By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

Christmas lights and decorations are going up all over town. I love all the green, the red, the shiny and the bright. Our German town founders did too.

The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree goes back to 16th century Europe. Germanic-speaking Christians brought fresh-cut evergreens into their houses and decorated them. Not the first time that people celebrated with trees; older cultures like the Druids, Romans and Vikings used trees to celebrate during winter solstice festivals. The German Christian Christmas tree had evolved from the Medieval practice of the “Paradise Tree”. A fir tree was decorated with apples and communion wafers on Christmas Eve and used as the central prop in the “Paradise Play” which told the story of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin and the promise of the coming Savior, Jesus. A tree, the cross, figures in this story as well.

The 16th century Christmas trees were decorated with baked goods and fruit. The first recorded decorated tree was in Riga, Latvia, in 1510.

The first recorded Christmas tree with a New Braunfels connection was reported by our well-known teacher, mayor and lawyer Hermann Seele, in his book, Assembled Writings. It was on December 14, 1843, that Seele’s ship landed in Galveston. A stranger in the Republic of Texas, Seele was feeling a bit lonely and homesick on Christmas Eve. He attended the Episcopal church Christmas Eve service. It was decorated with fresh dark green cedar garlands and well-lit with lamps and candles. Seele delighted in the feeling of his home country and in the choir’s beautiful songs.

Nostalgia set in and Hermann Seele found himself strolling the streets of the East End to see if perchance there was a Christmas tree he could glimpse through the window of a home. He did find a candle-lit tree and after gazing at it for a while, he returned to his lodgings a happy and more settled young man.

Also in Assembled Writings, Seele records the story of December 24, 1844. Here, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels is the hero by providing Christmas spirit and cheer for the children encamped with their parents at Indianola. The immigrants of the Johann Dethardt were camped in a grove of live oak trees for protection from the foul weather and access to firewood. Prince Carl decorated a small live oak with candles and presents for the children on their first Christmas in Texas. To accomplish this wonderful gift, Prince Carl had to have bought small presents and Christmas candles in Galveston before he sailed down to meet the immigrants at Indianola. Surely, that Christmas on the beach in 1844 was a precious and delightful memory for all.

Ferdinand Roemer, in Roemer’s Texas, wrote about his Christmas experience in New Braunfels. It is the first recorded Christmas that was celebrated on the Sophienburg Hill. For those who do not know, the Sophienburg Museum stands on that hill and is where the Adelsverein (Association) built their log headquarters. Named the Sophienburg by Prince Carl in honor of his fiancé Sophie, this is where the officers of the “Verein” were quartered. In 1846, geologist Ferdinand Roemer was passing through New Braunfels and was told by John O. Meusebach to ask Lt. von Coll for a place to stay within the “Verein Building”. Roemer writes, “According to a custom at home, Christmas Eve was celebrated in the company of the jolly companionship of the Verein’s officers around a richly decorated and candle-lit Christmas tree, for which a young cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) was used.”

No mention is made of what was going on in the immigrant homes within the town, but I suspect that they, too, were gathering around their own freshly cut cedar trees. The tradition of cedar Christmas trees decorated with cookies, fruit, small gifts and candles was widespread in our founder families and carried on even after the addition of shiny glass ornaments. Funny thing, they used to sometimes use Spanish moss as icicle-like decoration.

Today our decorations go up around Thanksgiving. Back then building fronts were festooned with green cedar garlands the week of Christmas. The Christmas trees were put up that week as well, but no child ever saw the tree, or their gifts, until Christmas Eve. The big reveal of the decorated and candle-lit Christmas tree with presents was a magical and wonderful moment.

The Sophienburg Museum invites you to another precious, time-honored Christmas tradition in New Braunfels. On Friday, December 5, our German-speaking St. Nikolaus will visit on the eve of his feast day. It’s just $10 a family and a fun way to learn the story of St. Nikolaus, get a chance to take a photo and chat with him, make a kid’s craft and enjoy the Christmas decorations throughout the museum. Sophie’s Shop will also be open for purchasing German and other gifts.

Please RSVP at 830-629-1572 to reserve your family’s place at the 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. session.

