Christmas angels are small wooden figures portraying angels often playing an instrument. They can be arranged to an entire orchestra. The origins of artistic angel carving lie in the Ore Mountains where the angels are an integral part of

Ore Mountain folk art Ore Mountain folk art (german: link=no, Erzgebirgische Volkskunst) is a well-known form of highly artistic wood carving from East Germany. It encompasses the diverse forms of expression of the creative work beyond the classical or the modern arts ...

. The connection to Christmas comes from the central role which angels play in the

nativity story The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of Matthew, Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea (Roman ...

told in the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...

: A single angel proclaims the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds, upon which an entire choir of angels strikes up ‘Gloria in excelsis’. In the Christian tradition angels are believed to be proclaimers of the birth of Christ and bearers of

divine light In theology, divine light (also called divine radiance or divine refulgence) is an aspect of divine presence perceived as light during a theophany or vision, or represented as such in allegory or metaphor. The term "light" has been widely used in ...

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Characteristics

Christmas angels are always made with wings to accentuate their heavenly character. They can be lacquered colorful or in natural wood colors. Among the colorful angels the color and decoration of the wings indicate the respective manufacturer who uses these features as a kind of trademark. Most angels stand on a small, wooden pedestals, but even sitting or hanging versions exist. Collectors use so-called ‘clouds’ as a podium for an orchestra. There are Christmas angels with most of the in Europe common instruments (without electrical sound production), including flute and organ. Special figures are carrying candles, shining a lantern or holding a music book.

History

Besides the for the Ore Mountain woodcraft since the end of the 18th century central figure of the miner, angels as light bearers became increasingly widespread. The Ore Mountain folk art angel figures excel in their great depiction as a small-size version. The first carved angels can already be found at the end of the 15th century. To cover the increased demand for Christmas angels due to the spread of Christmas customs,

turners Turners (german: Turner) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gy ...

from

Seiffen The town of Seiffen is located in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, which is in the central south of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. The earliest record of the town dates to 1324 when it was referred to as "Cynsifen". Seiffen nestles in the h ...

developed a lathed angel figure in 1830. The figure held lights in both hands and had a golden crown. At the beginning of the 20th century, some toy makers started the manufacture of Christmas angels. From the beginning, their creations enjoyed great popularity, yet the spread of Christmas angels beyond the Ore Mountains was also determined by political factors. The production almost came to a complete halt during the Second World War. In contrast, in the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

the angels became an export hit and a foreign currency earner. After 1990, most Ore Mountain wood manufactories managed the transition into market economy successfully. Christmas angels are still a central element to Ore Mountain folk art and are widely offered at Christmas markets increasing the variety of the manufactured products drastically, thus opening up a new field of activity for some collectors for Christmas time.

References

{{Reflist Christmas decorations Culture of the Ore Mountains