo,
with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1962 for Mercury and with the
Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1975 for Philips Classics.
According to Mercury Records, the 1962 recording was made on 35mm
magnetic film rather than audio tape, and used album cover art identical
to that of the 1954 recording.[68][69] Dorati is the only conductor so
far to have made three different recordings of the complete ballet. Some
have hailed the 1975 recording as the finest ever made of the complete
ballet.[70] It is also faithful to the score in employing a boys' choir
in the Waltz of the Snowflakes. Many other recordings use an adult or
mixed choir. In 1956, the conductor Artur Rodziński and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra made a complete recording of the ballet on
stereo master tapes for Westminster Records, but because stereo was not
possible on the LP format in 1956, the recording was issued in stereo on
magnetic tape, and only a mono 2-LP set was issued. (Recently, the
Rodziński performance was issued in stereo on CD.) Rodziński had
previously made a 78-RPM mono recording of the Nutcracker Suite for
Columbia Masterworks in 1946, a recording which was reissued in 1948 as
part of Columbia's first collection of classical LP's.[71] According to
some sources, Rodziński made two complete recordings of the ballet, one
with the Royal Philharmonic and one with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra.[72] However, the conductor died only two years after making
his 1956 Nutcracker recording, so it is possible that there may have
been a mislabeling. In 1959, the first stereo LP album set of the
complete ballet, with Ernest Ansermet conducting the Orchestre de la
Suisse Romande, appeared on Decca Records in the UK and London Records
in the US. The first complete stereo Nutcracker with a Russian
conductor and a Russian orchestra appeared in 1960, when Gennady
Rozhdestvensky's recording of it, with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
was issued first in the Soviet Union on Melodiya, then imported to the
U.S. on Columbia Masterworks. It was also Columbia Masterworks' first
complete Nutcracker.[73] With the advent of the stereo LP
coinciding with the growing popularity of the complete ballet, many
other complete recordings of it have been made. Notable conductors who
have done so include Maurice Abravanel, André Previn, Michael Tilson
Thomas, Mariss Jansons, Seiji Ozawa, Richard Bonynge, Semyon Bychkov,
Alexander Vedernikov, Ondrej Lenard, Mikhail Pletnev, and most recently,
Simon Rattle.[74] A CD of excerpts from the Tilson Thomas version had
as its album cover art a painting of Mikhail Baryshnikov in his
Nutcracker costume; perhaps this was due to the fact that the Tilson
Thomas recording was released by CBS Masterworks, and CBS had first
telecast the Baryshnikov "Nutcracker".[75] The soundtrack of
the 1977 television production with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey
Kirkland, featuring the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by
Kenneth Schermerhorn, was issued in stereo on a CBS Masterworks 2
LP-set, but it has not appeared on CD. The LP soundtrack recording was,
for a time, the only stereo version of the Baryshnikov Nutcracker
available, since the show was originally telecast only in mono, and it
was not until recently that it began to be telecast with stereo sound.
The sound portion of the DVD is also in stereo. The first
complete recording of the ballet in digital stereo was issued in 1985,
on a two-CD RCA set featuring Leonard Slatkin conducting the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra. This album originally had no "filler", but it has
recently been re-issued on a multi-CD set containing complete recordings
of Tchaikovsky's two other ballets, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.
This three-ballet album has now gone out of print. There have
been two major theatrical film versions of the ballet, made within seven
years of each other, and both were given soundtrack albums.
The first theatrical film adaptation, made in 1985, is of the Pacific
Northwest Ballet version, and was conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.
The music is played in this production by the London Symphony Orchestra.
The film was directed by Carroll Ballard, who had never before directed
a ballet film (and has not done so since). Patricia Barker played Clara
in the fantasy sequences, and Vanessa Sharp played her in the Christmas
party scene. Wade Walthall was the Nutcracker Prince. The second
film adaptation was a 1993 film of the New York City Ballet version,
titled George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, with David Zinman conducting
the New York City Ballet Orchestra. The director was Emile Ardolino, who
had won the Emmy, Obie, and Academy Awards for filming dance, and was
to die of AIDS later that year. Principal dancers included the
Balanchine muse Darci Kistler, who played the Sugar Plum Fairy, Heather
Watts, Damian Woetzel, and Kyra Nichols. Two well-known actors also took
part: Macaulay Culkin appeared as the Nutcracker/Prince, and Kevin
Kline served as the offscreen narrator. The soundtrack features the
interpolated number from The Sleeping Beauty that Balanchine used in the
production, and the music is heard on the album in the order that it
appears in the film, not in the order that it appears in the original
ballet.[76] Notable albums of excerpts from the ballet, rather
than just the usual Nutcracker Suite, were recorded by Eugene Ormandy
conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra for Columbia Masterworks, and
Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for RCA Victor. Arthur
Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra (for RCA), as well as Erich Kunzel
and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (for Telarc) have also recorded
albums of extended excerpts. The original edition of Michael Tilson
Thomas's version with the Philharmonia Orchestra on CBS Masterworks was
complete, but is out of print;[77] the currently available edition is
abridged.[78] Neither Ormandy, Reiner, nor Fiedler ever recorded a
complete version of the ballet; however, Kunzel's album of excerpts
runs 73 minutes, containing more than two-thirds of the music. Conductor
Neeme Järvi has recorded act 2 of the ballet complete, along with
excerpts from Swan Lake. The music is played by the Royal Scottish
National Orchestra.[79] Many famous conductors of the
twentieth century made recordings of the suite, but not of the complete
ballet. These include Arturo Toscanini, Sir Thomas Beecham, Claudio
Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, Sir
Neville Marriner, Robert Shaw, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sir Georg Solti,
Leopold Stokowski, Zubin Mehta, and John Williams. In 2007, Josh Perschbacher recorded an organ transcription of the Nutcracker Suite. Ethnic stereotypes and US activism In
2013, Dance Magazine printed the opinions of three directors. Ronald
Alexander of Steps on Broadway and The Harlem School of the Arts said
the characters in some of the dances were "borderline caricatures, if
not downright demeaning". He also said some productions had made changes
to improve this. In the Arabian dance, for example, it was not
necessary to portray a woman as a "seductress", showing too much skin.
Alexander tried a more positive portrayal of the Chinese, but this was
replaced by the more traditional version, despite positive reception.
Stoner Winslett of the Richmond Ballet said The Nutcracker was not
racist and that her productions had a "diverse cast". Donald Byrd of
Spectrum Dance Theater saw the ballet as Eurocentric and not racist.[80]
Chloe Angyal, in Feministing, referred to "unbelievably offensive
racial and ethnic stereotypes". Some people who have performed in
productions of the ballet do not see a problem because they are
continuing what is viewed as "a tradition".[81] George Balanchine
admitted "Coffee", described in a New York Times article as a "sultry
belly dance", was intended for the fathers, not the children.[82] In
The New Republic in 2014, Alice Robb described white people wearing
"harem pants and a straw hat, eyes painted to look slanted" and "wearing
chopsticks in their black wigs" in the Chinese dance. The Arabian
dance, she said, has a woman who "slinks around the stage in a belly
shirt, bells attached to her ankles".[81] One of the problems, Robb
said, was the use of white people to play ethnic roles, because of the
directors' desire for everyone to look the same.[81] Among the
attempts to change the dances were Austin McCormick making the Arabian
dance into a pole dance, and San Francisco Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet
Theater changing the Chinese dance to a dragon dance.[81] Alastair
Macaulay of The New York Times defended Tchaikovsky, saying he "never
intended his Chinese and Arabian music to be ethnographically
correct".[83] He said, "their extraordinary color and energy are far
from condescending, and they make the world of 'The Nutcracker'
larger."[83] To change anything is to "unbalance The Nutcracker" with
music the author did not write. If there were stereotypes, Tchaikovsky
also used them in representing his own country of Russia.[83] Moreover,
the Votkinsk-born composer is perceived as a part of cultural heritage
of Finnic peoples (non-Indo-European).[84][85] University of
California, Irvine professor Jennifer Fisher said in 2018 that a
two-finger salute used in the Chinese dance was not a part of the
culture. Though it might have had its source in a Mongolian chopstick
dance, she called it "heedless insensitivity to stereotyping". She also
complained about the use in the Chinese dance of "bobbing, subservient
'kowtow' steps, Fu Manchu mustaches, and ... yellowface" makeup,
compared to blackface. One concern she had was that dancers believed
they were learning about Asian culture, when they were really
experiencing a cartoon version.[86] Fisher went on to say some
ballet companies were recognizing that change had to happen. Georgina
Pazcoguin of the New York City Ballet and former dancer Phil Chan
started the "Final Bow for Yellowface" movement and created a web site
which explained the history of the practices and suggested changes. One
of their points was that only the Chinese dance made dancers look like
an ethnic group other than the one they belonged to. The New York City
Ballet went on to drop geisha wigs and makeup and change some dance
moves. Some other ballet companies followed.[86] In popular culture This
article contains embedded lists that may be poorly defined, unverified
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challenged and removed. (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove
this template message) For a comprehensive list of stage, film and television adaptations, see List of productions of The Nutcracker. Film Several films having little or nothing to do with the ballet or the original Hoffmann tale have used its music:
The 1940 Disney animated film Fantasia features a segment using The
Nutcracker Suite. This version was also included both as part of the
3-LP soundtrack album of Fantasia (since released as a 2-CD set), and as
a single LP, with Dance of the Hours, another Fantasia segment, on the
reverse side.[87][88] The Spirit of Christmas, a 1950 marionette
made-for-TV featurette in color narrated by Alexander Scourby, utilizes
the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, and this sequence also includes
music from The Nutcracker. A 1951 thirty-minute short, Santa and
the Fairy Snow Queen, issued on DVD by Something Weird Video, features
several dances from The Nutcracker.[89] The Nutcracker (1973)
features a nameless girl (slightly similar to Clara) who works as a
maid. She befriends and falls in love with a nutcracker ornament, who
was a young prince cursed by the three headed Mouse King. Sanrio released a stop-motion adaptation of The Nutcracker entitled Nutcracker Fantasy in 1979.
In 1988, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite was produced by the Canadian
animation studio Nelvana and featured the Care Bears characters. A
1990 animated film titled The Nutcracker Prince was released and
distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures and uses cuts of the music
throughout and its story is based heavily on that of the ballet.
In 2001, Barbie appeared in her first film, Barbie in the Nutcracker. It
used excerpts by Tchaikovsky, which were performed by the London
Symphony Orchestra. Though it heavily altered the story, it still made
use of ballet sequences which had been rotoscoped using real ballet
dancers.[90] In 2007, Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale also used
The Nutcracker excerpts, which were performed by the Chamber Orchestra
of Philadelphia. Disney announced that a remake of The Nutcracker
would be directed by Robert Zemeckis through the use of motion capture,
a technique that was used in The Polar Express, Monster House, Beowulf,
and A Christmas Carol. The film was cancelled following the box office
disappointment of Mars Needs Moms. In 2010, The Nutcracker in 3D
with Elle Fanning abandoned the ballet and most of the story, retaining
much of Tchaikovsky's music with lyrics by Tim Rice. The $90 million
film became the year's biggest box office bomb. In 2016, the
Hallmark Channel presented A Nutcracker Christmas film that contains a
number of selected scenes of the 1892 two-act Nutcracker ballet.
In 2017, the Athens State Orchestra in collaboration with Cinecreed
productions (former name: 1895 cinematic creations) presented "A
Different Nutcracker" animation film, directed by Yiorgos Molvalis. At
the premiere (Chr. Lamprakis, Athens Concert Hall, December 26, 2017) as
Silent animation, the film was recorded live by the Athens State
Orchestra. In 2020 the official recording was integrated in to the film
marking its completion and making it available for screenings without
the need to have the orchestra present. In 2018, the Disney
live-action film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was released with
Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston as directors and a script by Ashleigh
Powell.[91][92] Television A 1954 Christmas episode of
General Electric Theater featured Fred Waring and his choral group, the
Pennsylvanians, singing excerpts from The Nutcracker with specially
written lyrics. While the music was being sung, the audience saw ballet
dancers performing.[93] The episode was hosted by Ronald Reagan.
The 1987 true crime miniseries Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder
opens every episode with the first notes of the ballet amid scenes of
Frances Schreuder's daughter dancing to it in ballet dress. The
"Toon TV" episode of Tiny Toon Adventures features an arcade-themed song
called "Video Game Blues", set to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and
"The Russian Dance". Batman: The Animated Series episode,
"Christmas with the Joker", The Joker plays, "Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy", and later, "The Russian Dance" on a record player to distract
Batman and Robin. A 1996 episode of The Magic School Bus
("Holiday Special", season 3, episode 39), Wanda is planning to see a
performance of The Nutcracker. Some of the music for this episode was
based on the score of the ballet.[94] Princess Tutu, a 2002 anime
series that uses elements from many ballets as both music and as part
of the storyline, uses the music from The Nutcracker in many places
throughout its run, including using an arranged version of the overture
as the theme for the main character. Both the first and last episodes
feature The Nutcracker as their 'theme', and one of the main characters
is named Drosselmeyer. An arrangement of this the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy can be heard in Episode 8 of Girls und Panzer. Arrangements of the Waltz of the flowers can be heard in Episode 7 of Guilty Crown.
The 2015 Canadian television film The Curse of Clara: A Holiday Tale,
based on an autobiographical short story by onetime Canadian ballet
student Vickie Fagan, centres on a young ballet student preparing to
dance the role of Clara in a production of The Nutcracker. Video games
In the NES version of Tetris, the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" is
available as background music (referred to in the settings as "Music
1"), and the same arrangement was later remixed for the Game Boy Advance
version of Tetris Worlds. In the NES game Winter Games, "Waltz of the Flowers" is used as the music for the figure skating event.
In the game BioShock, the main character Jack meets an insane musician
named Sander Cohen who tasks Jack with killing and photographing four of
Sander's ex-disciples. When the third photograph is given to Sander, in
a fit of pique he unleashes waves of splicer enemies to attack Jack
while playing "Waltz of the Flowers" from speakers in the area. In the original Lemmings "Dance of the Reed Flutes" and "Miniature Overture" is used in several levels. In Weird Dreams, there is also a fat ballerina dancing to the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" in the Hall of Tubes.
In the Baby Bowser levels of Yoshi's Story, a variation of the "Dance
of the Sugar Plum Fairy" is used as the background music. In Mega Man Legends, the "Waltz of the Flowers" can be heard in the Balloon Fantasy minigame.
In the Wii Winter Olympics game, Waltz of the Flowers from "The
Nutcracker" is used as background music for a figure skating event.[95]
In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance the "Waltz of Flowers", "The
Arabian Dance", "The Russian Dance", "The Dance of the Reed Flutes" and
"The Chinese Dance" are the background themes that play when Riku is in
the world based on Disney's Fantasia. In Hatoful Boyfriend, the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" is used as the character theme for Iwamine Shuu.
In a TV advertisement for Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2, the plastic army
men work together using a train playset to move a firecracker under the
Christmas tree and place it between the Nutcracker doll's legs, while
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" plays. In Fantasia: Music
Evolved, a medley of "The Nutcracker" is listed and consists of the
"Marche", "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy", and "Trepak"; besides the
original mix, there is also the "D00 BAH D00" mix and the "DC Breaks"
mix. In Dynamite Headdy, the "March" is used in the Mad Dog boss battle.
In Grand Theft Auto V one of the classical horns, that can be bought
for cars, plays the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".[96] The "Waltz of the Flowers" appears during a baby's death scene in What Remains of Edith Finch. In the game "Cell to Singularity," "Waltz of the Flowers" is heard in when new creatures are created. Children's recordings There
have been several recorded children's adaptations of the E.T.A.
Hoffmann story (the basis for the ballet) using Tchaikovsky's music,
some quite faithful, some not. One that was not was a version titled The
Nutcracker Suite for Children, narrated by Metropolitan Opera announcer
Milton Cross, which used a two-piano arrangement of the music. It was
released as a 78-RPM album set in the 1940s.[97] For the children's
label Peter Pan Records, actor Victor Jory narrated a condensed
adaptation of the story with excerpts from the score. It was released on
one side of a 45-RPM disc.[98] A later version, titled The Nutcracker
Suite, starred Denise Bryer and a full cast, was released in the 1960s
on LP and made use of Tchaikovsky's music in the original orchestral
arrangements. It was quite faithful to Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker
and the Mouse King, on which the ballet is based, even to the point of
including the section in which Clara cuts her arm on the glass toy
cabinet, and also mentioning that she married the Prince at the end. It
also included a less gruesome version of "The Tale of the Hard Nut", the
tale-within-a-tale in Hoffmann's story. It was released as part of the
Tale Spinners for Children series.[99] Journalism In 2009,
Pulitzer Prize–winning dance critic Sarah Kaufman wrote a series of
articles for The Washington Post criticizing the primacy of The
Nutcracker in the American repertory for stunting the creative evolution
of ballet in the United States:[100][101][102] That warm and
welcoming veneer of domestic bliss in The Nutcracker gives the
appearance that all is just plummy in the ballet world. But ballet is
beset by serious ailments that threaten its future in this country...
companies are so cautious in their programming that they have
effectively reduced an art form to a rotation of over-roasted chestnuts
that no one can justifiably croon about... The tyranny of The Nutcracker
is emblematic of how dull and risk-averse American ballet has become.
There were moments throughout the 20th century when ballet was brave.
When it threw bold punches at its own conventions. First among these was
the Ballets Russes period, when ballet—ballet—lassoed the avant-garde
art movement and, with works such as Michel Fokine's fashionably sexy
Scheherazade (1910) and Léonide Massine's Cubist-inspired Parade (1917),
made world capitals sit up and take notice. Afraid of scandal? Not
these free-thinkers; Vaslav Nijinsky's rough-hewn, aggressive Rite of
Spring famously put Paris in an uproar in 1913... Where are this
century's provocations? Has ballet become so entwined with its
"Nutcracker" image, so fearfully wedded to unthreatening offerings, that
it has forgotten how eye-opening and ultimately nourishing creative
destruction can be?[101] — Sarah Kaufman, dance critic for The Washington Post
In 2010, Alastair Macaulay, dance critic for The New York Times (who
had previously taken Kaufman to task for her criticism of The
Nutcracker[103]) began The Nutcracker Chronicles, a series of blog
articles documenting his travels across the United States to see
different productions of the ballet.[104] Act I of The
Nutcracker ends with snow falling and snowflakes dancing. Yet The
Nutcracker is now seasonal entertainment even in parts of America where
snow seldom falls: Hawaii, the California coast, Florida. Over the last
70 years this ballet—conceived in the Old World—has become an American
institution. Its amalgam of children, parents, toys, a Christmas tree,
snow, sweets and Tchaikovsky’s astounding score is integral to the
season of good will that runs from Thanksgiving to New Year... I am a
European who lives in America, and I never saw any Nutcracker until I
was 21. Since then I’ve seen it many times. The importance of this
ballet to America has become a phenomenon that surely says as much about
this country as it does about this work of art. So this year I'm
running a Nutcracker marathon: taking in as many different American
productions as I can reasonably manage in November and December, from
coast to coast (more than 20, if all goes well). America is a country
I’m still discovering; let The Nutcracker be part of my research.[105] — Alastair Macaulay, dance critic for The New York Times
In 2014, Ellen O’Connell, who trained with the Royal Ballet in London,
wrote, in Salon (website), on the darker side of The Nutcracker story.
In E.T.A. Hoffmann's original story, the Nutcracker and Mouse King,
Marie's (Clara's), journey becomes a fevered delirium that transports
her to a land where she sees sparkling Christmas Forests and Marzipan
Castles, but in a world populated with dolls.[106] Hoffmann's tales were
so bizarre, Sigmund Freud wrote about them in The Uncanny.[107][108]
E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 fairy tale, on which the ballet is based, is
troubling: Marie, a young girl, falls in love with a nutcracker doll,
whom she only sees come alive when she falls asleep. ...Marie falls,
ostensibly in a fevered dream, into a glass cabinet, cutting her arm
badly. She hears stories of trickery, deceit, a rodent mother avenging
her children’s death, and a character who must never fall asleep (but of
course does, with disastrous consequences). While she heals from her
wound, the mouse king brainwashes her in her sleep. Her family forbids
her from speaking of her "dreams" anymore, but when she vows to love
even an ugly nutcracker, he comes alive and she marries him. — Ellen O'Connell-Whittet, Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara Writing Program Popular music The
song "Dance Mystique" (track B1) on the studio album ′′Bach to the
Blues′′ (1964) by the Ramsey Lewis Trio is a Jazz adaptation of Coffee
(Arabian Dance). The song "Fall Out" by English band Mansun from
their 1998 album Six heavily relies on the celesta theme from the Dance
of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The song "Dark Ballet" by American
singer-songwriter Madonna samples the melody of Dance of the Reed Flutes
(Danish Marzipan) which is often mistaken for Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy. The song also relied on the lesser-known harp cadenza from Waltz
of the Flowers. The same Tchaikovsky sample was earlier used in
internationally famous 1992 ads for Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut
with 'Madonna' as the singing chocolate bar (in Russian version the
subtitles "'This Is Madonna'" (Russian: Это Мадонна, tr. Eto Madonna)
were displayed on a screen." (wikipedia.org) ""The
Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (German: Nussknacker und Mausekönig) is a
story written in 1816 by Prussian author E. T. A. Hoffmann, in which
young Marie Stahlbaum's favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes
alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her
away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. In 1892, the Russian
composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographers Marius Petipa and
Lev Ivanov turned Alexandre Dumas's adaptation of the story into the
ballet The Nutcracker.... Summary The
story begins on Christmas Eve, at the Stahlbaum house. Marie, seven,
and her brother, Fritz, sit outside the parlour speculating about what
kind of present their godfather, Drosselmeyer, who is a clockmaker and
inventor, has made for them. They are at last allowed in, where they
receive many splendid gifts, including Drosselmeyer's, which turns out
to be a clockwork castle with mechanical people moving about inside it.
However, as they can only do the same thing over and over without
variation, the children quickly tire of it. At this point, Marie notices
a nutcracker, and asks to whom he belongs. Her father tells her that he
belongs to all of them, but that since she is so fond of him she will
be his special caretaker. She, Fritz, and their sister, Louise, pass him
amongst themselves, cracking nuts, until Fritz tries to crack one that
is too big and hard, and his jaw breaks. Marie, upset, takes him away
and bandages him with a ribbon from her dress. When it is time
for bed, the children put their Christmas gifts away in the special
cabinet where they keep their toys. Fritz and Louise go up to bed, but
Marie begs to be allowed to stay with the nutcracker a while longer, and
she is allowed to do so. She puts him to bed and tells him that
Drosselmeyer will fix his jaw as good as new. At this, his face seems
momentarily to come alive, and Marie is frightened, but she then decides
it was only her imagination. The grandfather clock begins to
chime, and Marie believes she sees Drosselmeyer sitting on top of it,
preventing it from striking. Mice begin to come out from beneath the
floor boards, including the seven-headed Mouse King. The dolls in the
toy cabinet come alive and begin to move, the nutcracker taking command
and leading them into battle after putting Marie's ribbon on as a token.
