This article was originally published in the Fall 2024 edition of The Bluff Banner newsletter.
Fayette County is steeped in German and Czech traditions, reflecting the backgrounds of the numerous immigrants who settled here throughout the nineteenth century. While adapting to their new homeland, immigrants also maintained their own traditions, creating a unique cultural fusion that remains today. During the sites' annual Trail of Lights event, sites staff and volunteers interpret this mélange of German and Texan traditions for the thousands of visitors who attend.
Heinrich Kreische was born in the German region of Saxony in the small village of Gottgetreu. Like Kreische, many Christmas traditions have their roots in Saxony. Saxony boasts the oldest Christmas market in Germany, the Dresden Striezelmarkt. Now a global phenomenon, Christmas markets offer a dense selection of handmade crafts and toys, Christmas decorations, and festive treats. One traditional baked good you can find at any German Christmas market is lebkuchen, which guests can sample during our Festival Nights.
Lebkuchen translates directly to “gingerbread” in English, and while it may fall into the same family, it’s a decidedly unique treat. Lebkuchen was created by German monks in the 13th century using honey as a main ingredient. Most monasteries kept extensive beehives, making it a plentiful resource. Similar to gingerbread, the cookies contain spices such as coriander, cloves, cardamom, and allspice. In Germany, lebkuchen varies regionally, often distinguishable by the type of nuts used. The lebkuchen served during Trail of Lights uses pecans to emphasize the Kreische’s German-Texan cultural blend.
Kreische’s hometown of Gottgetreu is located within the Erzgebirge, or Ore Mountains, district, historically known for ore mining. In the 18th century, the industry began to decline, and miners turned to woodcarving as a new source of income. Now, the Erzgebirge has become known as the origin of several traditional wood-carved Christmas decorations, such as the nutcracker, “smoking men” incense holders, and the spinning Christmas pyramid.
In a traditional Christmas pyramid, warm air from lit candles rises to drive the pinwheel at the top. As the pinwheel turns, it powers the carousel below, giving life to small carved figures. Craftspeople take pride in their rotating scenes that can depict the Nativity, Christmas characters, or everyday folk scenes.
The origins of the Christmas pyramid date to the Middle Ages when it was tradition to bring evergreen branches and candles into the home to ward off the dark, dreariness of winter. These sophisticated candleholders were likely inspired by capstans, rotating machines used to raise and lower objects by rope, that were used in the mines of the Ore Mountains.
Throughout Trail of Lights, a four-tier Christmas pyramid, carved in the Erzgebirge, sits in the Kreische family parlor to demonstrate Heinrich's Saxon roots. In a modern twist, electricity illuminates the candles and turns the pyramid’s fan. Carved trees, deer, and a sheepherder rotate on its wooden platforms.
Perhaps the most ubiquitous German contribution to an American Christmas is the tradition of the Tannenbaum, or Christmas tree. In the 16th century, Germans began bringing fir trees inside and adorned them with apples, paper flowers, gold foil, and candles. Unlike today, most tree decorations were homemade and often edible. German immigrants in Texas continued this tradition and decorated with their available resources – popcorn garlands, gilded walnuts, ribbons, and homemade cookies.
During special Festival Nights at Trail of Lights, the Kreische house comes alive, mixing traditional German customs with a Texas twist. As Germans adapted their practices, they also laid the foundation for much of today’s classic American Christmas. Christmas in Texas would look very different without the traditions brought by the earliest German immigrants. O, Tannenbaum, indeed!