My wish for you is that during the flurry of events and things we do during this holiday season, you stop and experience at least one moment of wonder and magic. Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Sources: Sophienburg Museum: Assembled Writings, Herman Seele; Roemer’s Texas, Ferdinand Roemer; Oscar Haas Collection.

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

Most families have holiday traditions, no matter the holiday we celebrate. Traditions are the rituals that connect us to our history, celebrating the generations that came before us. German Christmas cookies are the tradition that connects me to my German roots.

One of my most treasured possessions is an old, stained and smeared spiral notebook with recipes in the hand of my Oma. Safely zipped into a large freezer bag to protect its fragile pages, it lives in my cabinet wedged in between a plethora of other cookbooks.

This book is a treasure to me because, as a child, I never saw it. I did not bake Christmas cookies with my Oma. I sometimes saw her make bread or my favorite buttermilk cookies, but most of the “a pinch of this and handful of that” type of recipes were hidden deep in her head. It was like magic to me.

My grandparents lived in a Victorian house with a dining room located in the very center. Children were not allowed in the dining room after Thanksgiving Day. Cookies baked for Christmas were stored in there. The dining room had four entrances. Every door remained closed and closely monitored. Getting caught sneaking in there would definitely rate “a stick” from St. Nikolaus! Once, when I was maybe eleven, my Oma had her hands in dish water. She sent me into the darkened dining room to retrieve a dish from the corner china cupboard with a stern warning (in German), “Keep your eyes straight on the cabinet, get it and come quickly out. Don’t stop, don’t look around.”

I remember the heavenly aroma of cinnamon, cardamom and anise in the cool dark room. I certainly did not dawdle, but I still could not help seeing all the jars of different sizes and different colors, filled with fruit cookies, molasses cookies, Pfeffernüsse, Springerle and more. Turns out, storing those cookies for a couple of weeks before Christmas allowed the spice and fruit flavors to deepen and, in some cases, the cookies to soften.

Our wonderful Christmas cookie customs originated from desserts served with pagan winter solstice celebration feasts. When Christian beliefs spread over Europe throughout the Middle Ages (5th through 14th centuries), many of the old feast traditions remained, including decadent desserts.

The spice trade of the 15th century brought about increased availability of spices for food flavoring and medicines, but spices (pepper, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamon, cinnamon, anise, and cloves) were expensive. Dried fruits, apricots and dates were also considered prized ingredients, as were lard, butter and sugar. Families could only afford such extravagance on the most important holidays — Christmas or Easter. Small baked spiced treats like cookies were more affordable as gifts for friends and neighbors than cakes or pies.

We have come a long way since medieval times, but some things have not changed. Many of our treasured German Christmas cookie recipes are still heavily spiced with “traditional” Christmas flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, anise and ginger.

My favorite Christmas cookie recipe from Oma’s brown spiral notebook is for Springerle. These anise flavored cookies, from the German province of Swabia, were originally made to honor church holy days. They were sometimes used as Christmas tree ornaments.

The cookies are rolled out with specially carved rolling pins or pressed into molds to imprint the cookie dough.  Then the cookies are cut apart and left to dry over night to preserve the impression. When baked, the underside of the cookie rises to a soft center, leaving a crisp imprint on the top. My Oma never used a Springerle rolling pin. She just rolled them out flat before letting them dry. They were still great!

You might ask what anise tastes like. Anise, either seeds or oil, give Springerle a strong taste of licorice. Recipes for Springerle vary slightly from one another, some using orange flavoring instead. Here is my grandmother’s recipe. You can make some for yourself.

Springerle

• 1 C. Sugar
• 4 Eggs, beaten to a froth
• 1 tsp. Anise oil
• 4½ C. Flour
• 4½ tsp. Baking powder
• ¼ tsp. Lemon rind

Cream sugar and egg mixture. Add other ingredients gradually. Roll out ¼ inch thick on floured board. Roll with patterned rolling pin if desired. Let dry and harden in cold room overnight. Cut apart squares and bake at 250°F. Do not brown. Cookies will be white.

Another of my favorite cookie recipes is Pfeffernüsse, which literally translates as Pepper Nuts, because, well – they contain pepper.