The battle goes to the dolls at first, but they are eventually
overwhelmed by the mice. Marie, seeing the nutcracker about to be taken
prisoner, takes off her slipper and throws it at the Mouse King. She
then faints into the toy cabinet's glass door, cutting her arm badly. Marie
wakes up in her bed the next morning with her arm bandaged and tries to
tell her parents about the battle between the mice and the dolls, but
they do not believe her, thinking that she has had a fever dream caused
by the wound she sustained from the broken glass. Several days later,
Drosselmeyer arrives with the nutcracker, whose jaw has been fixed, and
tells Marie the story of Princess Pirlipat and Madam Mouserinks, who is
also known as the Queen of the Mice, which explains how nutcrackers came
to be and why they look the way they do. The Mouse Queen tricked
Pirlipat's mother into allowing her and her children to gobble up the
lard that was supposed to go into the sausage that the King was to eat
at dinner that evening. The King, enraged at the Mouse Queen for
spoiling his supper and upsetting his wife, had his court inventor,
whose name happens to be Drosselmeyer, create traps for the Mouse Queen
and her children. The Mouse Queen, angered at the death of her
children, swore that she would take revenge on Pirlipat. Pirlipat's
mother surrounded her with cats which were supposed to be kept awake by
being constantly stroked, however inevitably the nurses who did so fell
asleep and the Mouse Queen magically turned Pirlipat ugly, giving her a
huge head, a wide grinning mouth, and a cottony beard like a nutcracker.
The King blamed Drosselmeyer and gave him four weeks to find a cure. At
the end, he had no cure but went to his friend, the court astrologer. They
read Pirlipat's horoscope and told the King that the only way to cure
her was to have her eat the nut Crackatook (Krakatuk), which must be
cracked and handed to her by a man who had never been shaved nor worn
boots since birth, and who must, without opening his eyes hand her the
kernel and take seven steps backwards without stumbling. The King sent
Drosselmeyer and the astrologer out to look for both, charging them on
pain of death not to return until they had found them. The two
men journeyed for many years without finding either the nut or the man,
until finally they returned home to Nuremberg and found the nut in the
possession of Drosselmeyer's cousin, a puppet-maker. His son turned out
to be the young man needed to crack the nut Crackatook. The King, once
the nut had been found, promised Pirlipat's hand to whoever could crack
it. Many men broke their teeth on it before Drosselmeyer's nephew
finally appeared. He cracked it easily and handed it to Pirlipat, who
swallowed it and immediately became beautiful again, but Drosselmeyer's
nephew, on his seventh backward step, stepped on the Mouse Queen and
stumbled, and the curse fell on him, giving him a large head, wide
grinning mouth, and cottony beard; in short, making him a nutcracker.
The ungrateful and unsympathetic Pirlipat, seeing how ugly he had
become, refused to marry him and banished him from the castle. Marie,
while she recuperates from her wound, hears the Mouse King, son of the
deceased Madam Mouserinks, whispering to her in the middle of the night,
threatening to bite the nutcracker to pieces unless she gives him her
sweets and dolls. For the nutcracker's sake, she sacrifices them, but
then he wants more and more. Finally, the nutcracker tells her that if
she will just get him a sword, he will finish off the Mouse King. She
asks Fritz for one, and he gives her the one from one of his toy
hussars. The next night, the nutcracker comes into Marie's room bearing
the Mouse King's seven crowns, and takes her away with him to the doll
kingdom, where she sees many wonderful things. She eventually falls
asleep in the nutcracker's palace and is brought back home. She tries to
tell her mother what happened, but again she is not believed, even when
she shows her parents the seven crowns, and she is forbidden to speak
of her "dreams" anymore. Marie sits in front of the toy cabinet
one day while Drosselmeyer is repairing one of her father's clocks.
While looking at the nutcracker and thinking about all the wondrous
things that happened, she can't keep silent anymore and swears to him
that if he were ever really real she would never behave as Pirlipat did,
and would love him whatever he looked like. At this, there is a bang
and she faints and falls off the chair. Her mother comes in to tell her
that Drosselmeyer's nephew has arrived from Nuremberg. He takes her
aside and tells her that by swearing that she would love him in spite of
his looks, she broke the curse on him and made him human again. He asks
her to marry him. She accepts, and in a year and a day he comes for her
and takes her away to the doll kingdom, where she marries him and is
crowned queen. Adaptations Composer Carl Reinecke created eight
pieces based on the story as early as 1855.[1] The pieces would be
performed with narration telling a short adaptation of the story.[2] The
Nutcracker (Histoire d'un casse-noisette, 1844) is a retelling by
Alexandre Dumas, père of the Hoffmann tale, nearly identical in plot.
This was the version used as the basis for the 1892 Tchaikovsky ballet
The Nutcracker, but Marie's name is usually changed to Clara in most
subsequent adaptations. The story was issued as a storybook and tape in the Once Upon a Time fairy tale series. The
Enchanted Nutcracker (1961) is a made-for-TV adaptation of the tale,
written in the style of a Broadway musical, starring Robert Goulet and
Carol Lawrence. It was shown once as a Christmas special, and never
repeated. The Nutcracker (Polish: Dziadek do orzechów) is a 1967 film directed by Halina Bielińska. It
was also adapted into the 1979 stop motion film Nutcracker Fantasy, the
traditional animation films Schelkunchik (Russia, 1973), and The
Nutcracker Prince (Canada, 1990)[3] and the 2010 film The Nutcracker in
3D. In 1988, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite is based on the story. The
story was adapted for BBC Radio in four weekly 30-minute episodes by
Brian Sibley, with original music by David Houston and broadcast 9
December to 30 December 1991 on BBC Radio 5, later re-broadcast 27
December to 30 December 2010 on BBC Radio 7. The cast included Tony
Robinson as "The Nutcracker", Edward de Souza as "Drosselmeyer", Eric
Allen as "The Mouse King", James Grout as "The King" and Angela Shafto
as "Mary". In Mickey Mouse Works, the Mickey Mouse Nutcracker (1999)
is an adaptation of this tale, with Minnie Mouse playing Marie, Mickey
playing the Nutcracker, Ludwig Von Drake playing Drosselmeyer, albeit
very briefly, and Donald Duck playing the Mouse King. In 2001, a
direct-to-DVD CGI-animated movie, Barbie in the Nutcracker, was made by
Mattel Entertainment starring Barbie in her first-ever movie and
features the voices of Kelly Sheridan as Barbie/Clara/Sugarplum Princess
and Kirby Morrow as the Nutcracker/Prince Eric. There is a German
animated direct-to-video version of the story, The Nutcracker and the
Mouse King, released in 2004, which was dubbed into English by Anchor
Bay Entertainment, with Leslie Nielson as The Mouse King and Eric Idle
as Drosselmeyer. It uses only a small portion of Tchaikovsky's music and
adapts the Hoffmann story very loosely. The English version was the
last project of veteran voice actor, Tony Pope, before his death in
2004. Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale is a 2007 holiday themed animated direct-to-video film produced by Warner Bros. Animation. In 2010, The Nutcracker in 3D – a live-action film, based only loosely on the original story – was released. In 2012, Big Fish Games published a computer game Christmas Stories: The Nutcracker inspired by the story. The
Nutcracker (2013) is New Line's live-action version of the story
reimagined as a drama with action and a love story. It was directed by
Adam Shankman[4] and written by Darren Lemke.[5] On December 25,
2015, German television station ARD aired a new live-action adaptation
of the story as part of the 6 auf einen Streich (Six in one Stroke)
television series.[6] In 2016, the Hallmark Channel presented A
Nutcracker Christmas film that contains a number of selected scenes of
the 1892 two-act Nutcracker ballet. Disney's 2018 live-action film
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a retelling of the story; it is
directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston." (wikipedia.org) "Ballet
(French: [balɛ]) is a type of performance dance that originated during
the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed
into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a
widespread and highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary.
Ballet has been influential globally and has defined the foundational
techniques which are used in many other dance genres and cultures.
Various schools around the world have incorporated their own cultures.
As a result ballet has evolved in distinct ways. A ballet as a
unified work comprises the choreography and music for a ballet
production. Ballets are choreographed and performed by trained ballet
dancers. Traditional classical ballets are usually performed with
classical music accompaniment and using elaborate costumes and staging,
whereas modern ballets are often performed in simple costumes and
without elaborate sets or scenery.... Etymology Ballet
is a French word which had its origin in Italian balletto, a diminutive
of ballo (dance) which comes from Latin ballo, ballare, meaning "to
dance",[1][2] which in turn comes from the Greek "βαλλίζω" (ballizo),
"to dance, to jump about".[2][3] The word came into English usage from
the French around 1630. History Main articles: History of ballet and Timeline of ballet Louis XIV as Apollo in the Ballet Royal de la Nuit (1653) Ballet
originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. Under Catherine de' Medici's influence as Queen, it
spread to France, where it developed even further.[4] The dancers in
these early court ballets were mostly noble amateurs. Ornamented
costumes were meant to impress viewers, but they restricted performers'
freedom of movement.[5] The ballets were performed in large
chambers with viewers on three sides. The implementation of the
proscenium arch from 1618 on distanced performers from audience members,
who could then better view and appreciate the technical feats of the
professional dancers in the productions.[citation needed] French
court ballet reached its height under the reign of King Louis XIV. Louis
founded the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance Academy) in 1661 to
establish standards and certify dance instructors.[6] In 1672, Louis XIV
made Jean-Baptiste Lully the director of the Académie Royale de Musique
(Paris Opera) from which the first professional ballet company, the
Paris Opera Ballet, arose.[7] Pierre Beauchamp served as Lully's
ballet-master. Together their partnership would drastically influence
the development of ballet, as evidenced by the credit given to them for
the creation of the five major positions of the feet. By 1681, the first
"ballerinas" took the stage following years of training at the
Académie.[5] Ballet started to decline in France after 1830, but
it continued to develop in Denmark, Italy, and Russia. The arrival in
Europe of the Ballets Russes led by Sergei Diaghilev on the eve of the
First World War revived interest in the ballet and started the modern
era.[8] In the twentieth century, ballet had a wide influence on
other dance genres,[9] Also in the twentieth century, ballet took a turn
dividing it from classical ballet to the introduction of modern dance,
leading to modernist movements in several countries.[10] Famous
dancers of the twentieth century include Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova,
Rudolf Nureyev, Maya Plisetskaya, Margot Fonteyn, Rosella Hightower,
Maria Tall Chief, Erik Bruhn, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Suzanne Farrell,
Gelsey Kirkland, Natalia Makarova, Arthur Mitchell, and Jeanne
Devereaux.[11] Jeanne Devereaux performed as a prima ballerina for three
decades and set a world's record by being able to execute 16 triple
fouettes.[12] Styles Marie Sallé, classical ballet dancer Stylistic
variations and subgenres have evolved over time. Early, classical
variations are primarily associated with geographic origin. Examples of
this are Russian ballet, French ballet, and Italian ballet. Later
variations, such as contemporary ballet and neoclassical ballet,
incorporate both classical ballet and non-traditional technique and
movement. Perhaps the most widely known and performed ballet style is
late Romantic ballet (or Ballet blanc). Classical ballet Main article: Classical ballet The Valse des cygnes from Act II of the Ivanov/Petipa edition of Swan Lake Classical
ballet is based on traditional ballet technique and vocabulary.[13]
Different styles have emerged in different countries, such as French
ballet, Italian ballet, English ballet, and Russian ballet. Several of
the classical ballet styles are associated with specific training
methods, typically named after their creators (see below). The Royal
Academy of Dance method is a ballet technique and training system that
was founded by a diverse group of ballet dancers. They merged their
respective dance methods (Italian, French, Danish and Russian) to create
a new style of ballet that is unique to the organization and is
recognized internationally as the English style of ballet.[8] Some
examples of classical ballet productions are: Swan Lake, The Sleeping
Beauty and The Nutcracker. Romantic ballet Main article: Romantic ballet Carlotta Grisi, the original Giselle, 1841, wearing the romantic tutu Romantic
ballet was an artistic movement of classical ballet and several
productions remain in the classical repertoire today. The Romantic era
was marked by the emergence of pointe work, the dominance of female
dancers, and longer, flowy tutus that attempt to exemplify softness and a
delicate aura.[5] This movement occurred during the early to
mid-nineteenth century (the Romantic era) and featured themes that
emphasized intense emotion as a source of aesthetic experience. The
plots of many romantic ballets revolved around spirit women (sylphs,
wilis, and ghosts) who enslaved the hearts and senses of mortal men. The
1827 ballet La Sylphide is widely considered to be the first, and the
1870 ballet Coppélia is considered to be the last.[4] Famous ballet
dancers of the Romantic era include Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, and
Jules Perrot. Jules Perrot is also known for his choreography,
especially that of Giselle, often considered to be the most widely
celebrated romantic ballet.[5] Neoclassical ballet Main article: Neoclassical ballet Alexandra Danilova and Serge Lifar, Apollon Musagète, 1928 Neoclassical
ballet is usually abstract, with no clear plot, costumes or scenery.
Music choice can be diverse and will often include music that is also
neoclassical (e.g. Stravinsky, Roussel). Tim Scholl, author of From
Petipa to Balanchine, considers George Balanchine's Apollo in 1928 to be
the first neoclassical ballet. Apollo represented a return to form in
response to Sergei Diaghilev's abstract ballets. Balanchine worked with
modern dance choreographer Martha Graham, and brought modern dancers
into his company such as Paul Taylor, who in 1959 performed in
Balanchine's Episodes.[14] While Balanchine is widely considered
the face of neoclassical ballet, there were others who made significant
contributions. Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations (1946) is a
seminal work for the choreographer. Set to César Franck’s score of the
same title, it is a pure-dance interpretation of the score.[5] Another
form, Modern Ballet, also emerged as an offshoot of neoclassicism.
Among the innovators in this form were Glen Tetley, Robert Joffrey and
Gerald Arpino. While difficult to parse modern ballet from
neoclassicism, the work of these choreographers favored a greater
athleticism that departed from the delicacy of ballet. The physicality
was more daring, with mood, subject matter and music more intense. An
example of this would be Joffrey's Astarte (1967), which featured a rock
score and sexual overtones in the choreography.[8] Contemporary ballet Main article: Contemporary ballet A ballet jump performed with modern, non-classical form in a contemporary ballet This
ballet style is often performed barefoot. Contemporary ballets may
include mime and acting, and are usually set to music (typically
orchestral but occasionally vocal). It can be difficult to differentiate
this form from neoclassical or modern ballet. Contemporary ballet is
also close to contemporary dance because many contemporary ballet
concepts come from the ideas and innovations of twentieth-century modern
dance, including floor work and turn-in of the legs. The main
distinction is that ballet technique is essential to perform a
contemporary ballet. George Balanchine is considered to have been
a pioneer of contemporary ballet. Another early contemporary ballet
choreographer, Twyla Tharp, choreographed Push Comes To Shove for the
American Ballet Theatre in 1976, and in 1986 created In The Upper Room
for her own company. Both of these pieces were considered innovative for
their melding of distinctly modern movements with the use of pointe
shoes and classically trained dancers. Today there are many
contemporary ballet companies and choreographers. These include Alonzo
King and his company LINES Ballet; Matthew Bourne and his company New
Adventures; Complexions Contemporary Ballet; Nacho Duato and his
Compañia Nacional de Danza; William Forsythe and The Forsythe Company;
and Jiří Kylián of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Traditionally
"classical" companies, such as the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet and the
Paris Opera Ballet, also regularly perform contemporary works. The
term ballet has evolved to include all forms associated with it.
Someone training as a ballet dancer will now be expected to perform
neoclassical, modern and contemporary work. A ballet dancer is expected
to be able to be stately and regal for classical work, free and lyrical
in neoclassical work, and unassuming, harsh or pedestrian for modern and
contemporary work. In addition, there are several modern varieties of
dance that fuse classical ballet technique with contemporary dance, such
as Hiplet, that require dancers to be practised in non-Western dance
styles.[15] Technical methods of ballet instruction There are
six widely used, internationally recognized methods to teach or study
ballet. These methods are the French School, the Vaganova Method, the
Cecchetti Method, the Bournonville method, the Royal Academy of Dance
method (English style), and the Balanchine method (American style). Many
more schools of technique exist in various countries. Although
preschool-age children are a lucrative source of income for a ballet
studio, ballet instruction is generally not appropriate for young
children.[16][failed verification] Initial instruction requires standing
still and concentrating on posture, rather than dancing. Because of
this, many ballet programs have historically not accepted students until
approximately age 8. Creative movement and non-demanding pre-ballet
classes are recommended as alternatives for children.[17][18] French method Flower Festival 01.jpg The
French method is the basis of all ballet training. When Louis XIV
created the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, he helped to create the
codified technique still used today by those in the profession,
regardless of what method of training they adhere to. The French school
was particularly revitalized under Rudolf Nureyev, in the 1980s. His
influence revitalized and renewed appreciation for this style, and has
drastically shaped ballet as a whole.[19] In fact, the French school is
now sometimes referred to as Nureyev school. The French method is often
characterized by technical precision, fluidity and gracefulness, and
elegant, clean lines. For this style, fast footwork is often utilized in
order to give the impression that the performers are drifting lightly
across the stage.[20] Two important trademarks of this technique are the
specific way in which the port de bras and the épaulement are
performed, more rounded than when dancing in a Russian style, but not as
rounded as the Danish style.[21] Vaganova method Agrippina Vaganova, "Esmeralda" 1910 The
Vaganova method is a style of ballet training that emerged from Russian
ballet, created by Agrippina Vaganova. After retiring from dance in
1916, Vaganova turned to teaching at the Leningrad Choreographic School
in 1921. Her training method is now internationally recognized and her
book, The Fundamentals of Classical Dance (1934), is a classic
reference. This method is marked by the fusion of the classical French
style, specifically elements from the Romantic era, with the athleticism
of the Italian method, and the soulful passion of Russian ballet.[20]
She developed an extremely precise method of instruction in her book
Basic Principles of Russian Classical dance (1948). This includes
outlining when to teach technical components to students in their ballet
careers, for how long to focus on it, and the right amount of focus at
each stage of the student's career. These textbooks continue to be
extremely important to the instruction of ballet today. The
method emphasizes development of strength, flexibility, and endurance
for the proper performance of ballet. She espoused the belief that equal
importance should be placed on the arms and legs while performing
ballet, as this will bring harmony and greater expression to the body as
a whole.[22] Cecchetti method Enrico Cecchetti with Anna Pavlova Developed
by Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928), this method is one known
internationally for its intense reliance of the understanding of anatomy
as it relates to classical ballet. The goal of this method is to
instill important characteristics for the performance of ballet into
students so that they do not need to rely on imitations of teachers.
Important components for this method is the emphasis of balance,
elevations, ballon, poise, and strength. This method espouses the
importance of recognizing that all parts of the body move together to
create beautiful, graceful lines, and as such cautions against thinking
of ballet in terms of the arms, legs, and neck and torso as separate
parts. This method is well known for eight port de bras that are
utilized.[20] Bournonville method August Bournonville The
Bournonville method is a Danish method first devised by August
Bournonville. Bournonville was heavily influenced by the early French
ballet method due to his training with his father, Antoine Bournonville
and other important French ballet masters. This method has many style
differences that differentiate it from other ballet methods taught
today.[23] A key component is the use of diagonal épaulements, with the
upper body turning towards the working foot typically. This method also
incorporates very basic use of arms, pirouettes from a low développé
position into seconde, and use of fifth position bras en bas for the
beginning and end of movements. The Bournonville method produces dancers who have beautiful ballon ("the illusion of imponderable lightness"[24]). Young girls competing at the Royal Academy of Dancing (London) exams held in Brisbane and Toowoomba, 1938 The Royal Academy of Dance method (RAD) The
Royal Academy of Dance method, also referred to as the English style of
ballet, was established in 1920 by Genee, Karsavina, Bedells, E
Espinosa, and Richardson. The goal of this method is to promote academic
training in classical ballet throughout Great Britain. This style also
spread to the United States, and is widely utilized still today. There
are specific grade levels which a student must move through in order to
complete training in this method.[25] The key principle behind this
method of instruction is that basic ballet technique must be taught at a
slow pace, with difficulty progression often much slower than the rest
of the methods. The idea behind this is if a student is to put in a
large amount of effort into perfecting the basic steps, the technique
learned in these steps allow a student to utilize harder ones at a much
easier rate.[20] Balanchine method Suzanne Farrell and George Balanchine dancing in a segment of "Don Quixote" at New York State Theater Developed
by George Balanchine at the New York City Ballet. His method draws
heavily on his own training as a dancer in Russia. The technique is
known for extreme speed throughout routines, emphasis on lines, and deep
pliés. Perhaps one of the most well known differences of this style is
the unorthodox positioning of the body.[20] Dancers of this style often
have flexed hands and even feet, and are placed in off-balance
positions. Important ballet studios teaching this method are the Miami
City Ballet, Ballet Chicago Studio company, and the School of American
Ballet in New York.[26] Costumes Prima Ballerina, Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlova (prima ballerina); Early materials for ballet costumes were heavy, hindering the dancer's movements Ballet
costumes play an important role in the ballet community. They are often
the only survival of a production, representing a living imaginary
picture of the scene.[27] Renaissance and Baroque The roots of
ballet go back to the Renaissance in France and Italy when court wear
was the beginning of ballet costumes. Ballet costumes have been around
since the early fifteenth century. Cotton and silk were mixed with flax,
woven into semitransparent gauze[27] to create exquisite ballet
costumes. Seventeenth century During the seventeenth century,
different types of fabrics and designs were used to make costumes more
spectacular and eye catching. Court dress still remained for women
during this century. Silks, satins and fabrics embroidered with real
gold and precious stones increased the level of spectacular decoration
associated with ballet costumes.[27] Women's costumes also consisted of
heavy garments and knee-long skirts which made it difficult for them to
create much movement and gesture. Eighteenth century During
the eighteenth century, stage costumes were still very similar to court
wear but progressed over time, mostly due to the French dancer and
ballet-master Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810) whose proposals to
modernize ballet are contained in his revolutionary Lettres sur la danse
et les ballets (1760). Noverre's book altered the emphasis in a
production away from the costumes towards the physical movements and
emotions of the dancers. European ballet was centered in the
Paris Opera.[27] During this era, skirts were raised a few inches off
the ground. Flowers, flounces, ribbons, and lace emphasized this opulent
feminine style, as soft pastel tones in citron, peach, pink and
pistachio dominated the color range.[27] Nineteenth century Olga Spessiva; Swan Lake Costume in the twentieth century During
the early nineteenth century, close-fitting body costumes, floral
crowns, corsages and jewels were used. Ideals of Romanticism were
reflected through female movements.[27] Costumes became much
tighter as corsets started to come into use, to show off the curves on a
ballerina. Jewels and bedazzled costumes became much more popular. Twentieth century Maggie Gripenberg (in the middle) performing at the Finnish National Theatre in 1916. During
the twentieth century, ballet costumes transitioned back to the
influence of Russian ballet. Ballerina skirts became knee-length tutus,
later on in order to show off their precise pointe work. Colors used on
stage costumes also became much more vibrant. Designers used colors such
as red, orange, yellow, etc. to create visual expression when ballet
dancers perform on stage. Ballet as a career Professional
dancers are generally not well paid. As of 2017, American dancers
(including ballet and other dance forms) were paid an average of
US$14.25 per hour.[28] The job outlook is not strong, and the
competition to get a job is intense, with the number of applicants
vastly exceeding the number of job openings.[28] Some dancers earn money
by participating in dancing competitions and are awarded with money or
high paying contracts.[28] Choreographers were paid nearly twice the
amount of dancers in 2017.[28] Health effects Dancer on a break Teenage
girl ballet dancers are prone to stress fractures in the first rib.[29]
Eating disorders are a common stereotype associated with ballet. In
addition, some researchers have noted that intensive training in ballet
results in lower bone mineral density in the arms.[30] Criticism Most
ballet choreography is written so that it can only be performed by a
relatively young dancer.[31] The structure of ballet – in which a
(usually) male choreographer or director uses (mostly) women's bodies to
express his artistic vision, while ignoring, objectifying, or silencing
the women involved – has been criticized as harming women."
