CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS: Legends, symbols and stories

So much meaning goes into the ornaments I choose to display on our ‘family tree.’ The ‘family tree,’ which is displayed as the most prominent tree in our house, is home to little handprints on salt dough, crafts made at preschool and ornaments handed down from our family.

Dotted among those handcrafted and family ornaments are ornaments representative of symbols and legends of Christmas.

For us, it all began with a pickle.

For as long as I can remember, our family has had a pickle ornament hidden in the branches of the tree. It is typically one of the last ornaments hung and its purposefully tucked away. Visitors to our house know that if they can be the first to spot the pickle, there will be a special prize. The prize is nothing fancy, usually a pair of socks or something I’ve picked up at the dollar store. Still, they won the pickle game!

So often, I’m asked about the history behind the pickle ornament, and until now, I didn’t really have an answer.

The pickle, the pig, the spider are just a few ornaments we have hanging up which have some stories or symbols behind them. How many of these symbolic ornaments do you have?

PICKLE

For many years, I, like so many others, believed that the pickle ornament was an old German tradition.

Another story claims that a starving Civil War solider survived by eating a pickle on Christmas Eve.

Other stories point to St. Nicholas saving children who were trapped in a pickle barrel. The real story of the pickle ornament is much less exciting than any of these, though.

Most believe now that the pickle ornament gained popularity after a salesman from Woolworth’s concocted stories about the history of the pickle ornament as a means to promote sales of German ornaments in the U.S.

Despite this less exciting history behind the gherkin-themed ornament, many Americans have embraced this symbol of Christmas and started their own traditions surrounding the little green ornament.

SPIDER

Theories abound regarding the symbol of a spider at Christmas, most of which probably stem from the idea that spiders are considered lucky in many cultures.

Today in the Ukraine, families decorate their trees with beaded spider-shaped ornaments.

The most popular story behind the spider comes from the Ukraine and Germany, where it is shared that a widow and her family were too poor to decorate their Christmas tree. Spiders that lived in the house took pity on the family and spun beautiful webs all over the tree. When the family woke on Christmas morning, the webs glistened silver and gold. This is many times attributed to the origins of tinsel.

Other theories claim that a family had cleaned every inch of their home in preparation of the arrival of Jesus on Christmas, banishing the spiders to the attic of the home. Once the lights went out, the spiders snuck out of the attic and crept to the tree to get a closer look. When Jesus arrived to bless the house, he knew that the homeowner would be disappointed to find webs throughout the tree, left behind by the spiders who had climbed the branches. He touched the webs and they turned into sparkling tinsel.

CARDINAL

It has long been believed that seeing a cardinal out your window is a symbol of good luck, or even a loved one who has passed away paying a visit. The beautiful red feathers have earned the cardinal the title of the Christmas bird.

Legend claims that the cardinal was given the red feathers as a symbol of Christ’s blood. Other stories claim that the addition of a cardinal to your Christmas tree will bring cheer, hope and inspiration to a family through the gray winter season.

ACORN

In Germany, the oak tree is a sacred symbol and the acorn, the small seed from which the oak tree grows, is considered a sign of good luck. The acorn is a reminder that great things can come from humble beginnings.

ROOSTER

In many Spanish and Latin American countries, the rooster is an important symbol during the Christmas season. A legend goes, the rooster only crowed at midnight once, on the night that Jesus was born. The rooster symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. “Misa del Gallo” or the Mass of the Rooster is celebrated on Christmas Eve at midnight.

PIG

In Germany, it was considered  a sign of wealth and good fortune to have a pig for your family to eat during the long winter months. A word often heard in December is “dickbauch” which translates to thick bellied. Its tradition to eat well on Christmas Eve, hence the thick bellied comment.

It has become a tradition worldwide now to display a pig ornament on Christmas trees with the hope of bringing good fortune in the coming year.

FROG

In Chinese culture, the frog has been revered as a sign of good luck for centuries. Frogs never move backward or side to side, only forward, so a frog ornament added to Christmas tree is considered a sign of good luck and prosperity in the New Year.

LADYBUG

European legend states that farmers whose crops were being destroyed by aphids, prayed to the Virgin Mary. Soon after, small red bugs arrived and proceeded to eat the aphids. The crops were saved. Legend claims that ever since, the small red bugs have been named ‘ladybugs’ after Mary.

DONKEY

As Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, it was known they made the journey on a donkey. Later, a donkey carried Jesus on Palm Sunday and followed him to Calvary where Jesus was crucified.

Legend states that the donkey turned away from the scene at Calvary, but did not leave. The shadow of the cross was cast upon the back of the donkey, a symbol that many donkeys have now.

A few other symbolic ornaments to consider for your Christmas tree…