Pfeffernusse

• 2½ C. Flour
• ½ tsp. Cloves
• ½ tsp. Nutmeg
• ½ tsp. Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. Ginger
• ¼ tsp. Pepper
• ¼ tsp. Cardamon
• 2 Eggs
• 1 C. Dark brown sugar (packed)
• ⅓ C. Pecans (chopped)

Sift flour and spices together. In separate bowl, mix the eggs and sugar together with rotary beater until smooth. Mix all of the other ingredients in to make a stiff (and sticky) dough. With wet hands, roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 12-15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar if desired. (I know that there are Pfeffernüsse recipes that have a sugar glaze instead of powdered sugar, but this is the way my Oma made them).

Many of the original German recipes called for walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. Yet, you will see the recipes lovingly handed down through the generations here in New Braunfels call for pecans. The German immigrants in Texas, being the resourceful people that they were, substituted locally found pecans in their recipes. Pecans bear fruit in the fall, making them the perfect substitution.

Christmas cookies were very special and definitely a gift of love. Yes, ingredients were costly, but cookies were also quite a chore to make. No tubes of store-bought cookie dough for them! My Oma did not have an electric stand mixer, just the rotary hand kind. Other than the frothing of eggs, everything was mixed by hand with a whisk or spoon. Even meringue was beaten by hand. Boy, you talk about upper body strength! If you have ever gotten tired making more than one batch of cookies in one day with an electric mixer, think about how tiring it is to make one batch totally by hand. They made several batches of different kinds throughout the month of December. It was well worth it.

These recipes are only samples of the German baking tradition as they survive in the fifth, sixth or seventh generations of immigrant families here in New Braunfels. Make some up (or get some at Naegelin’s) and share the Love! Merry Christmas!

Sources: Sophienburg Museum and Archives; Recipe Collection, Wanda Voigt.

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

The small dining/living room was stuffed with my eight aunts, seven uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and my cousins. I think there were about 13 of us kids at the time. It was Christmas. Grandma’s tree was decorated with old ornaments that were not like our 1960s ones. And there were bubble lights — magical, colored-liquid-filled tubes of glass that absolutely mesmerized us.

The night before, Christmas Eve, we had all bathed and washed our hair (not a daily thing) and donned our Christmas finery. I always had new red patent leather “Sunday” shoes; I would get new white patent leather ones for Easter. Then we’d pile into cars and drive to church.

Christmas Eve in the little stone country church was an event full of familiar carols, candlelight and the pungent but refreshing smell of cedar. Some of my aunts would sing in the choir up in the loft. The church was filled with folks we only saw when we came for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. They were mostly “cousins” and relatives of my Grandpa and Grandma’s families. The highlight of the service was at the end when men, usually my uncles, would hand out a white paper bag, with “Merry Christmas” stamped in red on it, to each child. Inside were oranges, apples, pecans, a peppermint stick, possibly a chocolate Santa and a small toy. Do you remember the metal clicker toys?

But now it was Christmas Day! We had eaten a huge lunch around one long table made of several tables and wood planks. Everyone always sat in the same place, kind of like we do in church. My cousin Becky and I always sat at the end on the piano bench. After lunch, all the leftovers were put away and every dish was handwashed, dried and returned to the cupboards. Then the tables were cleared and taken down, the chairs moved all around the edge of the room, and again, families moved to their oddly pre-ordained places. Then we waited.

Knock, knock, knock.

St. Nikolaus was at the front door. We could see him through the glass. My cousin Becky would begin to whimper. She always cried when St. Nick came. This year, some of us were on a quest to find out if St. Nikolaus was REAL. Last year, we were all agreed that he could have been Uncle Leroy dressed in a costume. He had been missing from the room.

“It’s not Uncle Leroy,” I whispered to my cousins, “he is sitting over there.” We all began counting-up the uncles. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight….and Grandpa!” We looked at each other in shock. But at that moment, an aunty had let HIM in the door.

St. Nikolaus was dressed in a red coat, boots and had a beard…sort of like Santa, but definitely not Santa. For one thing, he was quiet and spoke little. And, he was not at all jolly. He had a bag and a stick and he walked slowly with purpose.

Cousin Becky was crying for real now. The two of us always sat on the bottom stair of the stairs that led to the upstairs dormitory-like bedrooms. Mom was one of six girls and three boys and the upstairs was divided into two large bedrooms. Four of the families gathered had slept up there the night before.