(wikipedia.org) "A
centrepiece or centerpiece is an important item of a display, usually
of a table setting.[1] Centrepieces help set the theme of the
decorations and bring extra decorations to the room. A centrepiece also
refers to any central or important object in a collection of items.[2] Traditional
types for the very formal dining table include the epergne, with
branching arms ending in bowls, and the surtout de table, in English
reserved for a long tray, often with mirrors as the surface, on which
candles, sculptures and other objects are placed.... Purpose On
the table, a centrepiece is a central object which serves a decorative
purpose.[2] However, centrepieces are often not too large, to avoid
difficulty with visibility around the table and to allow for the easier
serving of dishes. Other centrepieces are often made from flowers, candles, fruit, or candy.[3] Centrepieces
are a major part of the decoration for a wedding reception, being used
widely at wedding receptions with flowers being the most popular form of
centrepieces. Weddings, baby showers, engagement parties, anniversary
parties and birthdays often have some form of centrepiece. Formal functions in Europe can sometimes have very elaborate centrepieces, which can span the entire length of the table. At
holiday times, including Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas, homes are often decorated with holiday
centrepieces." (wikipedia.org) "Christmas
is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed
primarily on December 25[a] as a religious and cultural celebration
among billions of people around the world.[2][3][4] A feast central to
the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or
the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which
historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth
Night.[5] Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries,[6][7][8]
is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians,[9] as well as
culturally by many non-Christians,[1][10] and forms an integral part of
the holiday season organized around it. The traditional Christmas
narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says
that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic
prophecies.[11] When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no
room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon
born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then spread the
word.[12] Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are
unknown, the church in the early fourth century fixed the date as
December 25.[13][14][15] This corresponds to the date of the winter
solstice on the Roman calendar.[16] It is exactly nine months after
Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. Most
Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has
been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in
countries throughout the world. However, part of the Eastern Christian
Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian
calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian
calendar. For Christians, believing that God came into the world in the
form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than knowing
Jesus' exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in
celebrating Christmas.[17][18][19] The celebratory customs
associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of
pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins.[20] Popular
modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent
calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; viewing a
Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a
special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations,
including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands,
wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and
often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas,
Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to
children during the Christmas season and have their own body of
traditions and lore.[21] Because gift-giving and many other aspects of
the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday
has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and
businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily
growing economic effect in many regions of the world.... Etymology "Christmas"
is a shortened form of "Christ's mass". The word is recorded as
Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131.[22] Crīst (genitive
Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew
Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed";[23][24] and mæsse is
from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form
Christenmas was also historically used, but is now considered archaic
and dialectal.[25] The term derives from Middle English Cristenmasse,
meaning "Christian mass".[26] Xmas is an abbreviation of Christmas found
particularly in print, based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek
Khrīstos (Χριστός), "Christ", though numerous style guides discourage
its use.[27] This abbreviation has precedent in Middle English Χρ̄es
masse (where "Χρ̄" is an abbreviation for Χριστός).[26] Other names In
addition to "Christmas", the holiday has been known by various other
names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as
"midwinter",[28][29] or, more rarely, as Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās
below).[28][30] "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin
nātīvitās.[31] In Old English, Gēola (Yule) referred to the period
corresponding to December and January, which was eventually equated with
Christian Christmas.[32] "Noel" (or "Nowel") entered English in the
late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself
ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs) meaning "birth (day)".[33] Nativity Main article: Nativity of Jesus Menu 0:25 Gospel according to Saint Luke Chapter 2, v 1–20 The
gospels of Luke and Matthew describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem
to the Virgin Mary. In Luke, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to
Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a
manger.[34] Angels proclaimed him a savior for all people, and shepherds
came to adore him. Matthew adds that the magi follow a star to
Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the king of the Jews. King Herod
orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in
Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later returns to
Nazareth.[35] History See also: Date of birth of Jesus Eastern Orthodox icon of the birth of Christ by Saint Andrei Rublev, 15th century Nativity of Christ, medieval illustration from the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad of Landsberg (12th century) Adoration of the Shepherds (1622) by Gerard van Honthorst depicts the nativity of Jesus The
nativity sequences included in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke prompted
early Christian writers to suggest various dates for the
anniversary.[36] Although no date is indicated in the gospels, early
Christians connected Jesus to the Sun through the use of such phrases as
"Sun of righteousness."[36][37] The Romans marked the winter solstice
on December 25.[16] The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome
on December 25, AD 336.[38][39] In the 3rd century, the date of the
nativity was the subject of great interest. Around AD 200, Clement of
Alexandria wrote: There are those who have determined not
only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that
it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the
Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20] ... Further, others say that He was born
on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21].[40] Various
factors contributed to the selection of December 25 as a date of
celebration: it was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman
calendar and it was nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal
equinox and a date linked to the conception of Jesus (celebrated as the
Feast of the Annunciation).[41] Christmas played a role in the
Arian controversy of the fourth century. After this controversy ran its
course, the prominence of the holiday declined for a few centuries. The
feast regained prominence after 800 when Charlemagne was crowned emperor
on Christmas Day. In Puritan England, Christmas was banned as it
was associated with drunkenness and other misbehaviour.[42] It was
restored as a legal holiday in England in 1660, but remained
disreputable in the minds of many people. In the early 19th century,
Christmas festivities and services became widespread with the rise of
the Oxford Movement in the Church of England that emphasized the
centrality of Christmas in Christianity and charity to the poor,[43]
along with Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, and other authors
emphasizing family, children, kind-heartedness, gift-giving, and Santa
Claus (for Irving),[44] or Father Christmas (for Dickens).[45] Introduction Christmas
does not appear on the lists of festivals given by the early Christian
writers Irenaeus and Tertullian.[22] Origen and Arnobius fault the
pagans for celebrating birthdays, which suggests that Christmas was not
celebrated in their time.[46] Arnobius wrote after AD 297. The
Chronograph of 354 records that a Christmas celebration took place in
Rome in 336, eight days before the calends of January.[47] In the
East, the birth of Jesus was celebrated in connection with the Epiphany
on January 6.[48][49] This holiday was not primarily about the
nativity, but rather the baptism of Jesus.[50] Christmas was promoted in
the East as part of the revival of Orthodox Christianity that followed
the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in
378. The feast was introduced in Constantinople in 379, in Antioch by
John Chrysostom towards the end of the fourth century,[49] probably in
388, and in Alexandria in the following century.[51] Solstice date December
25 was the date of the winter solstice in the Roman calendar.[16][52] A
late fourth-century sermon by Saint Augustine explains why this was a
fitting day to celebrate Christ's nativity: "Hence it is that He was
born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from
which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who
bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence
light begins to increase."[53] Linking Jesus to the Sun was
supported by various Biblical passages. Jesus was considered to be the
"Sun of righteousness" prophesied by Malachi: "Unto you shall the sun of
righteousness arise, and healing is in his wings."[37] Such
solar symbolism could support more than one date of birth. An anonymous
work known as De Pascha Computus (243) linked the idea that creation
began at the spring equinox, on March 25, with the conception or birth
(the word nascor can mean either) of Jesus on March 28, the day of the
creation of the sun in the Genesis account. One translation reads: "O
the splendid and divine providence of the Lord, that on that day, the
very day, on which the sun was made, March 28, a Wednesday, Christ
should be born".[22][54] In the 17th century, Isaac Newton, who,
coincidentally, was born on December 25, argued that the date of
Christmas may have been selected to correspond with the solstice.[55] Conversely,
according to Steven Hijmans of the University of Alberta, "It is cosmic
symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the
southern solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the
northern solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the
equinoxes as their respective dates of conception."[56] Calculation hypothesis Further information: Chronology of Jesus Mosaic
in Mausoleum M in the pre-fourth-century necropolis under St Peter's
Basilica in Rome, interpreted by some as Jesus represented as Christus
Sol (Christ the Sun).[57] The calculation hypothesis suggests
that an earlier holiday held on March 25 became associated with the
Incarnation.[58] Christmas was then calculated as nine months later. The
calculation hypothesis was proposed by French writer Louis Duchesne in
1889.[59][60] In modern times, March 25 is celebrated as Annunciation.
This holiday was created in the seventh century and was assigned to a
date that is nine months before Christmas, in addition to being the
traditional date of the equinox. It is unrelated to the Quartodeciman,
which had been forgotten by this time.[61] Forgotten by everyone except
the Jews, of course, who continued to observe Passover; also a
Quartodeciman feast. Early Christians celebrated the life of
Jesus on a date considered equivalent to 14 Nisan (Passover) on the
local calendar. Because Passover was held on the 14th of the month, this
feast is referred to as the Quartodeciman. All the major events of
Christ's life, especially the passion, were celebrated on this date. In
his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions Passover, presumably
celebrated according to the local calendar in Corinth.[62] Tertullian
(d. 220), who lived in Latin-speaking North Africa, gives the date of
passion celebration as March 25.[63] The date of the passion was moved
to Good Friday in 165 when Pope Soter created Easter by reassigning the
Resurrection to a Sunday. According to the calculation hypothesis, the
celebration of the Quartodeciman continued in some areas and the feast
became associated with Incarnation. The calculation hypothesis is
considered academically to be "a thoroughly viable hypothesis", though
not certain.[64] It was a traditional Jewish belief that great men were
born and died on the same day, so lived a whole number of years, without
fractions: Jesus was therefore considered to have been conceived on
March 25, as he died on March 25, which was calculated to have coincided
with 14 Nisan.[65] A passage in Commentary on the Prophet Daniel (204)
by Hippolytus of Rome identifies December 25 as the date of the
nativity. This passage is generally considered a late interpellation.
But the manuscript includes another passage, one that is more likely to
be authentic, that gives the passion as March 25.[66] In 221,
Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) gave March 25 as the day of
creation and of the conception of Jesus in his universal history. This
conclusion was based on solar symbolism, with March 25 the date of the
equinox. As this implies a birth in December, it is sometimes claimed to
be the earliest identification of December 25 as the nativity. However,
Africanus was not such an influential writer that it is likely he
determined the date of Christmas.[67] The tractate De solstitia
et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et
Iohannis Baptistae, pseudepigraphically attributed to John Chrysostom
and dating to the early fourth century,[68][69] also argued that Jesus
was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated
this as March 25.[70][71] This anonymous tract also states: "But Our
Lord, too, is born in the month of December ... the eight before the
calends of January [25 December] ..., But they call it the 'Birthday of
the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord...? Or, if
they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of
Justice."[22] History of religions hypothesis The rival
"History of Religions" hypothesis suggests that the Church selected
December 25 date to appropriate festivities held by the Romans in honor
of the Sun god Sol Invictus.[58] This cult was established by Aurelian
in 274. An explicit expression of this theory appears in an annotation
of uncertain date added to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian
bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote: It
was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the
birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity.
In these solemnities and revelries, the Christians also took part.
Accordingly, when the doctors of the Church perceived that the
Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and
resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day.[72] In
1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was
placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies
Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased
the true church.[73] However, it has been also argued that, on the
contrary, the Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan
significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.[74] Hermann
Usener[75] and others[22] proposed that the Christians chose this day
because it was the Roman feast celebrating the birthday of Sol Invictus.
Modern scholar S. E. Hijmans, however, states that "While they were
aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this
did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of
date for Christmas."[56] Moreover, Thomas J. Talley holds that the Roman
Emperor Aurelian placed a festival of Sol Invictus on December 25 in
order to compete with the growing rate of the Christian Church, which
had already been celebrating Christmas on that date first.[76] In the
judgement of the Church of England Liturgical Commission, the History of
Religions hypothesis has been challenged[77] by a view based on an old
tradition, according to which the date of Christmas was fixed at nine
months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox, on which the
Annunciation was celebrated.[70] With regard to a December
religious feast of the deified Sun (Sol), as distinct from a solstice
feast of the birth (or rebirth) of the astronomical sun, Hijmans has
commented that "while the winter solstice on or around December 25 was
well established in the Roman imperial calendar, there is no evidence
that a religious celebration of Sol on that day antedated the
celebration of Christmas".[78] "Thomas Talley has shown that, although
the Emperor Aurelian's dedication of a temple to the sun god in the
Campus Martius (C.E. 274) probably took place on the 'Birthday of the
Invincible Sun' on December 25, the cult of the sun in pagan Rome
ironically did not celebrate the winter solstice nor any of the other
quarter-tense days, as one might expect."[79] The Oxford Companion to
Christian Thought remarks on the uncertainty about the order of
precedence between the religious celebrations of the Birthday of the
Unconquered Sun and of the birthday of Jesus, stating that the
hypothesis that December 25 was chosen for celebrating the birth of
Jesus on the basis of the belief that his conception occurred on March
25 "potentially establishes 25 December as a Christian festival before
Aurelian's decree, which, when promulgated, might have provided for the
Christian feast both opportunity and challenge".[80] Relation to concurrent celebrations Many
popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of
the commemoration of Jesus' birth, with some claiming that certain
elements have origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated by
pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity. The
prevailing atmosphere of Christmas has also continually evolved since
the holiday's inception, ranging from a sometimes raucous, drunken,
carnival-like state in the Middle Ages,[81] to a tamer family-oriented
and children-centered theme introduced in a 19th-century
transformation.[82][83] The celebration of Christmas was banned on more
than one occasion within certain groups, such as the Puritans and
Jehovah's Witnesses (who do not celebrate birthdays in general), due to
concerns that it was too unbiblical.[84][42][85] Prior to and
through the early Christian centuries, winter festivals were the most
popular of the year in many European pagan cultures. Reasons included
the fact that less agricultural work needed to be done during the
winter, as well as an expectation of better weather as spring
approached.[86] Celtic winter herbs such as mistletoe and ivy, and the
custom of kissing under a mistletoe, are common in modern Christmas
celebrations in the English-speaking countries. The pre-Christian
Germanic peoples—including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse—celebrated a
winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January
period, yielding modern English yule, today used as a synonym for
Christmas.[87] In Germanic language-speaking areas, numerous elements of
modern Christmas folk custom and iconography may have originated from
Yule, including the Yule log, Yule boar, and the Yule goat.[88][87]
Often leading a ghostly procession through the sky (the Wild Hunt), the
long-bearded god Odin is referred to as "the Yule one" and "Yule father"
in Old Norse texts, while other gods are referred to as "Yule
beings".[89] On the other hand, as there are no reliable existing
references to a Christmas log prior to the 16th century, the burning of
the Christmas block may have been an early modern invention by
Christians unrelated to the pagan practice.[90] In eastern Europe
also, old pagan traditions were incorporated into Christmas
celebrations, an example being the Koleda,[91] which was incorporated
into the Christmas carol. Post-classical history The Nativity,
from a 14th-century Missal; a liturgical book containing texts and music
necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year In the
Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany, which in
western Christianity focused on the visit of the magi. But the medieval
calendar was dominated by Christmas-related holidays. The forty days
before Christmas became the "forty days of St. Martin" (which began on
November 11, the feast of St. Martin of Tours), now known as Advent.[81]
In Italy, former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent.[81]
Around the 12th century, these traditions transferred again to the
Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 – January 5); a time that appears
in the liturgical calendars as Christmastide or Twelve Holy Days.[81] The
prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was
crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. King Edmund the Martyr was
anointed on Christmas in 855 and King William I of England was crowned
on Christmas Day 1066. The coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas of 800 helped promote the popularity of the holiday By
the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so prominent that
chroniclers routinely noted where various magnates celebrated Christmas.
King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which
twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep were eaten.[81] The Yule boar
was a common feature of medieval Christmas feasts. Caroling also became
popular, and was originally performed by a group of dancers who sang.
The group was composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that
provided the chorus. Various writers of the time condemned caroling as
lewd, indicating that the unruly traditions of Saturnalia and Yule may
have continued in this form.[81] "Misrule"—drunkenness, promiscuity,
gambling—was also an important aspect of the festival. In England, gifts
were exchanged on New Year's Day, and there was special Christmas
ale.[81] Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival
that incorporated ivy, holly, and other evergreens.[92] Christmas
gift-giving during the Middle Ages was usually between people with legal
relationships, such as tenant and landlord.[92] The annual indulgence
in eating, dancing, singing, sporting, and card playing escalated in
England, and by the 17th century the Christmas season featured lavish
dinners, elaborate masques, and pageants. In 1607, King James I insisted
that a play be acted on Christmas night and that the court indulge in
games.[93] It was during the Reformation in 16th–17th-century Europe
that many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or
Christkindl, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to
Christmas Eve.[94] Modern history Associating it with
drunkenness and other misbehaviour, the Puritans banned Christmas in
England in the 17th century.[42] It was restored as a legal holiday in
1660, but remained disreputable. In the early 19th century, the Oxford
Movement in the Anglican Church ushered in "the development of richer
and more symbolic forms of worship, the building of neo-Gothic churches,
and the revival and increasing centrality of the keeping of Christmas
itself as a Christian festival" as well as "special charities for the
poor" in addition to "special services and musical events".[43] Charles
Dickens and other writers helped in this revival of the holiday by
"changing consciousness of Christmas and the way in which it was
celebrated" as they emphasized family, religion, gift-giving, and social
reconciliation as opposed to the historic revelry common in some
places.[43] 18th century Following the Protestant Reformation,
many of the new denominations, including the Anglican Church and
Lutheran Church, continued to celebrate Christmas.[95] In 1629, the
Anglican poet John Milton penned On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, a
poem that has since been read by many during Christmastide.[96][97]
Donald Heinz, a professor at California State University, states that
Martin Luther "inaugurated a period in which Germany would produce a
unique culture of Christmas, much copied in North America."[98] Among
the congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church, Christmas was celebrated
as one of the principal evangelical feasts.[99] However, in 17th
century England, some groups such as the Puritans strongly condemned
the celebration of Christmas, considering it a Catholic invention and
the "trappings of popery" or the "rags of the Beast".[42] In contrast,
the established Anglican Church "pressed for a more elaborate observance
of feasts, penitential seasons, and saints' days. The calendar reform
became a major point of tension between the Anglican party and the
Puritan party."[100] The Catholic Church also responded, promoting the
festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of England
directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed estates in
midwinter to keep up their old-style Christmas generosity.[93] Following
the Parliamentarian victory over Charles I during the English Civil
War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas in 1647.[42][101] Protests
followed as pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities and for
weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways
with holly and shouted royalist slogans.[42] The book, The Vindication
of Christmas (London, 1652), argued against the Puritans, and makes note
of Old English Christmas traditions, dinner, roast apples on the fire,
card playing, dances with "plow-boys" and "maidservants", old Father
Christmas and carol singing.[102] The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas, (1686), published after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England The
Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the ban, but many
Calvinist clergymen still disapproved of Christmas celebration. As such,
in Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland discouraged the
observance of Christmas, and though James VI commanded its celebration
in 1618, attendance at church was scant.[103] The Parliament of Scotland
officially abolished the observance of Christmas in 1640, claiming that
the church had been "purged of all superstitious observation of
days".[104] It was not until 1958 that Christmas again became a Scottish
public holiday.[105] Following the Restoration of Charles II,
Poor Robin's Almanack contained the lines: "Now thanks to God for
Charles return, / Whose absence made old Christmas mourn. / For then we
scarcely did it know, / Whether it Christmas were or no."[106] The diary
of James Woodforde, from the latter half of the 18th century, details
the observance of Christmas and celebrations associated with the season
over a number of years.[107] In Colonial America, the Pilgrims of
New England shared radical Protestant disapproval of Christmas.[85] The
Plymouth Pilgrims put their loathing for the day into practice in 1620
when they spent their first Christmas Day in the New World working –
thus demonstrating their complete contempt for the day.[85] Non-Puritans
in New England deplored the loss of the holidays enjoyed by the
laboring classes in England.[108] Christmas observance was outlawed in
Boston in 1659.[85] The ban by the Puritans was revoked in 1681 by
English governor Edmund Andros, however it was not until the mid-19th
century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston
region.[109] At the same time, Christian residents of Virginia
and New York observed the holiday freely. Pennsylvania German Settlers,
pre-eminently the Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Lititz in
Pennsylvania and the Wachovia Settlements in North Carolina, were
enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas. The Moravians in Bethlehem had
the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity
Scenes.[110] Christmas fell out of favor in the United States after the
American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom.[111]
George Washington attacked Hessian (German) mercenaries on the day after
Christmas during the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, Christmas
being much more popular in Germany than in America at this time. With
the atheistic Cult of Reason in power during the era of Revolutionary
France, Christian Christmas religious services were banned and the three
kings cake was renamed the "equality cake" under anticlerical
government policies.[112][113] 19th century Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present. From Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, 1843. In the UK, Christmas Day became a bank holiday in 1834. Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, was added in 1871.[114] In
the early-19th century, writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of
heartfelt celebration. In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote the novel A
Christmas Carol, which helped revive the "spirit" of Christmas and
seasonal merriment.[82][83] Its instant popularity played a major role
in portraying Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and
compassion.[44] Dickens sought to construct Christmas as a
family-centered festival of generosity, linking "worship and feasting,
within a context of social reconciliation."[115] Superimposing his
humanitarian vision of the holiday, in what has been termed "Carol
Philosophy",[116] Dickens influenced many aspects of Christmas that are
celebrated today in Western culture, such as family gatherings, seasonal
food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive generosity of
spirit.[117] A prominent phrase from the tale, "Merry Christmas", was
popularized following the appearance of the story.[118] This coincided
with the appearance of the Oxford Movement and the growth of
Anglo-Catholicism, which led a revival in traditional rituals and
religious observances.[119] The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, published in the Illustrated London News, 1848 The
term Scrooge became a synonym for miser, with "Bah! Humbug!" dismissive
of the festive spirit.[120] In 1843, the first commercial Christmas
card was produced by Sir Henry Cole.[121] The revival of the Christmas
Carol began with William Sandys's "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern"
(1833), with the first appearance in print of "The First Noel", "I Saw
Three Ships", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "God Rest Ye Merry,
Gentlemen", popularized in Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In
Britain, the Christmas tree was introduced in the early 19th century by
the German-born Queen Charlotte. In 1832, the future Queen Victoria
wrote about her delight at having a Christmas tree, hung with lights,
ornaments, and presents placed round it.[122] After her marriage to her
German cousin Prince Albert, by 1841 the custom became more widespread
throughout Britain.[123] An image of the British royal family
with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle created a sensation when it
was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848. A modified version
of this image was published in Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia in
1850.[124][125] By the 1870s, putting up a Christmas tree had become
common in America.[124] In America, interest in Christmas had
been revived in the 1820s by several short stories by Washington Irving
which appear in his The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and "Old
Christmas". Irving's stories depicted harmonious warm-hearted English
Christmas festivities he experienced while staying in Aston Hall,
Birmingham, England, that had largely been abandoned,[126] and he used
the tract Vindication of Christmas (1652) of Old English Christmas
traditions, that he had transcribed into his journal as a format for his
stories.[93] A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph Tidemand In
1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas
(popularly known by its first line: Twas the Night Before
Christmas).[127] The poem helped popularize the tradition of exchanging
gifts, and seasonal Christmas shopping began to assume economic
importance.[128] This also started the cultural conflict between the
holiday's spiritual significance and its associated commercialism that
some see as corrupting the holiday. In her 1850 book The First Christmas
in New England, Harriet Beecher Stowe includes a character who
complains that the true meaning of Christmas was lost in a shopping
spree.[129] While the celebration of Christmas was not yet
customary in some regions in the U.S., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
detected "a transition state about Christmas here in New England" in
1856. "The old puritan feeling prevents it from being a cheerful, hearty
holiday; though every year makes it more so."[130] In Reading,
Pennsylvania, a newspaper remarked in 1861, "Even our presbyterian
friends who have hitherto steadfastly ignored Christmas—threw open their
church doors and assembled in force to celebrate the anniversary of the
Savior's birth."[130] The First Congregational Church of
Rockford, Illinois, "although of genuine Puritan stock", was 'preparing
for a grand Christmas jubilee', a news correspondent reported in
1864.[130] By 1860, fourteen states including several from New England
had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday.[131] In 1875, Louis Prang
introduced the Christmas card to Americans. He has been called the
"father of the American Christmas card".[132] On June 28, 1870,
Christmas was formally declared a United States federal holiday.[133] 20th century Up
to the 1950s in the UK, many Christmas customs were restricted to the
upper classes and better-off families. The mass of the population had
not adopted many of the Christmas rituals that later became general. The
Christmas tree was rare. Christmas dinner might be beef or goose –
certainly not turkey. In their stockings children might get an apple,
orange, and sweets. Full celebration of a family Christmas with all the
trimmings only became widespread with increased prosperity from the
1950s.[134] National papers were published on Christmas Day until 1912.
Post was still delivered on Christmas Day until 1961. League football
matches continued in Scotland until the 1970s while in England they
ceased at the end of the 1950s.[135][136] The Christmas Visit. Postcard, c.1910 Under
the state atheism of the Soviet Union, after its foundation in 1917,
Christmas celebrations—along with other Christian holidays—were
prohibited in public.[137] During the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, the League
of Militant Atheists encouraged school pupils to campaign against
Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas tree, as well as other
Christian holidays, including Easter; the League established an
antireligious holiday to be the 31st of each month as a
replacement.[138] At the height of this persecution, in 1929, on
Christmas Day, children in Moscow were encouraged to spit on crucifixes
as a protest against the holiday.[139] It was not until the dissolution
of the Soviet Union in 1991 that the persecution ended and Orthodox
Christmas became a state holiday again for the first time in Russia
after seven decades.[140] European History Professor Joseph Perry
wrote that likewise, in Nazi Germany, "because Nazi ideologues saw
organized religion as an enemy of the totalitarian state, propagandists
sought to deemphasize—or eliminate altogether—the Christian aspects of
the holiday" and that "Propagandists tirelessly promoted numerous
Nazified Christmas songs, which replaced Christian themes with the
regime's racial ideologies."[141] As Christmas celebrations began
to be held around the world even outside traditional Christian cultures
in the 20th century, some Muslim-majority countries subsequently banned
the practice of Christmas, claiming it undermines Islam.[142] Observance and traditions Further information: Christmas traditions and Observance of Christmas by country Christmas at the Annunciation Church in Nazareth, 1965. Photo by Dan Hadani. Christmas at the Annunciation Church in Nazareth, 1965 Dark brown – countries that do not recognize Christmas on December 25 or January 7 as a public holiday. Light brown – countries that do not recognize Christmas as a public holiday, but the holiday is given observance. Many Christians attend church services to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.[143] Christmas
Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries
around the world, including many whose populations are mostly
non-Christian. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial
rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian
minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to
observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular
despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted
many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving,
decorations, and Christmas trees. Among countries with a strong
Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed
that incorporate regional and local cultures. Church attendance Christmas
Day (inclusive of its vigil, Christmas Eve), is a Festival in the
Lutheran Churches, a holy day of obligation in the Roman Catholic
Church, and a Principal Feast of the Anglican Communion. Other Christian
denominations do not rank their feast days but nevertheless place
importance on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, as with other Christian
feasts like Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost.[144] As such, for
Christians, attending a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day church service
plays an important part in the recognition of the Christmas season.
Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church
attendance. A 2010 survey by LifeWay Christian Resources found that six
in ten Americans attend church services during this time.[145] In the
United Kingdom, the Church of England reported an estimated attendance
of 2.5 million people at Christmas services in 2015.[146] Decorations Main article: Christmas decoration A
typical Neapolitan presepe or presepio, or Nativity scene. Local
crèches are renowned for their ornate decorations and symbolic
figurines, often mirroring daily life. Nativity scenes are known
from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint Francis of Assisi
from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe.[147] Different types of
decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local
tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple
representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets – renowned manger
scene traditions include the colourful Kraków szopka in Poland,[148]
which imitate Kraków's historical buildings as settings, the elaborate
Italian presepi (Neapolitan, Genoese and Bolognese),[149][150][151][152]
or the Provençal crèches in southern France, using hand-painted
terracotta figurines called santons.[153] In certain parts of the world,
notably Sicily, living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint
Francis are a popular alternative to static crèches.[154][155][156] The
first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the
1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children.[157] In countries
where a representation of the Nativity scene is very popular, people are
encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones.
Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are
considered a valuable family heirloom.[citation needed] The
traditional colors of Christmas decorations are red, green, and
gold.[158][159] Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his
crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the
evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter, and gold
is the first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts
of the Magi, symbolizing royalty.[160] The official White House
Christmas tree for 1962, displayed in the Entrance Hall and presented by
John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie. The Christmas tree was
first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records
indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the Cathedral of
Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the Protestant Reformer,
Martin Bucer.[161][162] In the United States, these "German Lutherans
brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the Moravians put
lighted candles on those trees."[163][164] When decorating the Christmas
tree, many individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolizing
the Star of Bethlehem, a fact recorded by The School Journal in
1897.[165][166] Professor David Albert Jones of Oxford University writes
that in the 19th century, it became popular for people to also use an
angel to top the Christmas tree in order to symbolize the angels
mentioned in the accounts of the Nativity of Jesus.[167] The Christmas
tree is considered by some as Christianisation of pagan tradition and
ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of
evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship;[168]
according to eighth-century biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface
(634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an ax to an oak tree
dedicated to Thor and pointed out a fir tree, which he stated was a more
fitting object of reverence because it pointed to heaven and it had a
triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the Trinity.[169] The
English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835[170]
and represents an importation from the German language.[168][171][172] On Christmas, the Christ Candle in the center of the Advent wreath is traditionally lit in many church services. Since
the 16th century, the poinsettia, a native plant from Mexico, has been
associated with Christmas carrying the Christian symbolism of the Star
of Bethlehem; in that country it is known in Spanish as the Flower of
the Holy Night.[173][174] Other popular holiday plants include holly,
mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus.[175] Other
traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings,
wreaths, and angels. Both the displaying of wreaths and candles in each
window are a more traditional Christmas display.[176] The concentric
assortment of leaves, usually from an evergreen, make up Christmas
wreaths and are designed to prepare Christians for the Advent season.
Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate the fact that Christians
believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.[177] Christmas
lights and banners may be hung along streets, music played from
speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.[178] It is
common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping
areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly colored
paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured for
the purpose of wrapping gifts. In some countries, Christmas decorations
are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night.[179] Nativity play Main article: Nativity play Children in Oklahoma reenact a Nativity play For
the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the Nativity
play is one of the oldest Christmastime traditions, with the first
reenactment of the Nativity of Jesus taking place in A.D. 1223.[180] In
that year, Francis of Assisi assembled a Nativity scene outside of his
church in Italy and children sung Christmas carols celebrating the birth
of Jesus.[180] Each year, this grew larger and people travelled from
afar to see Francis' depiction of the Nativity of Jesus that came to
feature drama and music.[180] Nativity plays eventually spread
throughout all of Europe, where they remain popular. Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day church services often came to feature Nativity plays, as
did schools and theatres.[180] In France, Germany, Mexico and Spain,
Nativity plays are often reenacted outdoors in the streets.[180] Music and carols Main article: Christmas music Christmas carolers in Jersey The
earliest extant specifically Christmas hymns appear in fourth-century
Rome. Latin hymns such as "Veni redemptor gentium", written by Ambrose,
Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine
of the Incarnation in opposition to Arianism. "Corde natus ex Parentis"
("Of the Father's love begotten") by the Spanish poet Prudentius (d.
413) is still sung in some churches today.[181] In the 9th and 10th
centuries, the Christmas "Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North
European monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a
sequence of rhymed stanzas. In the 12th century the Parisian monk Adam
of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing
something closer to the traditional Christmas carol.[citation needed] Child singers in Bucharest, 1841 The
songs now known specifically as carols were originally communal folk
songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide" as well as
Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church.
Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns,
and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical
sound. Some carols like "Personent hodie", "Good King Wenceslas", and
"The Holly and the Ivy" can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages.
They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung.
"Adeste Fideles" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form in
the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the
13th century.[citation needed] The singing of carols initially
suffered a decline in popularity after the Protestant Reformation in
northern Europe, although some Reformers, like Martin Luther, wrote
carols and encouraged their use in worship. Carols largely survived in
rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the
19th century. The 18th-century English reformer Charles Wesley
understood the importance of music to worship. In addition to setting
many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the Great Awakening
in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three Christmas
carols. The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin
Rings", later renamed "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing".[182] Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (1:51) Menu 0:00 Performed by the U.S. Army Band Chorus Problems playing this file? See media help. Completely
secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the late 18th century.
"Deck the Halls" dates from 1784, and the American "Jingle Bells" was
copyrighted in 1857. In the 19th and 20th centuries, African American
spirituals and songs about Christmas, based in their tradition of
spirituals, became more widely known. An increasing number of seasonal
holiday songs were commercially produced in the 20th century, including
jazz and blues variations. In addition, there was a revival of interest
in early music, from groups singing folk music, such as The Revels, to
performers of early medieval and classical music. John Rutter has
composed many carols including "All Bells in Paradise", "Angels' Carol",
"Candlelight Carol", "Donkey Carol", "Jesus Child", "Shepherd's Pipe
Carol" and "Star Carol".[citation needed] During the 19th Century
in the United States, there was a significant adoption of Christmas
traditions from German and other immgrants, as well as novels by of
Charles Dickens, including The Pickwick Papers and A Christmas
Carol.[183] The practices included having Christmas parties, caroling
door-to-door, sending Christmas cards, giving gifts, and decorating
houses and trees. People displayed nativity scenes and crèches.[183]
There were several American Christmas carols composed during the 19th
Century, including "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" in 1849, "I Heard
the Bells on Christmas Day" in 1863, and "Away in a Manger" in
1885.[183] This time period marked the start of the present-day
tradition of American and British choral groups performing Handel's
Messiah during Christmas, rather than during Easter.[183] The
Christmas music in the U.S. was influenced by community and church
music, as well as radio, television, and recordings.[183] Radio has
covered Christmas music from variety shows from the 1940s and 1950s, as
well as modern-day stations that exclusively play Christmas music from
late November through December 25.[183] Hollywood movies have featured
new Christmas music, such as "White Christmas" in Holiday Inn and
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.[183] Traditional carols have also been
included in Hollywood films, such as "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" in
It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and "Silent Night" in A Christmas
Story.[183] American Christmas songs include religious carols and hymns,
as well as secular songs featuring goodwill, Santa Claus, and
gift-giving.[183] Traditional cuisine Christmas pudding cooked on Stir-up Sunday, it is traditionally served in the UK, Ireland and in other countries Joulutorttus, a Finnish Christmas pastries with prune jam filling A
special Christmas family meal is traditionally an important part of the
holiday's celebration, and the food that is served varies greatly from
country to country. Some regions have special meals for Christmas Eve,
such as Sicily, where 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom
and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal
includes turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables,
sometimes bread and cider. Special desserts are also prepared, such as
Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas cake, Panettone and Yule log
cake.[184][185] Traditional Christmas meal in Central Europe is fried
carp or other fish.[186] Cards A 1907 Christmas card with Santa and some of his reindeer Main article: Christmas card Christmas
cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends
and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The
traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year", much like that of the first commercial Christmas card,
produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843.[187] The custom of sending
them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the
emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging E-cards.[188][189] Christmas
cards are purchased in considerable quantities and feature artwork,
commercially designed and relevant to the season. The content of the
design might relate directly to the Christmas narrative, with depictions
of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christian symbols such as the Star of
Bethlehem, or a white dove, which can represent both the Holy Spirit and
Peace on Earth. Other Christmas cards are more secular and can depict
Christmas traditions, mythical figures such as Santa Claus, objects
directly associated with Christmas such as candles, holly, and baubles,
or a variety of images associated with the season, such as Christmastide
activities, snow scenes, and the wildlife of the northern winter. There
are even humorous cards and genres depicting nostalgic scenes of the
past such as crinolined shoppers in idealized 19th-century
streetscapes.[citation needed] Some prefer cards with a poem,
prayer, or Biblical verse; while others distance themselves from
religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".[190] Commemorative stamps Main article: Christmas stamp A
number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at Christmastide.
Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail Christmas cards,
and they are popular with philatelists. These stamps are regular postage
stamps, unlike Christmas seals, and are valid for postage year-round.
They usually go on sale sometime between early October and early
December and are printed in considerable quantities. Gift giving Main article: Christmas gift Christmas gifts under a Christmas tree The
exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas
celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for retailers
and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange gifts
based on the Christian tradition associated with Saint Nicholas,[191]
and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the
baby Jesus by the Magi.[192][193] The practice of gift giving in the
Roman celebration of Saturnalia may have influenced Christian customs,
but on the other hand the Christian "core dogma of the Incarnation,
however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the
structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event", because it was
the Biblical Magi, "together with all their fellow men, who received
the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine
life."[194] Gift-bearing figures Main articles: Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Christkind A
number of figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving
of gifts. Among these are Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus
(derived from the Dutch for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the
Weihnachtsmann; Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas; the Christkind; Kris
Kringle; Joulupukki; tomte/nisse; Babbo Natale; Saint Basil; and Ded
Moroz. The Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted
as a gnome instead of Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, is considered by many to be the original Santa Claus[195] The
best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa Claus, of
diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch
Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a
4th-century Greek bishop of Myra, a city in the Roman province of Lycia,
whose ruins are 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from modern Demre in southwest
Turkey.[196][197] Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the
care of children, generosity, and the giving of gifts. His feast day,
December 6, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of
gifts.[94] Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop's
attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about the behaviour of
children during the past year before deciding whether they deserved a
gift or not. By the 13th century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the
Netherlands, and the practice of gift-giving in his name spread to other
parts of central and southern Europe. At the Reformation in
16th–17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to
the Christ Child or Christkindl, corrupted in English to Kris Kringle,
and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas
Eve.[94] The modern popular image of Santa Claus, however, was
created in the United States, and in particular in New York. The
transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors
including Washington Irving and the German-American cartoonist Thomas
Nast (1840–1902). Following the American Revolutionary War, some of the
inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city's
non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch
colonial town of New Amsterdam and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was
reinvented as Saint Nicholas.[198] Current tradition in several
Latin American countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that
while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to the Baby Jesus, who is
the one who actually delivers them to the children's homes, a
reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and the iconography
of Santa Claus imported from the United States. In South Tyrol
(Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary,
Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the Christkind (Ježíšek in
Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents.
Greek children get their presents from Saint Basil on New Year's Eve,
the eve of that saint's liturgical feast.[199] The German St. Nikolaus
is not identical with the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of
Santa Claus / Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a bishop's dress and
still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on
December 6 and is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht. Although many parents
around the world routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and
other gift bringers, some have come to reject this practice, considering
it deceptive.[200] Multiple gift-giver figures exist in Poland,
varying between regions and individual families. St Nicholas (Święty
Mikołaj) dominates Central and North-East areas, the Starman (Gwiazdor)
is most common in Greater Poland, Baby Jesus (Dzieciątko) is unique to
Upper Silesia, with the Little Star (Gwiazdka) and the Little Angel
(Aniołek) being common in the South and the South-East. Grandfather
Frost (Dziadek Mróz) is less commonly accepted in some areas of Eastern
Poland.[201][202] It is worth noting that across all of Poland, St
Nicholas is the gift giver on the Saint Nicholas Day on December 6. Date according to Julian calendar Some
jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, including those of
Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Jerusalem,
mark feasts using the older Julian calendar. As of 2021, there is a
difference of 13 days between the Julian calendar and the modern
Gregorian calendar, which is used internationally for most secular
purposes. As a result, December 25 on the Julian calendar currently
corresponds to January 7 on the calendar used by most governments and
people in everyday life. Therefore, the aforementioned Orthodox
Christians mark December 25 (and thus Christmas) on the day that is
internationally considered to be January 7.[203] However, other
Orthodox Christians, such as those belonging to the jurisdictions of
Constantinople, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania,
Cyprus, Finland, and the Orthodox Church in America, among others,
began using the Revised Julian calendar in the early 20th century, which
at present corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar.[204]
Therefore, these Orthodox Christians mark December 25 (and thus
Christmas) on the same day that is internationally considered to be
December 25, and which is also the date of Christmas among Western
Christians.[citation needed] A further complication is added by
the fact that the Armenian Apostolic Church continues the original
ancient Eastern Christian practice of celebrating the birth of Christ
not as a separate holiday, but on the same day as the celebration of his
baptism (Theophany), which is on January 6. This is a public holiday in
Armenia, and it is held on the same day that is internationally
considered to be January 6, because the Armenian Church in Armenia uses
the Gregorian calendar.[citation needed] However, there is also a
small Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which maintains the
traditional Armenian custom of celebrating the birth of Christ on the
same day as Theophany (January 6), but uses the Julian calendar for the
determination of that date. As a result, this church celebrates
"Christmas" (more properly called Theophany) on the day that is
considered January 19 on the Gregorian calendar in use by the majority
of the world.[citation needed] In summary, there are four
different dates used by different Christian groups to mark the birth of
Christ, given in the table below. Listing Church or section Date Calendar Gregorian date Note Armenian
Patriarchate of Jerusalem January 6 Julian calendar January
19 Correspondence between Julian January 6 and Gregorian January 19
holds until 2100; in the following century the difference will be one
day more.[citation needed] Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian
Catholic Church, Armenian Evangelical Church January 6 Gregorian
calendar January 6 Some Anabaptists, such as the Amish[205] December 25 Julian calendar January 6 Old Christmas Eastern
Orthodox Church jurisdictions, including those of Constantinople,
Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Cyprus,
Finland, and the Orthodox Church in America Also, the Ancient Church of the East.
December 25 Revised Julian calendar December 25 Revised
Julian calendar usage started in the early 20th century.[citation
needed] Although it follows the Julian calendar, the Ancient
Church of the East decided on 2010 to celebrate Christmas according to
the Gregorian calendar date. Other Eastern Orthodox: Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Belarus, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Jerusalem. Also, some Byzantine Rite Catholics and Byzantine Rite Lutherans.
December 25 Julian calendar January 7 Correspondence
between Julian December 25 and Gregorian January 7 of the following year
holds until 2100; from 2101 to 2199 the difference will be one day
more.[citation needed] Coptic Orthodox Church Koiak 29 or 28
(corresponding to Julian December 25) Coptic calendar January 7
After the Coptic insertion of a leap day in what for the Julian
calendar is August (September in Gregorian), Christmas is celebrated on
Koiak 28 in order to maintain the exact interval of nine 30-day months
and 5 days of the child's gestation.[citation needed] Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (sole date), Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church (sole date), and P'ent'ay (Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelical) Churches (primary date)
Tahsas 29 or 28 (corresponding to Julian December 25) Ethiopian
Calendar January 7 After the Ethiopian and Eritrean insertion of
a leap day in what for the Julian calendar is August (September in
Gregorian), Christmas is celebrated on Tahsas 28 in order to maintain
the exact interval of nine 30-day months and 5 days of the child's
gestation.[206] Most Protestants (P'ent'ay/Evangelicals) in the
diaspora have the option of choosing the Ethiopian calendar (Tahsas
29/January 7) or the Gregorian calendar (December 25) for religious
holidays, with this option being used when the corresponding eastern
celebration is not a public holiday in the western world (with most
diaspora Protestants celebrating both days).[citation needed] Most Western Christian Churches, most Eastern Catholic churches and civil calendars. Also, the Assyrian Church of the East.