“Shhhhhh….,” I told Becky and put my arm around her.

St. Nikolaus began walking around the room and stopping at each child. He looked at you with a frowny, stern face, and yeah, he was a little scary. But I never cried like Becky did. As he circled the room, each of us waited in stillness for our turn to “face-up and fess-up” to St. Nikolaus. He had come to see if we had been good. “Do you obey your Mother and Father?” “Do you go to church and say your prayers?” In light of his commanding presence, you had to tell the truth.

As soon as he had passed, each of us let out an audible sigh then began to once again take a look around the room to see who was missing. One of the boys snuck out the kitchen door and checked the back porch. Another went to see if there was a strange car parked around the house. But all to no avail. We couldn’t find one clue that would let us know who or what was St. Nikolaus.

“Merry Christmas!” said St. Nick as he went out the front door.

Now you’d think that we would just run after him and see where he went, right? But that was all part of our parents’ ingenious plan, because at that point, presents mysteriously appeared in front of us which totally distracted us from continuing our quest. Ripping paper, giggles, loud voices, laughter, “thank-yous” and hugs had become much more important.

St. Nikolaus had come and gone and we kids were no wiser.

Fast forward 20+ years, and I had my children hang up their stockings on December 5th to see if St. Nikolaus would visit. They dutifully wrote him a letter telling them if they had been good or bad and requesting desired gifts. Their St. Nikolaus always visited in the dead of night and filled their stockings with chocolate oranges, candy canes and a little toy. Except the one time he left them only one piece of chocolate and soap. The soap was for keeping a civil tongue in their mouths; it seems they had been terribly disrespectful to their parents and each other.

St. Nikolaus is a custom that the German immigrants brought to Texas. His feast day is December 6th, but it is on December 5th, St. Nikolaus Eve, that we put up our stockings and wait for his visit. Here at the Sophienburg Museum & Archives, we celebrate this tradition each year. Families can come to the museum at 5pm and 6pm on Thursday, December 5th. Cost is $5 per family and you need to call the museum and make a reservation for your preferred time. St. Nikolaus will visit with the children and they will make an ornament. You can then tour the museum which has been decorated for the holidays. Photos are encouraged, especially photos with St. Nick!

It is a great traditional start to the joyous Christmas season.

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg

St. Nikolaus is thought to be the forerunner of our modern Santa Claus. Like other old legends, there are many variations of the St. Nikolaus story. He was from Turkey and in the 4th century entered the seminary. He soon became the Bishop of Myra, Asia Minor, and won many converts. Because of his popularity, the Romans imprisoned him. Finally, the new emperor, Constantine, released him from prison and even made him a church council member. He was known for selling off his own items and then giving the money to the poor. He would commonly leave coins in peoples’ shoes and dedicated his entire life to serving people who were sick and suffering. This is how he gained his saint status, and is what inspired St. Nikolaus Day celebrated on December 6.

One well-known story of St. Nikolaus involves a dowry for a father’s three daughters. In the third century, it was common for fathers to offer money to prospective husbands. However, one poor father with three daughters did not have money to do this. St. Nikolaus paid for all three daughters’ dowries by leaving gold in their shoes.

St. Nikolaus Day was celebrated in different ways. In Italy, this day was celebrated with feasts, gift-giving, and festivals. In Germany and the Netherlands, children would leave their shoes in front of the fireplace or front door the night of the 5th and find presents in them in the morning. Because of Nikolaus’ generosity, he became the patron saint of children in several countries.

During the Protestant Reformation, St. Nikolaus was banished from most European countries. The Dutch made him the protector of sailors and began the tradition of children filling wooden shoes with treats. Americans went from wooden shoes to leather shoes to long socks, even stretchable panty hose. In American New England, where the Dutch settled, they spelled St. Nikolaus “Sint Nikolass” which, with time, became “Sinterklass” and finally Santa Claus.

Clement Moore wrote the poem, “The Night Before Christmas” and he described St. Nikolaus as a little man in a red robe with a belly that “shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.” This description contradicted the vision of a tall, stately man in a red Bishop’s robe trimmed in fur with a long white beard as described before. It also smashed St. Nikolaus into Christmas Eve and away from his saint day.