December 25 Gregorian calendar December 25 The Assyrian
Church of the East adopted the Gregorian calendar on 1964. Economy Main article: Economics of Christmas Christmas
decorations at the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris,
France. The Christmas season is the busiest trading period for
retailers. Christmas market in Jena, Germany Christmas is
typically a peak selling season for retailers in many nations around the
world. Sales increase dramatically as people purchase gifts,
decorations, and supplies to celebrate. In the United States, the
"Christmas shopping season" starts as early as October.[207][208] In
Canada, merchants begin advertising campaigns just before Halloween
(October 31), and step up their marketing following Remembrance Day on
November 11. In the UK and Ireland, the Christmas shopping season starts
from mid-November, around the time when high street Christmas lights
are turned on.[209][210] In the United States, it has been calculated
that a quarter of all personal spending takes place during the
Christmas/holiday shopping season.[211] Figures from the U.S. Census
Bureau reveal that expenditure in department stores nationwide rose from
$20.8 billion in November 2004 to $31.9 billion in December 2004, an
increase of 54 percent. In other sectors, the pre-Christmas increase in
spending was even greater, there being a November–December buying surge
of 100 percent in bookstores and 170 percent in jewelry stores. In the
same year employment in American retail stores rose from 1.6 million to
1.8 million in the two months leading up to Christmas.[212] Industries
completely dependent on Christmas include Christmas cards, of which 1.9
billion are sent in the United States each year, and live Christmas
Trees, of which 20.8 million were cut in the U.S. in 2002.[213] For
2019, the average US adult was projected to spend $920 on gifts
alone.[214] In the UK in 2010, up to £8 billion was expected to be spent
online at Christmas, approximately a quarter of total retail festive
sales.[210] Each year (most notably 2000) money supply in US banks is increased for Christmas shopping In
most Western nations, Christmas Day is the least active day of the year
for business and commerce; almost all retail, commercial and
institutional businesses are closed, and almost all industries cease
activity (more than any other day of the year), whether laws require
such or not. In England and Wales, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004
prevents all large shops from trading on Christmas Day. Similar
legislation was approved in Scotland with the Christmas Day and New
Year's Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007. Film studios release many
high-budget movies during the holiday season, including Christmas films,
fantasy movies or high-tone dramas with high production values to hopes
of maximizing the chance of nominations for the Academy Awards.[215] One
economist's analysis calculates that, despite increased overall
spending, Christmas is a deadweight loss under orthodox microeconomic
theory, because of the effect of gift-giving. This loss is calculated as
the difference between what the gift giver spent on the item and what
the gift receiver would have paid for the item. It is estimated that in
2001, Christmas resulted in a $4 billion deadweight loss in the U.S.
alone.[216][217] Because of complicating factors, this analysis is
sometimes used to discuss possible flaws in current microeconomic
theory. Other deadweight losses include the effects of Christmas on the
environment and the fact that material gifts are often perceived as
white elephants, imposing cost for upkeep and storage and contributing
to clutter.[218] Controversies A 1931 edition of the Soviet
magazine Bezbozhnik, published by the League of Militant Atheists,
depicting an Orthodox Christian priest being forbidden to take home a
tree for the celebration of Christmastide, which was banned under the
Marxist–Leninist doctrine of state atheism.[219] Main article: Christmas controversies Further
information: Persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union,
Kirchenkampf, Antireligious campaigns in China, and Christmas in Puritan
New England Christmas has at times been the subject of
controversy and attacks from various sources. Historically it was
prohibited by Puritans when they briefly held power in England
(1647–1660), and in Colonial America where the Puritans outlawed the
celebration of Christmas in 1659.[220][221] The Parliament of Scotland,
which was dominated by Presbyterians, passed a series of acts outlawing
the observance of Christmas between 1637 and 1690; Christmas Day did not
become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958.[222] Christmas
celebrations have also been prohibited by atheist states such as the
Soviet Union[223] and more recently majority Muslim states such as
Somalia, Tajikistan and Brunei.[224] Some Christians and
organizations such as Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and
Justice cite alleged attacks on Christmas (dubbing them a "war on
Christmas").[225] Such groups claim that any specific mention of the
term "Christmas" or its religious aspects is being increasingly
censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers, retailers,
government (prominently schools), and other public and private
organizations. One controversy is the occurrence of Christmas trees
being renamed Holiday trees.[226] In the U.S. there has been a tendency
to replace the greeting Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays, which is
considered inclusive at the time of the Jewish celebration of
Hanukkah,[227] Kwanzaa, and Humanlight. In the U.S. and Canada, where
the use of the term "Holidays" is most prevalent, opponents have
denounced its usage and avoidance of using the term "Christmas" as being
politically correct.[228][229][230] In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled in Lynch v. Donnelly that a Christmas display (which included a
Nativity scene) owned and displayed by the city of Pawtucket, Rhode
Island, did not violate the First Amendment.[231] American Muslim
scholar Abdul Malik Mujahid has said that Muslims must treat Christmas
with respect, even if they disagree with it.[232] The government
of the People's Republic of China officially espouses state
atheism,[233] and has conducted antireligious campaigns to this
end.[234] In December 2018, officials raided Christian churches just
prior to Christmastide and coerced them to close; Christmas trees and
Santa Clauses were also forcibly removed." (wikipedia.org) "The
Christmas season,[2][3] also called the holiday season (often simply
called the holidays),[4][5] or the festive season,[6] is an annually
recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is
generally considered to run from late November to early January.... Definition It
is defined as incorporating at least Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and
sometimes various other holidays and festivals. It also is associated
with a period of shopping which comprises a peak season for the retail
sector (the "Christmas (or holiday) shopping season") and a period of
sales at the end of the season (the "January sales"). Christmas window
displays and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies when trees decorated
with ornaments and light bulbs are illuminated are traditions in many
areas. In the denominations of Western Christianity, the term
"Christmas season" is considered synonymous with Christmastide,[10][11]
which runs from December 25 (Christmas Day) to January 5 (Twelfth Night
or Epiphany Eve), popularly known as the 12 Days of Christmas, or in the
Catholic Church, until the Baptism of the Lord, a Christmas season
which can last for more or fewer than twelve days.[12][10] As the
economic impact involving the anticipatory lead-up to Christmas Day grew
in America and Europe into the 19th and 20th centuries, the term
"Christmas season" began to become synonymous instead with the
liturgical Christian Advent season,[13] the period observed in Western
Christianity from the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day until Christmas
Eve. The term "Advent calendar" continues to be widely known in Western
parlance as a term referring to a countdown to Christmas Day from the
beginning of December, although in retail the countdown to Christmas
usually begins at the end of the summer season, and beginning of
September. Beginning in the mid-20th century, as the
Christian-associated Christmas holiday and liturgical season, in some
circles, became increasingly commercialized and central to American
economics and culture while religio-multicultural sensitivity rose,
generic references to the season that omitted the word "Christmas"
became more common in the corporate and public sphere of the United
States,[14] which has caused a semantics controversy[15] that continues
to the present. By the late 20th century, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah
and the new African American cultural holiday of Kwanzaa began to be
considered in the U.S. as being part of the "holiday season", a term
that as of 2013 had become equally or more prevalent than "Christmas
season" in U.S. sources to refer to the end-of-the-year festive
period.[14][16][17] "Holiday season" has also spread in varying degrees
to Canada;[18] however, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the phrase
"holiday season" is not widely synonymous with the Christmas–New Year
period, and is often instead associated with summer holidays.[19] History Winter solstice Midwinter sunset at Stonehenge The
winter solstice may have been a special moment of the annual cycle for
some cultures even during Neolithic times. This is attested by physical
remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological
sites, such as Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland. The
primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully
aligned on a sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunrise
(Newgrange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). It is
significant that the Great Trilithon was oriented outwards from the
middle of the monument, i.e. its smooth flat face was turned towards the
midwinter Sun.[20] Roman Saturnalia Saturnalia was an ancient
Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on December 17 of the
Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through December
23. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn,
in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private
gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that
overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters
provided table service for their slaves.[21] The poet Catullus called it
"the best of days."[22] Feast of the Nativity: Christmas An Advent wreath and Christmas pyramid adorn a dining table. Main articles: Christmas and Christmastide The
earliest source stating December 25 as the date of birth of Jesus was
Hippolytus of Rome (170–236), written very early in the 3rd century,
based on the assumption that the conception of Jesus took place at the
Spring equinox which he placed on March 25, to which he then added nine
months.[23] There is historical evidence that by the middle of the 4th
century, the Christian churches of the East celebrated the birth and
Baptism of Jesus on the same day, on January 8, while those in the West
celebrated a Nativity feast on December 25 (perhaps influenced by the
Winter solstice); and that by the last quarter of the 4th century, the
calendars of both churches included both feasts.[24] The earliest
suggestions of a feast of the Baptism of Jesus on January 6 during the
2nd century comes from Clement of Alexandria, but there is no further
mention of such a feast until 361, when Emperor Julian attended a feast
on January 6 that year.[24] In the Christian tradition, the
Christmas season is a period beginning on Christmas Day (December 25).
In some churches (e.g., the Lutheran Churches and the Anglican
Communion), the season continues through Twelfth Night, the day before
the Epiphany, which is celebrated either on January 6 or on the Sunday
between January 2 and 8. In other churches (e.g., the Roman Catholic
Church), it continues until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which
falls on the Sunday following the Epiphany, or on the Monday following
the Epiphany if the Epiphany is moved to January 7 or 8. If the Epiphany
is kept on January 6, the Church of England's use of the term Christmas
season corresponds to the Twelve Days of Christmas, and ends on Twelfth
Night. This short Christmas season is preceded by Advent, which
begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, coinciding with the
majority of the commercialized Christmas and holiday season. The
Anglican Communion follows the Christmas season with an Epiphany season
lasting until Candlemas (February 2), which is traditionally the 40th
day of the Christmas–Epiphany season;[25] meanwhile, in the Lutheran
Churches and the Methodist Churches, Epiphanytide lasts until the first
day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.[26] Commercialisation and broadened scope The
Pew Research Center found that as of 2014, 72% of Americans support the
presence of Christian Christmas decorations, such as the nativity
scene, on government property; of that 72%, "survey data finds that a
plurality (44%) of Americans say Christian symbols, such as nativity
scenes, should be allowed on government property even if they are not
accompanied by symbols from other faiths."[27] Six in ten Americans
attend church services during Christmastime, and "among those who don't
attend church at Christmastime, a majority (57%) say they would likely
attend if someone they knew invited them."[28] According to
Yanovski et al.,[8] in the United States, the holiday season "is
generally considered to begin with the day after Thanksgiving and end
after New Year's Day". According to Axelrad,[9] the season in the United
States encompasses at least Christmas and New Year's Day, and also
includes Saint Nicholas Day. The U.S. Fire Administration[29] defines
the "winter holiday season" as the period from December 1 to January 7.
According to Chen et al.,[30] in China, the Christmas and holiday season
"is generally considered to begin with the winter solstice and end
after the Lantern Festival". In some stores and shopping malls,
Christmas merchandise is advertised beginning after Halloween or even
earlier in late October, alongside Halloween items. In the UK and
Ireland, Christmas food generally appears on supermarket shelves as
early as September or even August, while the Christmas shopping season
itself starts from mid-November, when the high street Christmas lights
are switched on.[31][32] Secular icons and symbols, such as Santa
Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, are on
display in addition to Christian displays of the nativity. Public
holiday celebrations and observances similarly range from midnight mass
to Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, church services, decorations,
traditions, festivals, outdoor markets, feasts and the singing of
carols. The precise definition of feasts and festival days that
are encompassed by the Christmas and holiday season has become
controversial in the United States over recent decades. While in other
countries the only holidays included in the "season" are Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day/Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's
Day and Epiphany, in recent times, this term in the U.S. began to expand
to include Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and
Cyber Monday.[33] The expansion of the holiday season in the U.S. to
encompass Thanksgiving is believed to have begun in the 1920s, when in
major department stores Macy's and Gimbels launched competing
Thanksgiving Day parades to promote Christmas sales.[34] Due to the
phenomenon of Christmas creep and the informal inclusion of
Thanksgiving, the Christmas and holiday season has begun to extend
earlier into the year, overlapping Veterans/Remembrance/Armistice Day,
Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night. Shopping Further information: Economics of Christmas Globe icon. The
examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the
Northern Hemisphere and do not represent a worldwide view of the
subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk
page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (August 2013) (Learn how
and when to remove this template message) Holiday shopping in Helsinki, Finland The
exchange of gifts is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and
the season thus also incorporates a "holiday shopping season". This
comprises a peak time for the retail sector at the start of the holiday
season (the "Christmas shopping season") and a period of sales at the
end of the season, the "January sales". Although once dedicated
mostly to white sales and clearance sales, the January sales now
comprise both winter close-out sales and sales comprising the redemption
of gift cards given as presents.[35][36] Young-Bean Song, director of
analytics at the Atlas Institute in Seattle, states that it is a "myth
that the holiday shopping season starts with Thanksgiving and ends with
Christmas. January is a key part of the holiday season." stating that
for the U.S. e-commerce sector January sales volumes matched December
sales volumes in the 2004/2005 Christmas and holiday season.[37] Many
people find this time particularly stressful.[38] As a remedy, and as a
return to what they perceive as the root of Christmas, some practice
alternative giving. North America The King of Prussia mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania decorated during the Christmas season In
the United States, the holiday season is a particularly important time
for retail shopping, with shoppers spending more than $600 billion
during the 2013 holiday season, averaging about $767 per person. During
the 2014 holiday shopping season, retail sales in the United States
increased to a total of over $616 billion, and in 2015, retail sales in
the United States increased to a total of over $630 billion, up from
2014's $616 billion. The average US holiday shopper spent on average
$805. More than half of it was spent on family shopping.[39] It
is traditionally considered to commence on the day after American
Thanksgiving, a Friday colloquially known as either Black Friday or
Green Friday. This is widely reputed to be the busiest shopping day of
the entire calendar year. However, in 2004 the VISA credit card
organization reported that over the previous several years VISA credit
card spending had in fact been 8 to 19 percent higher on the last
Saturday before Christmas Day (i.e., Super Saturday) than on Black
Friday.[40] A survey conducted in 2005 by GfK NOP discovered that
"Americans aren't as drawn to Black Friday as many retailers may think",
with only 17 percent of those polled saying that they will begin
holiday shopping immediately after Thanksgiving, 13 percent saying that
they plan to finish their shopping before November 24 and 10 percent
waiting until the last day before performing their holiday gift
shopping.[41] Public, secular celebration in seasonal costume According
to a survey by the Canadian Toy Association, peak sales in the toy
industry occur in the Christmas and holiday season, but this peak has
been occurring later and later in the season every year.[42] Christmas at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex In
2005, the kick-off to the Christmas and holiday season for online
shopping, the first Monday after US Thanksgiving, was named Cyber
Monday. Although it was a peak, that was not the busiest online shopping
day of that year. The busiest online shopping days were December 12 and
13, almost two weeks later; the second Monday in December has since
become known as Green Monday. Another notable day is Free Shipping Day, a
promotional day that serves as the last day in which a person can order
a good online and have it arrive via standard shipping (the price of
which the sender pays) prior to Christmas Eve; this day is usually on or
near December 16.[43] Four of the largest 11 online shopping days in
2005 were December 11 to 16, with an increase of 12 percent over 2004
figures.[44] In 2011, Cyber Monday was slightly busier than Green Monday
and Free Shipping Day, although all three days registered sales of over
US$1 billion, and all three days registered gains ranging from 14 to 22
percent over the previous year.[43] Analysts had predicted the peak on
December 12, noting that Mondays are the most popular days for online
shopping during the holiday shopping season, in contrast to the middle
of the week during the rest of the year. They attribute this to people
"shopping in stores and malls on the weekends, and ... extending that
shopping experience when they get into work on Monday" by "looking for
deals ... comparison shopping and ... finding items that were out of
stock in the stores".[37] In 2006, the average US household was
expected to spend about $1,700 on Christmas and holiday spendings.[45]
Retail strategists such as ICSC Research[46] observed in 2005 that 15
percent of holiday expenditures were in the form of gift certificates, a
percentage that was rising. So they recommended that retailers manage
their inventories for the entire holiday shopping season, with a leaner
inventory at the start and new winter merchandise for the January sales. Michael
P. Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the Shopping
Center Council, stated that he expected gift certificate usage to be
between US$30billion and US$40billion in the 2006/2007 holiday shopping
season. On the basis of the growing popularity of gift certificates, he
stated that "To get a true picture of holiday sales, one may consider
measuring October, November, December and January sales combined as
opposed to just November and December sales.", because with "a hefty
amount of that spending not hitting the books until January, extending
the length of the season makes sense".[47] According to the
Deloitte 2007 Holiday Survey,[48] for the fourth straight year, gift
cards were expected to be the top gift purchase in 2007, with more than
two-thirds (69 percent) of consumers surveyed planning to buy them,
compared with 66 percent in 2006. In addition, holiday shoppers planned
to buy even more cards that year: an average of 5.5 cards, compared with
the 4.6 cards they planned to buy the previous year. One in six
consumers (16 percent) planned to buy 10 or more cards, compared with 11
percent the previous year. Consumers also spent more in total on gift
cards and more per card: $36.25 per card on average compared with $30.22
last year. Gift cards continued to grow in acceptance: Almost four in
10 consumers surveyed (39 percent) would rather get a gift card than
merchandise, an increase from the previous year's 35 percent. Also,
resistance to giving gift cards continued to decline: 19 percent said
they would not like to give gift cards because they're too impersonal
(down from 22 percent last year). Consumers said that the cards are
popular gifts for adults, teens and children alike, and almost half (46
percent) intend to buy them for immediate family; however, they are
hesitant to buy them for spouses or significant others, with only 14
percent saying they plan to buy them for those recipients. Some stores in Canada hold Boxing Week sales (before the end of the year) for income tax purposes. Christmas creep Main article: Christmas creep What
has become known as "Christmas creep" refers to a merchandising
phenomenon in which merchants and retailers exploit the commercialized
status of Christmas by moving up the start of the holiday shopping
season.[49] The term was first used in the mid-1980s,[50] and is
associated with a desire of merchants to take advantage of particularly
heavy Christmas-related shopping well before Black Friday in the United
States and before Halloween in Canada. The term is not used in
the UK and Ireland, where retailers call Christmas the "golden quarter",
that is, the three months of October through December is the quarter of
the year in which the retail industry hopes to make the most
profit.[51] Europe In the Republic of Ireland and the United
Kingdom, the Christmas shopping season starts from mid-November, around
the time when high street Christmas lights are turned on.[31][32] In the
UK in 2010, up to £8 billion was expected to be spent online at
Christmas, approximately a quarter of total retail festive sales.[32]
Retailers in the UK call Christmas the "golden quarter", that is, the
three months of October to December is the quarter of the year in which
the retail industry hopes to make the most money.[51] In Ireland, around
early December or late November each year, The Late Late Toy Show is
broadcast on Irish television, which features all the popular toys
throughout the year being demonstrated and showcased before the holiday
season and shopping sprees commence. The Netherlands and Belgium
have a double holiday. The first one, the arrival of the Bishop Saint
Nicholas and Black Peter, starts about mid November, with presents being
given on December 5 or 6. This is a separate holiday from Christmas,
Bishop Saint Nick (Sinterklaas) and Santa Claus (Kerstman) being
different people. The Netherlands and Belgium often do not start the
Christmas season until December 6 or 7, i.e. after Sinterklaas has
finished. In France, the January sales are restricted by
legislation to no more than four weeks in Paris, and no more than six
weeks for the rest of the country, usually beginning on the first
Wednesday in January, and are one of only two periods of the year when
retailers are permitted to hold sales.[52][53] In Italy, the January sales begin on the first weekend in January, and last for at least six weeks.[52] In
Croatia and Bosnia (predominantly Sarajevo) the sales periods are
regulated by the Consumer Protection Act. The January sales period
starts on December 27 and can last up to 60 days.[54] In Germany,
the Winterschlussverkauf (winter sale before the season ends) was one
of two official sales periods (the other being the Sommerschlussverkauf,
the summer sales). It begins on the last Monday in January and lasts
for 12 days, selling left-over goods from the holiday shopping season,
as well as the winter collections. However, unofficially, goods are sold
at reduced prices by many stores throughout the whole of January. By
the time the sales officially begin the only goods left on sale are
low-quality ones, often specially manufactured for the sales.[55][56]
Since a legislative reform to the corresponding law in 2004,[57] season
sales are now allowed over the whole year and are no longer restricted
to season-related goods. However, voluntary sales still called
"Winterschlussverkauf" take place further on in most stores at the same
time every year. In Sweden, where the week of the first Advent
Sunday marks the official start of the Christmas and holiday season,
continuing with Saint Lucy's Day on December 13, followed up by
Christmas before the Mellandagsrea (between days sell off) traditionally
begins on December 27 (nowadays often December 26 or even December 25)
and lasts during the rest of the Christmas holiday. It is similar to
Black Friday, but lasts longer. They last 34–35 days. Black Friday
itself has also gained publicity in Sweden since the early-2010s. The
Swedish Christmas and holiday season continues over Epiphany, and
finally ends on St. Knut's Day when the children have a Knut's
party.[58] In Bosnia (Republika Srpska), Montenegro and Serbia,
holiday sales starts in the middle of December and last for at least one
month. Asia Dark brown – countries that do not recognize Christmas on December 25 or January 7 as a public holiday. Light brown – countries that do not recognize Christmas as a public holiday, but the holiday is given observance. Hong
Kong has a lot of seasonal activities and traditions to offer around
Christmas time. December 25 and 26 are Public Holidays that makes most
shops open for shopping. Locals and tourists love to watch the 30-meter
Swarovski Christmas tree in the Central as well as the Christmas light
displays on buildings on Victoria Harbour.[59] A huge party in Hong Kong
called Winterfest is celebrated every year which involves malls, shops,
theme parks and other attractions. The Philippines has the
longest Christmas season, reportedly.[60] As early as September 1 up
until January 9, which is the feast of the Black Nazarene (the season
ends on the Feast of the Lord's Baptism on the second Sunday of January
or the Monday after Epiphany if the second Sunday is marked as such),
Carolers can be typically heard going door to door serenading fellow
Filipinos in exchange of money. Over the country, parols (star shaped
lanterns) are hung and lights are lit. Simbang Gabi or dawn masses start
December 16 and run for nine days until Christmas Eve.[61] South
Korea's population are 30 percent Christian[62] and Christmas is a
Public Holiday. According to the Washington Post, "Koreans prefer cash
Christmas gifts over more creative presents."[63] Singapore
widely celebrates Christmas which is a Public Holiday in this country.
For six weeks, mid-November to early January, the 2.2-kilometre (1.4 mi)
stretch of Orchard Road glitters with lights from decorated trees and
building facades of malls and hotels. Greetings "Happy New Year" redirects here. For other uses, see Happy New Year (disambiguation). "Christmas Greetings" redirects here. For the Bing Crosby album, see Christmas Greetings (album). A
selection of goodwill greetings are often used around the world to
address strangers, family, colleagues or friends during the season. Some
greetings are more prevalent than others, depending on culture and
location. Traditionally, the predominant greetings of the season have
been "Merry Christmas", "Happy Christmas", and "Happy New Year". In the
mid-to-late 20th century in the United States, more generic greetings
such as "Happy Holidays" and "Season's Greetings" began to rise in
cultural prominence, and this would later spread to other Western
countries including Canada, Australia and to a lesser extent some
European countries. A 2012 poll by Rasmussen Reports indicated that 68
percent of Americans prefer the use of "Merry Christmas", while 23
percent preferred "Happy Holidays".[15] A similarly timed Canadian poll
conducted by Ipsos-Reid indicated that 72 percent of Canadians preferred
"Merry Christmas".[18] Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas "Merry
Christmas" and "Happy Christmas" redirect here. For other uses, see
Merry Christmas (disambiguation) and Happy Christmas (disambiguation). The
greetings and farewells "merry Christmas" and "happy Christmas" are
traditionally used in English-speaking countries, starting a few weeks
before December 25 each year. Variations are: "Merry
Christmas", the traditional English greeting, composed of merry (jolly,
happy) and Christmas (Old English: Cristes mæsse, for Christ's Mass). "Happy Christmas", an equivalent greeting used in Great Britain and Ireland.
"Merry Xmas", with the "X" replacing "Christ" (see Xmas) is sometimes
used in writing, but very rarely in speech. This is in line with the
traditional use of the Greek letter chi (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ), the
initial letter of the word Χριστός (Christ), to refer to Christ. A Christmas cake with a "Merry Christmas" greeting These
greetings and their equivalents in other languages are popular not only
in countries with large Christian populations, but also in the largely
non-Christian nations of China and Japan, where Christmas is celebrated
primarily due to cultural influences of predominantly Christian
countries. They have somewhat decreased in popularity in the United
States and Canada in recent decades, but polls in 2005 indicated that
they remained more popular than "happy holidays" or other
alternatives.[64] History of the phrase "Merry Christmas" appears
on the world's first commercially produced Christmas card, designed by
John Callcott Horsley for Henry Cole in 1843 "Merry," derived
from the Old English myrige, originally meant merely "pleasant,
agreeable" rather than joyous or jolly (as in the phrase "merry month of
May").[65] Christmas has been celebrated since at least the 4th century
AD, the first known usage of any Christmas greeting dates was in
1534.[66] "Merry Christmas and a happy new year" (thus incorporating two
greetings) was in an informal letter written by an English admiral in
1699. The same phrase is contained in the title of the English carol "We
Wish You a Merry Christmas," and also appears in the first commercial
Christmas card, produced by Henry Cole in England in 1843.[67] Also
in 1843, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was published, during the
mid Victorian revival of the holiday. The word "merry" was then
beginning to take on its current meaning of "jovial, cheerful, jolly and
outgoing."[65] "Merry Christmas" in this new context figured
prominently in A Christmas Carol. The cynical Ebenezer Scrooge rudely
deflects the friendly greeting: "If I could work my will … every idiot
who goes about with 'merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with
his own pudding."[68] After the visit from the ghosts of Christmas
effects his transformation, Scrooge exclaims; "I am as merry as a
school-boy. A merry Christmas to everybody!" and heartily exchanges the
wish to all he meets.[69] The instant popularity of A Christmas Carol,
the Victorian era Christmas traditions it typifies, and the term's new
meaning appearing in the book popularized the phrase "merry
Christmas".[70][71] The alternative "happy Christmas" gained
usage in the late 19th century, and in the UK and Ireland is a common
spoken greeting, along with "merry Christmas." One reason may be the
Victorian middle-class influence in attempting to separate wholesome
celebration of the Christmas season from public insobriety and
associated asocial behaviour, at a time when merry also meant
"intoxicated" – Queen Elizabeth II is said to prefer "happy Christmas"
for this reason.[65] In her annual Christmas messages to the
Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth has used "happy Christmas" far more often
than "merry Christmas."[72] Note: "merry Christmas" has been used only
four times: in 1962, 1967, 1970 and 1999.[73] "Happy Christmas" has been
used on almost every broadcast since 1956. One year included both
greetings,[74] and "blessed Christmas" was used in 1954 and 2007.[75] In
the American poet Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823),
the final line, originally written as "Happy Christmas to all, and to
all a good night", has been changed in many later editions to "Merry
Christmas to all," perhaps indicating the relative popularity of the
phrases in the US. Happy holidays "Happy Holidays" redirects here. For other meanings of "Happy Holidays", see Happy Holidays (disambiguation). In
North America, "happy holidays" has, along with the similarly
generalized "season's greetings", become a common seasonal expression,
both spoken as a personal greeting and used in advertisements, on
greeting cards, and in commercial and public spaces such as retail
businesses, public schools, and government agencies. Its use is
generally confined to the period between American Thanksgiving and New
Year's Day.[citation needed] The phrase has been used as a Christmas
greeting in the United States for more than 100 years.[76] The
increasing usage of "happy holidays" has been the subject of some
controversy in the United States. Advocates claim that "happy holidays"
is an inclusive greeting that is not intended as an attack on
Christianity or other religions, but is rather a response to what they
say is the reality of a growing non-Christian population. Opponents of
the greeting generally claim it is a secular neologism intended to
de-emphasize Christmas or even supplant it entirely. "Happy
holidays" has been variously characterized by critics as politically
correct, materialistic, consumerist, atheistic, indifferentist,
agnostic, anti-theist, anti-Christian, or even a covert form of
Christian cultural imperialism.[77] The phrase has been associated with a
larger cultural clash dubbed by some commentators as the "War on
Christmas".[76][78] The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, the executive director of
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, has stated the
uproar is based on "stories that only sometimes even contain a grain of
truth and often are completely false."[76] Season's greetings "Season's Greetings" redirects here. For other meanings of "Season's Greetings", see Season's Greetings (disambiguation). "Season's
greetings" is a greeting more commonly used as a motto on winter season
greeting cards, and in commercial advertisements, than as a spoken
phrase. In addition to "Merry Christmas", Victorian Christmas cards bore
a variety of salutations, including "compliments of the season" and
"Christmas greetings." By the late 19th century, "with the season's
greetings" or simply "the season's greetings" began appearing. By the
1920s it had been shortened to "season's greetings,"[79] and has been a
greeting card fixture ever since. Several White House Christmas cards,
including U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1955 card, have featured
the phrase.[80] Medical analyses Various studies have been
performed on the effects of the Christmas and holiday season, which
encompasses several feast days, on health. They have concluded that the
health changes that occur during the Christmas and holiday season are
not reversed during the rest of the year and have a long-term cumulative
effect over a person's life, and that the risks of several medical
problems increase during the Christmas and holiday season. Nutrition Yanovski
et al.[8] investigated the assertion that the average American gains
weight over the season. They found that average weight gain over the
Christmas and holiday season is around 0.48 kilograms (1.1 lb). They
also found that this weight gain is not reversed over the rest of the
year, and concluded that this "probably contributes to the increase in
body weight that frequently occurs during adulthood" (cf Lent). Research
indicates that adults who weigh themselves daily with access to their
weight graph tended to avoid holiday weight gain;[81][82] however,
self-weighing tends to decrease during the holiday season.[82]
Self-monitoring diet (e.g., food, calories, and fat) and physical
activity each day helps adults avoid weight gain during the
holidays.[83][84][85] Chan et al.[30] investigated the increases
in A1C and fasting plasma glucose in type 2 diabetic patients, to see
whether these increases were steady throughout the year or varied
seasonally. They concluded that the winter holidays did influence the
glycemic control of the patients, with the largest increases being
during that period, increases that "might not be reversed during the
summer and autumn months". The Christmas and holiday season,
according to a survey by the ADA, is the second most popular reason,
after birthdays, for sharing food in the workplace. The British Columbia
Safety Council states that if proper food safety procedures are not
followed, food set out for sharing in the workplace can serve as a
breeding ground for bacteria, and recommends that perishable foods (for
which it gives pizza, cold cuts, dips, salads, and sandwiches as
examples) should not sit out for more than 2 hours.[86] Other issues A survey conducted in 2005 found shopping caused headaches in nearly a quarter of people and sleeplessness in 11 percent.[38] Phillips
et al.[87] investigated whether some or all of the spike in cardiac
mortality that occurs during December and January could be ascribed to
the Christmas/New Year's holidays rather than to climatic factors. They
concluded that the Christmas and holiday season is "a risk factor for
cardiac and noncardiac mortality", stating that there are "multiple
explanations for this association, including the possibility that
holiday-induced delays in seeking treatment play a role in producing the
twin holiday spikes". The Asthma Society of Canada[88] states
that the Christmas and holiday season increases exposure to irritants
because people spend 90 percent of their time indoors, and that seasonal
decorations in the home introduce additional, further, irritants beyond
the ones that exist all year around. It recommends that asthmatics
avoid scented candles, for example, recommending either that candles not
be lit or that soy or beeswax candles be used. Other effects According
to the Stanford Recycling Center[89] Americans throw away 25 percent
more trash during the Christmas and holiday season than at other times
of the year. Because of the cold weather in the Northern
Hemisphere, the Christmas and holiday season (as well as the second half
of winter) is a time of increased use of fuel for domestic heating.
This has prompted concerns in the United Kingdom about the possibility
of a shortage in the domestic gas supply. However, in the event of an
exceptionally long cold season, it is industrial users, signed on to
interruptible supply contracts, who would find themselves without gas
supply.[90] The U.S. Fire Administration[29] states that the
Christmas and holiday season is "a time of elevated risk for winter
heating fires" and that the fact that many people celebrate the
different holidays during the Christmas and holiday season by decorating
their homes with seasonal garlands, electric lights, candles, and
banners, has the potential to change the profile of fire incidence and
cause. The Government of Alberta Ministry of Municipal Affairs[91]
states that candle-related fires rise by 140 percent during the
Christmas and holiday season, with most fires involving human error and
most deaths and injuries resulting from the failure to extinguish
candles before going to bed. It states that consumers don't expect
candle holders to tip over or to catch fire, assuming that they are
safe, but that in fact candle holders can do this. Because of
increased alcohol consumption at festivities and poorer road conditions
during the winter months, alcohol-related road traffic accidents
increase over the Christmas and holiday season.[92] Legal issues [icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) United States Main article: Christmas controversies In
the United States, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to
the Constitution of the United States has had significant legal impact
upon the activities of governments and of state-funded public schools
during and relating to the Christmas and holiday season, and has been
the source of controversy. Public schools are subject to what the
Anti-Defamation League terms the "December dilemma",[93] namely the
task of "acknowledging the various religious and secular holiday
traditions celebrated during that time of year" whilst restricting
observances of the various religious festivals to what is
constitutionally permissible. The ADL and many school district
authorities have published guidelines for schools and for teachers.[94]
For example, the directive on maintaining religious neutrality in public
schools over the Christmas and holiday season, given to public school
administrators in the District of Columbia by the superintendent,[95]
contains several points on what may and may not be taught in the
District of Columbia Public Schools, the themes of parties and concerts,
the uses of religious symbols, the locations of school events and
classes and prayer. Russia In 2002, Moscow mayor Yuriy Luzhkov
ordered all stores, restaurants, cafés and markets to display seasonal
decorations and lights in their windows and interiors from December 1
onwards. Banks, post offices and public institutions were to do the same
from December 15, with violators liable for fines of up to 200 rubles.
Every business was ordered to have illuminated windows during the hours
of 16:30 until 01:00. This caused a mixed reaction, with people
objecting to being forced to put up decorations." (wikipedia.org) "A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a fir, spruce, or pine, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas, originating in Germany associated with Saint Boniface.[1] The custom was developed in medieval Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia), and in early modern Germany where German Protestant Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.[2][3] It acquired popularity beyond the Lutheran areas of Germany[2][4] and the Baltic governorates during the second half of the 19th century, at first among the upper classes.[5] The tree was traditionally decorated with "roses made of colored paper, apples, wafers, tinsel, [and] sweetmeats".[2] Moravian Christians began to illuminate Christmas trees with candles,[6] which were ultimately replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification. Today, there is a wide variety of traditional and modern ornaments, such as garlands, baubles, tinsel, and candy canes. An angel or star might be placed at the top of the tree to represent the Angel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem, respectively, from the Nativity.[7][8] Edible items such as gingerbread, chocolate, and other sweets are also popular and are tied to or hung from the tree's branches with ribbons. The Catholic Church had long resisted this custom of the Lutheran Church and the Vatican Christmas tree stood for the first time in Vatican City in 1982.[9] In the Western Christian tradition, Christmas trees are variously erected on days such as the first day of Advent or even as late as Christmas Eve depending on the country;[10] customs of the same faith hold that the two traditional days when Christmas decorations, such as the Christmas tree, are removed are Twelfth Night and, if they are not taken down on that day, Candlemas, the latter of which ends the Christmas-Epiphany season in some denominations.[10][11] The Christmas tree is sometimes compared with the "Yule-tree", especially in discussions of its folkloric origins.... History Origin of the modern Christmas tree Further information: Christmas tree § Religious issues, and Hanging of the greens Martin Luther is depicted with his family and friends in front of a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve Modern Christmas trees originated during the Renaissance in early modern Germany. Its 16th-century origins are sometimes associated with Protestant Christian reformer Martin Luther, who is said to have first added lighted candles to an evergreen tree.[15][16][17] The earliest known firmly dated representation of a Christmas tree is on the keystone sculpture of a private home in Turckheim, Alsace (then part of Germany, today France), with the date 1576.[18] Possible predecessors From Northern Antiquities, an English translation of the Prose Edda from 1847. Painted by Oluf Olufsen Bagge. Modern Christmas trees have been related to the "tree of paradise" of medieval mystery plays that were given on 24 December, the commemoration and name day of Adam and Eve in various countries. In such plays, a tree decorated with apples (to represent the forbidden fruit) and wafers (to represent the Eucharist and redemption) was used as a setting for the play. Like the Christmas crib, the Paradise tree was later placed in homes. The apples were replaced by round objects such as shiny red balls.[13][14][19][20][21][22] At the end of the Middle Ages, an early predecessor appears referred in the Regiment of the Order of Cister in the 15th century, in Alcobaça, Portugal. The Regiment of the local high-Sacristans of the Cistercian Order refers to what may be considered the oldest references to the Christmas tree: "Note on how to put the Christmas branch, scilicet: On the Christmas eve, you will look for a large Branch of green laurel, and you shall reap many red oranges, and place them on the branches that come of the laurel, specifically as you have seen, and in every orange you shall put a candle, and hang the Branch by a rope in the pole, which shall be by the candle of the altar-mor."[23] The relevance of ancient pre-Christian customs to the 16th-century German initiation of the Christmas tree custom is disputed.[by whom?] Resistance to the custom was often because of its supposed Lutheran origins.[9] Other sources have offered a connection between the symbolism of the first documented Christmas trees in Alsace around 1500 and the trees of pre-Christian traditions. For example, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica, "The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands to symbolize eternal life was a custom of the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Tree worship was common among the pagan Europeans and survived their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil and of setting up a tree for the birds during Christmas time."[24] During the Roman mid-winter festival of Saturnalia, houses were decorated with wreaths of evergreen plants, along with other antecedent customs now associated with Christmas.[25] The Vikings and Saxons worshiped trees.[25] The story of Saint Boniface cutting down Donar's Oak illustrates the pagan practices in 8th century among the Germans. A later folk version of the story adds the detail that an evergreen tree grew in place of the felled oak, telling them about how its triangular shape reminds humanity of the Trinity and how it points to heaven.[26][27] Georgia Chichilaki, a Georgian Christmas tree variety Georgians have their own traditional Christmas tree called Chichilaki, made from dried up hazelnut or walnut branches that are shaped to form a small coniferous tree.[28] These pale-colored ornaments differ in height from 20 cm (7.9 in) to 3 meters (9.8 feet). Chichilakis are most common in the Guria and Samegrelo regions of Georgia near the Black Sea, but they can also be found in some stores around the capital of Tbilisi.[29] Georgians believe that Chichilaki resembles the famous beard of St. Basil the Great, because Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates St. Basil on 1 January. Poland The hanging of a podłaźniczka is an old Polish folk custom dating back to pagan traditions. In Poland, there is a folk tradition dating back to an old pre-Christian pagan custom of suspending a branch of fir, spruce or pine from the ceiling, called podłaźniczka, during the time of the Koliada winter festival.[30] The branches were decorated with apples, nuts, acorns, and stars made of straw. In more recent times, the decorations also included colored paper cutouts (wycinanki), wafers, cookies, and Christmas baubles. According to old pagan beliefs, the branch's powers were linked to good harvest and prosperity.[31] The custom lasted among some of the rural peasants until the early 20th century, particularly in the regions of Lesser Poland and Upper Silesia.[32] Most often the branches were hung above the wigilia dinner table on Christmas Eve from the rafters. Beginning in the mid-19th century, the tradition over time was almost completely replaced by the German practice of decorating a Christmas tree.[33] The custom was partly revived in the 1970s and continues in some homes.[34] Estonia, Latvia, and Germany Girl with Christmas tree, painting 1892 by Franz Skarbina (1849–1910) Customs of erecting decorated trees in winter time can be traced to Christmas celebrations in Renaissance-era guilds in Northern Germany and Livonia. The first evidence of decorated trees associated with Christmas Day are trees in guildhalls decorated with sweets to be enjoyed by the apprentices and children. In Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia), in 1441, 1442, 1510, and 1514, the Brotherhood of Blackheads erected a tree for the holidays in their guild houses in Reval now Tallinn) and Riga. On the last night of the celebrations leading up to the holidays, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square, where the members of the brotherhood danced around it.[35] A Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 reports that a small tree decorated with "apples, nuts, dates, pretzels, and paper flowers" was erected in the guild-house for the benefit of the guild members' children, who collected the dainties on Christmas Day.[36] In 1584, the pastor and chronicler Balthasar Russow in his Chronica der Provinz Lyfflandt (1584) wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decorated spruce at the market square, where the young men "went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame". After the Protestant Reformation, such trees are seen in the houses of upper-class Protestant families as a counterpart to the Catholic Christmas cribs. This transition from the guild hall to the bourgeois family homes in the Protestant parts of Germany ultimately gives rise to the modern tradition as it developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. 18th to early 20th centuries Germany A little Christmas tree on the table, painting by Ludwig Blume-Siebert in 1888 By the early 18th century, the custom had become common in towns of the upper Rhineland, but it had not yet spread to rural areas. Wax candles, expensive items at the time, are found in attestations from the late 18th century. Along the lower Rhine, an area of Roman Catholic majority, the Christmas tree was largely regarded as a Protestant custom. As a result, it remained confined to the upper Rhineland for a relatively long period of time. The custom did eventually gain wider acceptance beginning around 1815 by way of Prussian officials who emigrated there following the Congress of Vienna. In the 19th century, the Christmas tree was taken to be an expression of German culture and of Gemütlichkeit, especially among emigrants overseas.[37] A decisive factor in winning general popularity was the German army's decision to place Christmas trees in its barracks and military hospitals during the Franco-Prussian War. Only at the start of the 20th century did Christmas trees appear inside churches, this time in a new brightly lit form.[38] Adoption by European nobility Christmas tree painting 1877 by H. J. Overbeek In the early 19th century, the custom became popular among the nobility and spread to royal courts as far as Russia. Introduced by Fanny von Arnstein and popularized by Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg the Christmas tree reached Vienna in 1814 during the Congress of Vienna, and the custom spread across Austria in the following years.[39] In France, the first Christmas tree was introduced in 1840 by the duchesse d'Orléans. In Denmark a Danish newspaper claims that the first attested Christmas tree was lit in 1808 by countess Wilhemine of Holsteinborg. It was the aging countess who told the story of the first Danish Christmas tree to the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in 1865. He had published a fairy tale called The Fir-Tree in 1844, recounting the fate of a fir tree being used as a Christmas tree.[40] Britain An engraving published in the 1840s of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert created a craze for Christmas trees.[41] The Christmas Tree 1911 by Albert Chevallier Tayler Although the tradition of decorating churches and homes with evergreens at Christmas was long established,[42] the custom of decorating an entire small tree was unknown in Britain until some two centuries ago. The German-born Queen Charlotte introduced a Christmas tree at a party she gave for children in 1800.[43] The custom did not at first spread much beyond the royal family.[44] Queen Victoria as a child was familiar with it and a tree was placed in her room every Christmas. In her journal for Christmas Eve 1832, the delighted 13-year-old princess wrote:[45] After dinner ... we then went into the drawing room near the dining room ... There were two large round tables on which were placed two trees hung with lights and sugar ornaments. All the presents being placed round the trees ... After Victoria's marriage to her German cousin Prince Albert, by 1841 the custom became even more widespread[46] as wealthier middle-class families followed the fashion. In 1842 a newspaper advert for Christmas trees makes clear their smart cachet, German origins and association with children and gift-giving.[47] An illustrated book, The Christmas Tree, describing their use and origins in detail, was on sale in December 1844.[48] On 2 January 1846 Elizabeth Fielding (née Fox Strangways) wrote from Lacock Abbey to William Henry Fox-Talbot: "Constance is extremely busy preparing the Bohemian Xmas Tree. It is made from Caroline's[49] description of those she saw in Germany".[50] In 1847 Prince Albert wrote: "I must now seek in the children an echo of what Ernest [his brother] and I were in the old time, of what we felt and thought; and their delight in the Christmas trees is not less than ours used to be".[51] A boost to the trend was given in 1848[52] when The Illustrated London News,[53] in a report picked up by other papers,[54] described the trees in Windsor Castle in detail and showed the main tree, surrounded by the royal family, on its cover. In fewer than ten years their use in better-off homes was widespread. By 1856 a northern provincial newspaper contained an advert alluding casually to them,[55] as well as reporting the accidental death of a woman whose dress caught fire as she lit the tapers on a Christmas tree.[56] They had not yet spread down the social scale though, as a report from Berlin in 1858 contrasts the situation there where "Every family has its own" with that of Britain, where Christmas trees were still the preserve of the wealthy or the "romantic".[57] Their use at public entertainments, charity bazaars and in hospitals made them increasingly familiar however, and in 1906 a charity was set up specifically to ensure even poor children in London slums "who had never seen a Christmas tree" would enjoy one that year.[58] Anti-German sentiment after World War I briefly reduced their popularity[59] but the effect was short-lived,[60] and by the mid-1920s the use of Christmas trees had spread to all classes.[61] In 1933 a restriction on the importation of foreign trees led to the "rapid growth of a new industry" as the growing of Christmas trees within Britain became commercially viable due to the size of demand.[62] By 2013 the number of trees grown in Britain for the Christmas market was approximately eight million[63] and their display in homes, shops and public spaces a normal part of the Christmas season. The Bahamas The earliest reference of Christmas trees being used in The Bahamas dates to January 1864 and is associated with the Anglican Sunday Schools in Nassau, New Providence: "After prayers and a sermon from the Rev. R. Swann, the teachers and children of St. Agnes', accompanied by those of St. Mary's, marched to the Parsonage of Rev. J. H. Fisher, in front of which a large Christmas tree had been planted for their gratification. The delighted little ones formed a circle around it singing "Come follow me to the Christmas tree"."[64] The gifts decorated the trees as ornaments and the children were given tickets with numbers that matched the gifts. This appears to be the typical way of decorating the trees in the 1860s Bahamas. In the Christmas of 1864, there was a Christmas tree put up in the Ladies Saloon in the Royal Victoria Hotel for the respectable children of the neighbourhood. The tree was ornamented with gifts for the children who formed a circle about it and sung the song "Oats and Beans". The gifts were later given to the children in the name of Santa Claus.[65] North America First published image of a Christmas tree, frontispiece to Hermann Bokum's 1836 The Stranger's Gift A Christmas tree from 1951, in a home in New York state The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle published in The Illustrated London News, 1848 The tradition was introduced to North America in the winter of 1781 by Hessian soldiers stationed in the Province of Québec (1763–1791) to garrison the colony against American attack. General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel and his wife, the Baroness von Riedesel, held a Christmas party for the officers at Sorel, Quebec, delighting their guests with a fir tree decorated with candles and fruits.[66] The Christmas tree became very common in the United States of America in the early nineteenth century. The first image of a Christmas tree was published in 1836 as the frontispiece to The Stranger's Gift by Hermann Bokum. The first mention of the Christmas tree in American literature was in a story in the 1836 edition of The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, titled "New Year's Day", by Catherine Maria Sedgwick, where she tells the story of a German maid decorating her mistress's tree. Also, a woodcut of the British Royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, initially published in The Illustrated London News December 1848, was copied in the United States at Christmas 1850, in Godey's Lady's Book. Godey's copied it exactly, except for the removal of the Queen's tiara and Prince Albert's moustache, to remake the engraving into an American scene.[67] The republished Godey's image became the first widely circulated picture of a decorated evergreen Christmas tree in America. Art historian Karal Ann Marling called Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, shorn of their royal trappings, "the first influential American Christmas tree".[68] Folk-culture historian Alfred Lewis Shoemaker states, "In all of America there was no more important medium in spreading the Christmas tree in the decade 1850–60 than Godey's Lady's Book". The image was reprinted in 1860, and by the 1870s, putting up a Christmas tree had become even more common in America.[67] Several cities in the United States with German connections lay claim to that country's first Christmas tree: Windsor Locks, Connecticut, claims that a Hessian soldier put up a Christmas tree in 1777 while imprisoned at the Noden-Reed House,[69] while the "First Christmas Tree in America" is also claimed by Easton, Pennsylvania, where German settlers purportedly erected a Christmas tree in 1816. In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded the use of a Christmas tree in 1821, leading Lancaster to also lay claim to the first Christmas tree in America.[70] Other accounts credit Charles Follen, a German immigrant to Boston, for being the first to introduce to America the custom of decorating a Christmas tree.[71] August Imgard, a German immigrant living in Wooster, Ohio, is said to be the first to popularize the practice of decorating a tree with candy canes.[citation needed] In 1847, Imgard cut a blue spruce tree from a woods outside town, had the Wooster village tinsmith construct a star, and placed the tree in his house, decorating it with paper ornaments, gilded nuts and Kuchen.[72] German immigrant Charles Minnigerode accepted a position as a professor of humanities at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1842, where he taught Latin and Greek. Entering into the social life of the Virginia Tidewater, Minnigerode introduced the German custom of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas at the home of law professor St. George Tucker, thereby becoming another of many influences that prompted Americans to adopt the practice at about that time.[73] An 1853 article on Christmas customs in Pennsylvania defines them as mostly "German in origin", including the Christmas tree, which is "planted in a flower pot filled with earth, and its branches are covered with presents, chiefly of confectionary, for the younger members of the family." The article distinguishes between customs in different states however, claiming that in New England generally "Christmas is not much celebrated", whereas in Pennsylvania and New York it is.[74] When Edward H. Johnson was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, a predecessor of Con Edison, he created the first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree at his home in New York City in 1882. Johnson became the "Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights".[75] The lyrics sung in the United States to the German tune O Tannenbaum begin "O Christmas tree ...", giving rise to the mistaken idea that the German word Tannenbaum (fir tree) means "Christmas tree", the German word for which is instead Weihnachtsbaum. 18th to early 20th century representations The Christmas tree by Winslow Homer, 1858 Christmas in the Netherlands, c. 1899 Illustration for Harper's Bazaar, published 1 January 1870 Christmas tree depicted as Christmas card by Prang & Co. (Boston) 1880 Vera Komissarzhevskaya as Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House (c. 1904). Photo by Elena Mrozovskaya. An Italian-American family on Christmas, 1924 1935 to present Under the state atheism of the Soviet Union, the Christmas tree along with the entire celebration of the Christian holiday, was banned in that country after the October Revolution but then the government introduced a New-year spruce (Новогодняя ёлка, Novogodnyaya yolka) in 1935 for the New Year holiday.[76][77][78] It became a fully secular icon of the New Year holiday, for example, the crowning star was regarded not as a symbol of Bethlehem Star, but as the Red star. Decorations, such as figurines of airplanes, bicycles, space rockets, cosmonauts, and characters of Russian fairy tales, were produced. This tradition persists after the fall of the USSR, with the New Year holiday outweighing the Christmas (7 January) for a wide majority of Russian people.[79] The TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) was influential on the pop culture surrounding the Christmas tree. Aluminum Christmas trees were popular during the early 1960s in the US. They were satirized in the Charlie Brown show and came to be seen as symbolizing the commercialization of Christmas. The term Charlie Brown Christmas tree, describing any poor-looking or malformed little tree, also derives from the 1965 TV special, based on the appearance of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.[80] 1935 to present Christmas tree with presents Christmas Tree in the cozy room at the Wisconsin Governor's mansion. A Soviet-era (1960s) New Year tree decoration depicting a cosmonaut Christmas Trees in church An aluminum Christmas tree Public Christmas trees An early example of public Christmas tree for the children of unemployed parents in Prague (Czech Republic), 1931 Since the early 20th century, it has become common in many cities, towns, and department stores to put up public Christmas trees outdoors, such as the Macy's Great Tree in Atlanta (since 1948), the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City, and the large Christmas tree at Victoria Square in Adelaide. The use of fire retardant allows many indoor public areas to place real trees and be compliant with code. Licensed applicants of fire retardant solution spray the tree, tag the tree, and provide a certificate for inspection. Real trees are popular with high end visual merchandising displays around the world. Leading global retailers such as Apple often place real trees in their window displays. In 2009, Apple placed two Fraser fir trees in every one of its retail establishments.[citation needed] The United States' National Christmas Tree has been lit each year since 1923 on the South Lawn of the White House, becoming part of what evolved into a major holiday event at the White House. President Jimmy Carter lit only the crowning star atop the tree in 1979 in honor of the Americans being held hostage in Iran.[81] The same was true in 1980, except the tree was fully lit for 417 seconds, one second for each day the hostages had been in captivity.[81] During most of the 1970s and 1980s, the largest decorated Christmas tree in the world was put up every year on the property of the National Enquirer in Lantana, Florida. This tradition grew into one of the most spectacular and celebrated events in the history of southern Florida, but was discontinued on the death of the paper's founder in the late 1980s.[82] In some cities, a charity event called the Festival of Trees is organized, in which multiple trees are decorated and displayed. The giving of Christmas trees has also often been associated with the end of hostilities. After the signing of the Armistice in 1918 the city of Manchester sent a tree, and £500 to buy chocolate and cakes, for the children of the much-bombarded town of Lille in northern France.[83] In some cases the trees represent special commemorative gifts, such as in Trafalgar Square in London, where the City of Oslo, Norway presents a tree to the people of London as a token of appreciation for the British support of Norwegian resistance during the Second World War; in Boston, where the tree is a gift from the province of Nova Scotia, in thanks for rapid deployment of supplies and rescuers to the 1917 ammunition ship explosion that leveled the city of Halifax; and in Newcastle upon Tyne, where the main civic Christmas tree is an annual gift from the city of Bergen, in thanks for the part played by soldiers from Newcastle in liberating Bergen from Nazi occupation.[84] Norway also annually gifts a Christmas tree to Washington, D.C. as a symbol of friendship between Norway and the US and as an expression of gratitude from Norway for the help received from the US during World War II.[85] Public Christmas trees Christmas tree in Piazza del Duomo to Milan in 2019. Christmas tree in Vatican City, 2007 Christmas tree in Salerno old town, Italy, 2008. Trafalgar Square Christmas tree Christmas tree on Minin and Pozharsky Square, 2018. Nizhny Novgorod, Russia Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree A large Christmas tree front of the Turku Cathedral in Turku (Finland), 2009 Christmas tree on the Römerberg in Frankfurt (2008) in Lisbon (2005), at 75 metres (246 feet) the tallest Christmas tree in Europe. Boston's Christmas Tree. An Árbol navideño luminoso in Madrid (2011) Christmas tree in Warsaw Christmas tree in South Coast Plaza, California Christmas tree in Stockholm at the NK department store Christmas trees in Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Hong Kong Christmas tree in Lugano (2018) Christmas tree in Vilnius old town, Lithuania, 2017. Chrismon trees Main article: Chrismon tree A Chrismon tree in the nave of St. Alban's Anglican Cathedral in Oviedo, Florida A "Chrismon tree" is a Christmas tree decorated with explicitly Christian symbols in white and gold.[86][87] First introduced by North American Lutherans in 1957,[88] the practice has rapidly spread to other Christian denominations,[89] including Anglicans,[90] Catholics,[91] Methodists,[92] and the Reformed.[93] "Chrismon" (plural "Chrismons") was adopted for the type of Christmas decoration and explained as a portmanteau of "Christ-monogram" (a Christogram).[94][95] Customs and traditions Setting up and taking down A candle on a Christmas tree Further information: Hanging of the greens Both setting up and taking down a Christmas tree are associated with specific dates; liturgically, this is done through the hanging of the greens ceremony.[96] In many areas, it has become customary to set up one's Christmas tree on Advent Sunday, the first day of the Advent season.[97][98] Traditionally, however, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until the evening of Christmas Eve (24 December), the end of the Advent season and the start of the twelve days of Christmastide.[99] It is customary for Christians in many localities to remove their Christmas decorations on the last day of the twelve days of Christmastide that falls on 5 January—Epiphany Eve (Twelfth Night),[100] although those in other Christian countries remove them on Candlemas, the conclusion of the extended Christmas-Epiphany season (Epiphanytide).[101][102] According to the first tradition, those who fail to remember to remove their Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve must leave them untouched until Candlemas, the second opportunity to remove them; failure to observe this custom is considered inauspicious.[103][104] Decoration Main article: Christmas ornament This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) White House Christmas tree Christmas ornaments at the Christmas market, Strasbourg Christmas ornaments are decorations (usually made of glass, metal, wood, or ceramics) that are used to decorate a Christmas tree. The first decorated trees were adorned with apples, white candy canes and pastries in the shapes of stars, hearts and flowers. Glass baubles were first made in Lauscha, Germany, and also garlands of glass beads and tin figures that could be hung on trees. The popularity of these decorations grew into the production of glass figures made by highly skilled artisans with clay molds. Tinsel and several types of garland or ribbon are commonly used to decorate a Christmas tree. Silvered saran-based tinsel was introduced later. Delicate mold-blown and painted colored glass Christmas ornaments were a specialty of the glass factories in the Thuringian Forest, especially in Lauscha in the late 19th century, and have since become a large industry, complete with famous-name designers. Baubles are another common decoration, consisting of small hollow glass or plastic spheres coated with a thin metallic layer to make them reflective, with a further coating of a thin pigmented polymer in order to provide coloration. Lighting with electric lights (Christmas lights or, in the United Kingdom, fairy lights) is commonly done. A tree-topper, sometimes an angel but more frequently a star, completes the decoration. In the late 1800s, home-made white Christmas trees were made by wrapping strips of cotton batting around leafless branches creating the appearance of a snow-laden tree. In the 1940s and 1950s, popularized by Hollywood films in the late 1930s, flocking was very popular on the West Coast of the United States. There were home flocking kits that could be used with vacuum cleaners. In the 1980s some trees were sprayed with fluffy white flocking to simulate snow. Decorations A transparent Christmas bauble A golden bauble decorating a Christmas tree Christmas baubles A snowman-shaped decoration painted as a baseball A toy bear Christmas decoration. Fabergé egg as a Christmas decoration. Christmas decorations Red ornamented Christmas bauble Christmas baubles Production See also: Christmas tree production Undecorated Christmas trees for sale Each year, 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America, and 50 to 60 million are produced in Europe. In 1998, there were about 15,000 growers in America (a third of them "choose and cut" farms). In that same year, it was estimated that Americans spent $1.5 billion on Christmas trees.[105] By 2016 that had climbed to $2.04 billion for natural trees and a further $1.86 billion for artificial trees. In Europe, 75 million trees worth €2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) are harvested annually.[106] Consumer cost The average cost of a live cut tree in the United States was $64 in 2015 and this rose to $73 in 2017. The price is expected to hold steady for the next year.[107] Father and son with their dog collecting a tree in the forest, painting by Franz Krüger (1797–1857) Trees on sale at a Christmas market in Vienna, painting by Carl Wenzel Zajicek (1908) A grower in Waterloo, Nova Scotia, prunes balsam fir trees in October. The tree must experience three frosts to stabilize the needles before cutting. Natural trees See also: Christmas tree cultivation The most commonly used species are fir (Abies), which have the benefit of not shedding their needles when they dry out, as well as retaining good foliage color and scent; but species in other genera are also used. In northern Europe most commonly used are: Norway spruce Picea abies (the original tree, generally the cheapest) Silver fir Abies alba Nordmann fir Abies nordmanniana Noble fir Abies procera Serbian spruce Picea omorika Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Stone pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees) Swiss pine Pinus cembra In North America, Central America, South America and Australia most commonly used are: Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Balsam fir Abies balsamea Fraser Fir Abies fraseri Grand fir Abies grandis Guatemalan fir Abies guatemalensis Noble fir Abies procera Nordmann fir Abies nordmanniana Red fir Abies magnifica White fir Abies concolor Pinyon pine Pinus edulis Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Stone pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees) Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla Paraná pine Araucaria angustifolia (when young, resembles a Pine tree) Several other species are used to a lesser extent. Less-traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as giant sequoia, Leyland cypress, Monterey cypress, and eastern juniper. Various types of spruce tree are also used for Christmas trees (including the blue spruce and, less commonly, the white spruce); but spruces begin to lose their needles rapidly upon being cut, and spruce needles are often sharp, making decorating uncomfortable. Virginia pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States; however, its winter color is faded. The long-needled eastern white pine is also used there, though it is an unpopular Christmas tree in most parts of the country, owing also to its faded winter coloration and limp branches, making decorating difficult with all but the lightest ornaments. Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in Oceania, and in Australia, some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees. But, by far, the most common tree is the Pinus radiata Monterey pine. Adenanthos sericeus or Albany woolly bush is commonly sold in southern Australia as a potted living Christmas tree. Hemlock species are generally considered unsuitable as Christmas trees due to their poor needle retention and inability to support the weight of lights and ornaments. Some trees, frequently referred to as "living Christmas trees", are sold live with roots and soil, often from a plant nursery, to be stored at nurseries in planters or planted later outdoors and enjoyed (and often decorated) for years or decades. Others are produced in a container and sometimes as topiary for a porch or patio. However, when done improperly, the combination of root loss caused by digging, and the indoor environment of high temperature and low humidity is very detrimental to the tree's health; additionally, the warmth of an indoor climate will bring the tree out of its natural winter dormancy, leaving it little protection when put back outside into a cold outdoor climate. Often Christmas trees are a large attraction for living animals, including mice and spiders. Thus, the survival rate of these trees is low.[108] However, when done properly, replanting provides higher survival rates.[109] European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally grown, unsheared trees, while in North America (outside western areas where trees are often wild-harvested on public lands)[110] there is a preference for close-sheared trees with denser foliage, but less space to hang decorations. In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are commercially grown on tree farms. Almost all Christmas trees in the United States are grown on Christmas tree farms where they are cut after about ten years of growth and new trees planted. According to the United States Department of Agriculture's agriculture census for 2007, 21,537 farms were producing conifers for the cut Christmas tree market in America, 5,717.09 square kilometres (1,412,724 acres) were planted in Christmas trees.[111] A Christmas tree farm near New Germany, Nova Scotia, Canada The life cycle of a Christmas tree from the seed to a 2-metre (7 ft) tree takes, depending on species and treatment in cultivation, between eight and twelve years. First, the seed is extracted from cones harvested from older trees. These seeds are then usually grown in nurseries and then sold to Christmas tree farms at an age of three to four years. The remaining development of the tree greatly depends on the climate, soil quality, as well as the cultivation and how the trees are tended by the Christmas tree farmer.[112] Artificial trees Main article: Artificial Christmas tree An artificial Christmas tree The first artificial Christmas trees were developed in Germany during the 19th century,[113][114][self-published source?] though earlier examples exist.[115] These "trees" were made using goose feathers that were dyed green,[113] as one response by Germans to continued deforestation.[114] Feather Christmas trees ranged widely in size, from a small 5-centimeter (2-inch) tree to a large 2.5-meter (98-inch) tree sold in department stores during the 1920s.[116] Often, the tree branches were tipped with artificial red berries which acted as candle holders.[117] Over the years, other styles of artificial Christmas trees have evolved and become popular. In 1930, the U.S.-based Addis Brush Company created the first artificial Christmas tree made from brush bristles.[118] Another type of artificial tree is the aluminum Christmas tree,[114] first manufactured in Chicago in 1958,[119] and later in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where the majority of the trees were produced.[120] Most modern artificial Christmas trees are made from plastic recycled from used packaging materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).[114] Approximately 10% of artificial Christmas trees are using virgin suspension PVC resin; despite being plastic most artificial trees are not recyclable or biodegradable.[121] Other trends have developed in the early 2000s as well. Optical fiber Christmas trees come in two major varieties; one resembles a traditional Christmas tree.[122] One Dallas-based company offers "holographic mylar" trees in many hues.[115] Tree-shaped objects made from such materials as cardboard,[123] glass,[124] ceramic or other materials can be found in use as tabletop decorations. Upside-down artificial Christmas trees became popular for a short time and were originally introduced as a marketing gimmick; they allowed consumers to get closer to ornaments for sale in retail stores and opened up floor space for more products.[125] Artificial trees became increasingly popular during the late 20th century.[114] Users of artificial Christmas trees assert that they are more convenient, and, because they are reusable, much cheaper than their natural alternative.[114] They are also considered much safer[126] as natural trees can be a significant fire hazard. Between 2001 and 2007 artificial Christmas tree sales in the U.S. jumped from 7.3 million to 17.4 million.[127] Currently it is estimated that around 58% of Christmas trees used in the United States are artificial while numbers in the United Kingdom are indicated to be around 66%." (wikipedia.org) "A Christmas decoration is any of several types of ornamentation used at Christmastime and the greater holiday season. The traditional colors of Christmas are pine green (evergreen), snow white, and heart red. Gold and silver are also very common, as are other metallic colours. Typical images on Christmas decorations include Baby Jesus, Father Christmas, Santa Claus, and the star of Bethlehem. In many countries, such as Sweden, people start to set up their Advent and Christmas decorations on the first day of Advent.[1] Liturgically, this is done in some parishes through a Hanging of the Greens ceremony.[2] In the Western Christian world, the two traditional days when Christmas decorations are removed are Twelfth Night and if they are not taken down on that day, Candlemas, the latter of which ends the Christmas-Epiphany season in some denominations.[3] Taking down Christmas decorations before Twelfth Night, as well as leaving the decorations up beyond Candlemas, is historically considered to be inauspicious.... History Christmas decorations are as old as Christmas itself. They are mentioned in ancient descriptions of the Roman feast Saturnalia, which was believed to have originated in the 5th century BC. The tradition of a decorated tree is old since the Celts already decorated a tree, the symbol of life at the time of the winter solstice.[5] The Scandinavians did the same for the Yule festival, which was held around the same date as Christmas. Tertullian complained to the 2nd century that Christians in North Africa decorated their homes with greenery, a pagan symbol.[6] Tree Main article: Christmas tree Further information: Chrismon tree A Christmas tree inside a home. The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the Cathedral of Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the Protestant Reformer, Martin Bucer.[7][8] In the United States, these "German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the Moravians put lighted candles on those trees."[9][10] When decorating the Christmas tree, many individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem, a fact recorded by The School Journal in 1897.[11][12] Professor David Albert Jones of Oxford University writes that in the 19th century, it became popular for people to also use an angel to top the Christmas tree in order to symbolize the angels mentioned in the accounts of the Nativity of Jesus.[13] In discussions of folklore, some claim that the Christmas tree is a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the winter solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship;[14] according to eighth-century biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface (634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an axe to an oak tree dedicated to Thor and pointed out a fir tree, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to heaven and it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the Trinity.[15] However, the English-language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835[16] and represents an importation from the German language.[17] From Germany the custom was introduced to England, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the early reign of Queen Victoria. The influential 1840s image of the Queen's decorated evergreen was republished in the U.S, and as the first widely circulated picture of a decorated Christmas tree in America, the custom there spread.[18] Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments. Types of decorations Glass ornaments Figural glass Christmas ornaments originated in the small town of Lauscha, Germany in the latter half of the 19th century.[19] The town had long produced fine glassware. The production of Christmas ornaments became a family affair for many people. Some families invested 16 hours a day in production. For some, it was their sole source of income. Sometimes competitions were held. Prizes were awarded to the family producing the finest examples. Santa Clauses, angels, birds, animals, and other traditional Yuletide subjects were favorites. F.W. Woolworth discovered these glass ornaments on a toy and doll buying trip to Sonnenburg, Germany in the 1890s. He sold them in his "five and ten cent" stores in America. The ornaments were said to have contributed to Woolworth's great business success.[20] For the American market, figures were blown depicting comic book characters as well as patriotic subjects such as Uncle Sams, eagles, and flags. Glassblowers have held on to the old molds. Glass ornaments are still created from these old molds. Method A clear glass tube is heated over an open flame. It is then inserted into a mold. The glassblower then blows into the end of the tube. The glass expands to fill the mold. The glass takes on the shape of the mold. It is cooled. A silver nitrate solution is swirled about inside the ornament. This gives the ornament a silver glow. The outside of the ornament is painted or decorated with metal trims, paper clippings, etc.[19] Cotton batting Cotton batting Christmas ornaments were popular during the years of the German Christmas toy and decoration boom at the turn of the century. They were exported in large numbers to the United States. These decorations suggested puffs of snow. Fruits and vegetables were popular subjects and often had a realistic appearance. African American and patriotic characters were fashioned for the American market. Some ornaments were used to hide boxes of candy. Assembling these decorations was a cottage industry. Cotton batting was wound around a wire frame resembling a human or animal. A face was either painted on or a lithograph cut-out was affixed to the batting. Figures were given crepe paper costumes. Some were touched with glue and sprinkled with flakes of mica for a glittering appearance.[21] Dresden Dresdens are three-dimensional ornaments. They are made of paper, card, or cardboard. Dresdens were produced mostly in Dresden and Leipzig, Germany, from the 1860s to WWI. They were originally priced between 1 and 60 cents. Subjects included animals and birds, suns and moons, humans, carriages and ships, etc. Some Dresdens were flat, allowing the buyer to collect them in scrapbooks. Positive and negative molds were set into a press. A moistened sheet of card was put into the press. The images were pressed. When they had dried, they were sent to cottage workers for the finishing touches. This involved separating the form-halves from the card, trimming ragged edges, and gluing the two halves together. The form was then gilded, silvered, or hand-painted. Sometimes a small gift or sweet was put into the form. Forms were usually no larger than five inches.[22][23] Plants Mistletoe Popular Christmas plants include holly, mistletoe, ivy and Christmas trees. The interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with garlands and evergreen foliage. These often come with small ornaments tied to the delicate branches, and sometimes with a small light set. European Holly, traditional Christmas decoration. Wreaths are made from real or artificial conifer branches, or sometimes other broadleaf evergreens or holly. Several types of evergreen or even deciduous branches may be used in the same wreath, along with pinecones and sprays of berries, and Christmas ornaments including jingle bells. A bow is usually used at the top or bottom, and an electric or unlit candle may be placed in the middle. Christmas lights are often used, and they may be hung from door or windows, and sometimes walls, lampposts and light fixtures, or even statuary. Since the nineteenth century, the poinsettia, a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas. Outdoors A house decorated for Christmas Christmas decoration of a house in Dublin, California In North and South America, Australia, and Europe, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Municipalities often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners may be hung from street lights and Christmas trees placed in the town square.[24] Others In the Western world, rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas/winter/Hanukkah motifs are manufactured for the purpose of giftwrapping presents. The display of Christmas villages has also become a tradition in many homes during this season. Other traditional decorations include bells, reindeer, candles, candy canes, garland, stockings, wreaths, snow globes, and angels. Snow sheets are made specifically for simulating snow under a tree or village. In many countries a representation of the Nativity scene is very popular, and people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family heirloom. Some churches also perform a live Nativity with volunteers and even live animals. One of the most popular items of Christmas decorations are stockings. According to legend, Saint Nicolas would creep in through the chimney and slip gold into stockings hanging by the fireplace. Various forms of stockings are available; from simple velvet ones, to sock-shaped bags to animated ones. Season Christmas decorations are typically put up in late November or early December, usually to coincide with the start of Advent. In the UK, Christmas lights on the high street are generally switched on in November.[25] In the US, the traditional start of the holiday season is Thanksgiving.[citation needed] Major retailers put their seasonal decorations out for sale after back to school sales, while smaller niche Christmas Stores sell Christmas decorations year round.[citation needed] A Christmas tree ornament. In some places Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5 or January 6. The difference in this date is due to the fact that some count Christmas Day as the first day of Christmas, whereas for others Christmas Day is a feast day in its own right, and the first full day of the Christmas Season is December 26. In Hispanic and other cultures, this is more like Christmas Eve, as the Three Wise Men bring gifts that night, and therefore decorations are left up longer.[citation needed] The same is true[citation needed] in Eastern Churches which often observe Christmas according to the Julian Calendar, thus making it fall 13 days later. In England, it was customary to burn the decorations in the hearth, however this tradition has fallen out of favour as reusable and imperishable decorations made of plastics, wood, glass and metal became more popular. If a Yule log has been kept alight since Christmas Day, it is put out and the ashes kept to include in the fire on the following Christmas Day.[26] A superstition exists which suggests that if decorations are kept up after Twelfth Night, they must be kept up until the following Twelfth Night, but also that if the decorations for the current Christmas are taken down before the New Year begins, bad luck shall befall the house for a whole year.[citation needed] In the United States, many stores immediately remove decorations the day after Christmas, as some think of the holiday season as being over once Christmas has passed.[citation needed] A vast majority of Americans who put up home decorations keep them out and lit until at least New Year's Day, and inside decorations can often be seen in windows for several weeks afterward." (wikipedia.org) "The word diorama /ˌdaɪəˈrɑːmə/ can either refer to a 19th-century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle modeling, miniature figure modeling, or aircraft modeling.[citation needed] In the United States around 1950 and onward, natural history dioramas in museum became less fashionable, leading to many being removed, dismantled or destroyed.... Etymology The word "diorama" originated in 1823 as a type of picture-viewing device, from the French in 1822. The word literally means "through that which is seen", from the Greek di- "through" + orama "that which is seen, a sight". The diorama was invented by Louis Daguerre and Charles Marie Bouton, first exhibited in Paris in July 1822 and at The Diorama, Regent's Park on September 29, 1823.[citation needed] The meaning "small-scale replica of a scene, etc." is from 1902.[2] Daguerre's and Bouton's diorama consisted of a piece of material painted on both sides. When illuminated from the front, the scene would be shown in one state and by switching to illumination from behind another phase or aspect would be seen. Scenes in daylight changed to moonlight, a train travelling on a track would crash, or an earthquake would be shown in before and after pictures. Modern Cooling tower construction diorama The current, popular understanding of the term "diorama" denotes a partially three-dimensional, full-size replica or scale model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes or cityscapes, for purposes of education or entertainment. One of the first uses of dioramas in a museum was in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Biological Museum opened in 1893. It had several dioramas, over three floors. They were also implemented by the National Museum Grigore Antipa from Bucharest Romania and constituted a source of inspiration for many important museums in the world (such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Great Oceanographic Museum in Berlin) [reference below]. Miniature Miniature dioramas are typically much smaller, and use scale models and landscaping to create historical or fictional scenes. Such a scale model-based diorama is used, for example, in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry to display railroading. This diorama employs a common model railroading scale of 1:87 (HO scale). Hobbyist dioramas often use scales such as 1:35 or 1:48. An early, and exceptionally large example was created between 1830 and 1838 by a British Army officer. William Siborne, and represents the Battle of Waterloo at about 7.45 pm, on 18 June 1815.[3] The diorama measures 8.33 by 6 metres (27.3 by 19.7 ft) and used around 70,000 model soldiers in its construction. It is now part of the collection of the National Army Museum in London.[4] Sheperd Paine, a prominent hobbyist, popularized the modern miniature diorama beginning in the 1970s.[citation needed] Full-size A diorama in the Museum of Natural History in Milan (Italy) Modern museum dioramas may be seen in most major natural-history museums. Typically, these displays use a tilted plane to represent what would otherwise be a level surface, incorporate a painted background of distant objects, and often employ false perspective, carefully modifying the scale of objects placed on the plane to reinforce the illusion through depth perception in which objects of identical real-world size placed farther from the observer appear smaller than those closer. Often the distant painted background or sky will be painted upon a continuous curved surface so that the viewer is not distracted by corners, seams, or edges. All of these techniques are means of presenting a realistic view of a large scene in a compact space. A photograph or single-eye view of such a diorama can be especially convincing, since in this case there is no distraction by the binocular perception of depth. Uses A 1/700 scale diorama of Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū based on the left photo captured during the Battle of Midway Miniature dioramas may be used to represent scenes from historic events. A typical example of this type is the dioramas to be seen at Norway's Resistance Museum in Oslo, Norway. Landscapes built around model railways can also be considered dioramas, even though they often have to compromise scale accuracy for better operating characteristics. Hobbyists also build dioramas of historical or quasi-historical events using a variety of materials, including plastic models of military vehicles, ships or other equipment, along with scale figures and landscaping. In the 19th and beginning 20th century, building dioramas of sailing ships had been a popular handcraft of mariners. Building a diorama instead of a normal model had the advantage that in the diorama, the model was protected inside the framework and could easily be stowed below the bunk or behind the sea chest. Nowadays, such antique sailing ship dioramas are valuable collectors' items. A genealogical diorama for an elementary school class project; the featured subject is a maternal great-grandfather of the student One of the largest dioramas ever created[citation needed] was a model of the entire State of California built for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 and that for a long time was installed in San Francisco's Ferry Building. Dioramas are widely used in the American educational system, mostly in elementary and middle schools. They are often made to represent historical events, ecological biomes, cultural scenes, or to visually depict literature. They are usually made from a shoebox and contain a trompe-l'œil in the background contrasted with two or three-dimensional models in the foreground. Historic Daguerre and Bouton Ground-plan of the Diorama Building, London 1823, by A. Pugin and J. Morgan (illustration reproduced from Gernsheim 1968, p 21) The Diorama was a popular entertainment that originated in Paris in 1822. An alternative to the also popular "Panorama" (panoramic painting), the Diorama was a theatrical experience viewed by an audience in a highly specialized theatre. As many as 350 patrons would file in to view a landscape painting that would change its appearance both subtly and dramatically. Most would stand, though limited seating was provided. The show lasted 10 to 15 minutes, after which time the entire audience (on a massive turntable) would rotate to view a second painting. Later models of the Diorama theater even held a third painting. The size of the proscenium was 24 feet (7.3 m) wide by 21 feet (6.4 m) high (7.3 meters x 6.4 meters). Each scene was hand-painted on linen, which was made transparent in selected areas. A series of these multi-layered, linen panels were arranged in a deep, truncated tunnel, then illuminated by sunlight re-directed via skylights, screens, shutters, and colored blinds. Depending on the direction and intensity of the skillfully manipulated light, the scene would appear to change. The effect was so subtle and finely rendered that both critics and the public were astounded, believing they were looking at a natural scene. The inventors and proprietors of the Diorama were Charles-Marie Bouton (1781– 1853), a Troubador painter who also worked at the Panorama under Pierre Prévost, and Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851), formerly a decorator, manufacturer of mirrors, painter of Panoramas, and designer and painter of theatrical stage illusions. Daguerre would later co-invent the daguerreotype, the first widely used method of photography. A second diorama in Regent's Park in London was opened by an association of British men (having bought Daguerre's tableaux) in 1823, a year after the debut of Daguerre's Paris original.[5] The building was designed by Augustus Charles Pugin. Bouton operated the Regent's Park diorama from 1930 to 1940, when it was taken over by his protégé, the painter Charles-Caïus Renoux.[6] The Regent's Park diorama was a popular sensation, and spawned immediate imitations. British artists like Clarkson Stanfield and David Roberts produced ever-more elaborate (moving) dioramas through the 1830s; sound effects and even living performers were added. Some "typical diorama effects included moonlit nights, winter snow turning into a summer meadow, rainbows after a storm, illuminated fountains," waterfalls, thunder and lightning, and ringing bells.[7] A diorama painted by Daguerre is currently housed in the church of the French town Bry-sur-Marne, where he lived and died.[8][9] Daguerre diorama exhibitions (R.D. Wood, 1993) Exhibition venues : Paris (Pa.1822-28) : London (Lo.1823-32) : Liverpool (Li.1827-32) : Manchester (Ma.1825-27) : Dublin (Du.1826-28) : Edinburgh (Ed.1828-36) The Valley of Sarnen :: (Pa.1822-23) : (Lo.1823-24) : (Li.1827-28) : (Ma.1825) : (Du.1826-27) : (Ed. 1828-29 & 1831) The Harbour of Brest :: (Pa.1823) : (Lo.1824-25 & 1837) : (Li.1825-26) : (Ma.1826-27) : (Ed. 1834-35) The Holyrood Chapel :: (Pa.1823-24) : (Lo.1825) : (Li.1827-28) : (Ma.1827) : (Du.1828) : (Ed.1829-30) The Roslin Chapel :: (Pa.1824-25) : (Lo.1826-27) : (Li.1828-29) : (Du.1827-28) : (Ed.1835) The Ruins in a Fog :: (Pa.1825-26) : (Lo.1827-28) : (Ed.1832-33) The Village of Unterseen :: (Pa.1826-27) : (Lo.1828-29) : (Li.1832) : (Ed.1833-34 & 1838) The Village of Thiers :: (Pa.1827-28) : (Lo.1829-30) : (Ed. 1838-39) The Mont St. Godard :: (Pa.1828-29) : (Lo.1830-32) : (Ed.1835-36) Gottstein Until 1968, Britain boasted a large collection of dioramas. These collections were originally housed in the Royal United Services Institute Museum, (formerly the Banqueting House), in Whitehall. When the museum closed, the various exhibits and their 15 known dioramas were distributed to smaller museums throughout England, some ending up in Canada and elsewhere. These dioramas were the brainchild of the wealthy furrier Otto Gottstein (1892–1951) of Leipzig, a Jewish immigrant from Hitler's Germany, who was an avid collector and designer of flat model figures called flats. In 1930, Gottstein's influence is first seen at the Leipzig International Exhibition, along with the dioramas of Hahnemann of Kiel, Biebel of Berlin and Muller of Erfurt, all displaying their own figures, and those commissioned from such as Ludwig Frank in large diorama form. In 1933, Gottstein left Germany, and in 1935 founded the British Model Soldier Society. Gottstein persuaded designer and painter friends in both Germany and France to help in the construction of dioramas depicting notable events in English history. But due to the war, many of the figures arrived in England incomplete. The task of turning Gottstein's ideas into reality fell to his English friends and those friends who had managed to escape from the Continent. Dennis (Denny) C. Stokes, a talented painter and diorama maker in his own right, was responsible for the painting of the backgrounds of all the dioramas, creating a unity seen throughout the whole series. Denny Stokes was given the overall supervision of the fifteen dioramas. The Landing of the Romans under Julius Caesar in 55 B.C. The Battle of Hastings The Storming of Acre (figures by Muller) The Battle of Crecy (figures by Muller) The Field of the Cloth of Gold Queen Elizabeth reviewing her troops at Tilbury The Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Blenheim (painted by Douchkine) The Battle of Plessey The Battle of Quebec (engraved by Krunert of Vienna) The Old Guard at Waterloo The Charge of the Light Brigade The Battle of Ulundi (figures by Ochel and Petrocochino/Paul Armont) The Battle of Fleurs The D-Day landings Krunert, Schirmer, Frank, Frauendorf, Maier, Franz Rieche, and Oesterrich were also involved in the manufacture and design of figures for the various dioramas. Krunert (a Viennese), like Gottstein an exile in London, was given the job of engraving for The Battle of Quebec. The Death of Wolfe was found to be inaccurate and had to be redesigned. The names of the vast majority of painters employed by Gottstein are mostly unknown, most lived and worked on the continent, among them Gustave Kenmow, Leopold Rieche, L. Dunekate, M. Alexandre, A. Ochel, Honey Ray, and, perhaps Gottstein's top painter, Vladimir Douchkine (a Russian émigré who lived in Paris). Douchkine was responsible for painting two figures of the Duke of Marlborough on horseback for ‘The Blenheim Diorama’, one of which was used, the other, Gottstein being the true collector, was never released. Denny Stokes painted all the backgrounds of all the dioramas, Herbert Norris, the Historical Costume Designer, whom Dr. J. F. Lovel-Barnes introduced to Gottstein, was responsible for the costume design of the Ancient Britons, the Normans and Saxons, some of the figures of The Field of the Cloth of Gold and the Elizabethan figures for Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury. Dr. J.F. Lovel-Barnes was responsible for The Battle of Blenheim, selecting the figures, and arrangement of the scene. Due to World War II, when flat figures became unavailable, Gottstein completed his ideas by using Greenwood and Ball's 20 mm figures. In time, a fifteenth diorama was added, using these 20 mm figures, this diorama representing the D-Day landings. When all the dioramas were completed, they were displayed along one wall in the Royal United Services Institute Museum. When the museum was closed the fifteen dioramas were distributed to various museums and institutions. The greatest number are to be found at the Glenbow Museum, (130-9th Avenue, S. E. Calgary, Alberta, Canada): RE: The Landing of the Romans under Julius Caesar in 55 BC, Bttle Of Crecy, The Battle of Blenheim, The Old Guard at Waterloo and The Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava. The state of these dioramas is one of debate; John Garratt (The World of Model Soldiers) claimed in 1968, that the dioramas "appear to have been partially broken up and individual figures have been sold to collectors". According to the Glenbow Institute (Barry Agnew, curator) "the figures are still in reasonable condition, but the plaster groundwork has suffered considerable deterioration". There are no photographs available of the dioramas. The Battle of Hastings diorama was to be found in the Old Town Museum, Hastings, and is still in reasonable condition. It shows the Norman cavalry charging up Senlac Hill toward the Saxon lines. The Storming of Acre is in the Museum of Artillery at the Rotunda, Woolwich. John Garratt, in Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers, states that The Field of the Cloth of Gold was in the possession of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall; according to the curator, the diorama had not been in his possession since 1980, nor is it listed in their Accession Book, so the whereabouts of this diorama is unknown.[10] The Battle of Ulundi is housed in the Staffordshire Regiment Museum at Whittington near Lichfield in Staffordshire, UK Wong San Francisco, California artist Frank Wong (born 22 September 1932) created miniature dioramas that depict the San Francisco Chinatown of his youth during the 1930s and 1940s.[11] In 2004, Wong donated seven miniatures of scenes of Chinatown, titled "The Chinatown Miniatures Collection", to Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA).[12] The dioramas are on permanent display in CHSA's Main Gallery:[11][12][13] "The Moon Festival" "Shoeshine Stand" "Chinese New Year" "Chinese Laundry" "Christmas Scene" "Single Room" "Herb Store" Documentary San Francisco filmmaker James Chan is producing and directing a documentary about Wong and the "changing landscape of Chinatown" in San Francisco.[14] The documentary is tentatively titled, "Frank Wong's Chinatown".[11][15] Other This photorealistic diorama of the Battle of Midway was created during World War II on the basis of information then available. Painters of the Romantic era like John Martin and Francis Danby were influenced to create large and highly dramatic pictures by the sensational dioramas and panoramas of their day. In one case, the connection between life and diorama art became intensely circular. On 1 February 1829, John Martin's brother Jonathan, known as "Mad Martin," set fire to the roof of York Minster. Clarkson Stanfield created a diorama re-enactment of the event, which premiered on 20 April of the same year; it employed a "safe fire" via chemical reaction as a special effect. On 27 May, the "safe" fire proved to be less safe than planned: it set a real fire in the painted cloths of the imitation fire, which burned down the theater and all of its dioramas.[16] Nonetheless, dioramas remained popular in England, Scotland, and Ireland through most of the 19th century, lasting until 1880. A small scale version of the diorama called the Polyrama Panoptique could display images in the home and was marketed from the 1820s.[17] Natural history The bear diorama at the Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki, Finland Natural history dioramas seek to imitate nature and, since their conception in the late 19th century, aim to "nurture a reverence for nature [with its] beauty and grandeur".[18] They have also been described as a means to visually preserve nature as different environments change due to human involvement.[19] They were extremely popular during the first half of the 20th century, both in the US and UK, later on giving way to television, film, and new perspectives on science.[20][21] Early natural history diorama at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition created by Martha Maxwell. Stereograph image produced by Centennial Photographic Company Like historical dioramas, natural history dioramas are a mix of two- and three-dimensional elements. What sets natural history dioramas apart from other categories is the use of taxidermy in addition to the foreground replicas and painted background. The use of taxidermy means that natural history dioramas derive not only from Daguerre's work, but also from that of taxidermists, who were used to preparing specimens for either science or spectacle. It was only with the dioramas' precursors (and, later on, dioramas) that both these objectives merged. Popular diorama precursors were produced by Charles Willson Peale, an artist with an interest in taxidermy, during the early 19th century. To present his specimens, Peale "painted skies and landscapes on the back of cases displaying his taxidermy specimens".[22] By the late 19th century, the British Museum held an exhibition featuring taxidermy birds set on models of plants. The first habitat diorama created for a museum was constructed by taxidermist Carl Akeley for the Milwaukee Public Museum in 1889,[23] where it is still held. Akeley set taxidermy muskrats in a three-dimensional re-creation of their wetland habitat with a realistic painted background. With the support of curator Frank M. Chapman, Akeley designed the popular habitat dioramas featured at the American Museum of Natural History. Combining art with science, these exhibitions were intended to educate the public about the growing need for habitat conservation. The modern AMNH Exhibitions Lab is charged with the creation of all dioramas and otherwise immersive environments in the museum.[24] A predecessor of Akeley, naturalist and taxidermist Martha Maxwell created a famous habitat diorama for the first World's Fair in 1876. The complex diorama featured taxidermied animals in realistic action poses, running water, and live prairie dogs.[25] It is speculated that this display was the first of its kind [outside of a museum].[25] Maxwell's pioneering diorama work is said to have influenced major figures in taxidermy history who entered the field later, such as Akeley and William Temple Hornaday.[25] Soon, the concern for accuracy came. Groups of scientists, taxidermists, and artists would go on expeditions to ensure accurate backgrounds and collect specimens,[26] though some would be donated by game hunters.[27] Natural history dioramas reached the peak of their grandeur with the opening of the Akeley Hall of African Mammals in 1936,[28] which featured large animals, such as elephants, surrounded by even larger scenery.[24] Nowadays, various institutions lay different claims to notable dioramas. The Milwaukee Public Museum still displays the world's first diorama, created by Akeley; the American Museum of Natural History, in New York, has what might be the world's largest diorama: a life-size replica of a blue whale; the Biological Museum in Stockholm, Sweden is known for its three dioramas, all created in 1893, and all in original condition; the Powell-Cotton Museum, in Kent, UK, is known for having the world's oldest, unchanged, room-sized diorama, built in 1896. Construction This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Natural history dioramas typically consist of 3 parts: The painted background The foreground Taxidermy specimens[29][30] Preparations for the background begin on the field,[30] where an artist takes photographs and sketches references pieces. Once back at the museum, the artist has to depict the scenery with as much realism as possible.[29] The challenge lies in the fact that the wall used is curved: this allows the background to surround the display without seams joining different panels. At times the wall also curves upward to meet the light above and form a sky. By having a curved wall, whatever the artist paints will be distorted by perspective; it is the artist's job to paint in such a way that minimises this distortion. The foreground is created to mimic the ground, plants and other accessories to scenery. The ground, hills, rocks, and large trees are created with wood, wire mesh, and plaster. Smaller trees are either used in their entirety or replicated using casts. Grasses and shrubs can be preserved in solution or dried to then be added to the diorama. Ground debris, such as leaf litter, is collected on site and soaked in wallpaper paste for preservation and presentation in the diorama. Water is simulated using glass or plexiglass with ripples carved on the surface. For a diorama to be successful, the foreground and background must merge, so both artists have to work together. Taxidermy specimens are usually the centrepiece of dioramas. Since they must entertain, as well as educate, specimens are set in lifelike poses, so as to convey a narrative of an animal's life. Smaller animals are usually made with rubber moulds and painted. Larger animals are prepared by first making a clay sculpture of the animal. This sculpture is made over the actual, posed skeleton of the animal, with reference to moulds and measurements taken on the field. A papier-mâché mannequin is prepared from the clay sculpture, and the animal's tanned skin is sewn onto the mannequin. Glass eyes substitute the real ones. If an animal is large enough, the scaffolding that holds the specimen needs to be incorporated into the foreground design and construction." (wikipedia.org)
Condition:New
Country/Region of Manufacture:China
Style:Victorian
Item Height:12 in
Material:Magnets, Cardboard
Theme:Holiday, Ballet, Children, Fantasy, Fun & Curiosity, Royalty, Seasonal