Then cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a picture of what he thought Santa looked like for Harper’s Weekly in 1881. Nast’s picture definitely put on weight. He looked like the Santa of today. As with the Christmas tree, St. Nikolaus was brought to Texas by German immigrants. For the last fifteen years, our St. Nick at the Sophienburg has been a combination of several versions from those stories. He wore a hooded red robe trimmed with animal fur and had a long beard. Nikolaus speaks only German and hollers out to the children, “Kannst du beten?” or “Can you pray”? and without even understanding what he said, the wide-eyed children say, “Yes, I can pray”.

The Sophienburg Museum & Archives has hosted St. Nikolaus for forty-plus years, with several versions of the Saint. We wish to pay tribute to one of them — the quiet, unassuming man who brought life to St. Nikolaus here for the past fifteen years, Michael Gene Krause.

Michael was born in New Braunfels, Texas, and raised on the family ranch about 15 miles outside of town. A descendant of several German families who helped found New Braunfels, he learned to speak German first and learned English in elementary school. He grew up on the ranch as an only child and only grandchild on both family sides. He was an inquisitive child and as a teen became interested in herpetology. He actually had a functioning snake stick. Michael chose to wear a white shirt and tie every day of high school to honor his father who was in a management position at City Public Service in San Antonio. His father held a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UT-Austin and was involved with the planning of the South Texas Nuclear Plants.

Michael was a 1974 graduate of Canyon High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with specializations in Nuclear and Heat Transfer from the University of Texas at Austin — with highest honors. Michael finished his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering with the same nuclear specialization at UT in 1984 and then went on to work for 36 years at the University of Texas at Austin at the UT TRIGA Nuclear Research Reactor. Michael was very good at his job managing and maintenance of the UT TRIGA Nuclear Reactor. He often gave training demonstrations and lectures to nuclear operators in other countries, including Egypt, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Algeria. During his work at UT, and after retirement from there, he continued operation of the family ranch, eventually becoming its owner.

Michael and his wife Connie, were active in New Braunfels’ historical community. He was a member of several local organizations including the Sophienburg Museum and Archives, the Comal County Genealogy Society, the German-American Society, the New Braunfels Conservation Society, and the German-Texan Heritage Society where Michael was president for several years. Michael was also well-known in helping folks locate ancestors’ graves using divining rods. He was a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and along with his appearances as a German-Texan Saint Nikolaus at the Sophienburg, he played the part for many other Central Texas groups since 1995. Michael Krause passed away in July after a short illness, leaving his wife Connie and many, many friends to miss his sense of humor and wry smile.

St. Nikolaus will be at the Sophienburg Museum & Archives again on Sunday, Dec. 5. Call the museum to RSVP for either the 5pm or 6:30pm session. $5 per family.

Sources: Around the Sophienburg, Myra Lee Goff; Michael Gene Krause by Connie Krause; Sophienburg Museum personal recollection.

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Museums tell the stories of our lives over and over again in detail. It becomes challenging to present annual events – like Christmas – in a new and interesting way. Our current special showing is an 18-month long exhibit of War Stories: Memories of New Braunfels in WWI, so Christmas during WWI is an easy pick.

Since that time frame predates us by quite a few years, Keva headed for the archives to find an image to create the scene. Image found. Perfect. The archives, however can provide just as many puzzles as it can solve. The photo is catalogued as “Christmas tree given to the children of Amanty, France, 1917. Unfortunately, it came to us and was catalogued during the early years of the museum, when very little detail was included about the donors or the provenance of the artifact. With a little further research, we learned that Amanty was located in the Meuse department in Lorraine region in northwestern France. Early in 1917, farmer’s fields were appropriated to set up a temporary airfield, or aerodome, about one mile from Amanty by the French escadrille (squadron) C4. Most temporary airfields during WW1 made use of already existing fields for takeoffs and landings. The hangars were fashioned of canvas stretched over metal tubing frames providing cover for aircraft maintenance. Wooden structures were built for barracks, operations offices, and other out buildings. In October 1917, the escadrille C 43 and 1st Aero Squadron made Amanty their home. The airfield was then used by the U.S. 1 Corps Observation Group School and 91st Aero Squadron.

WWI was the first war of the industrial age, bringing with it the use of poison gas, submarines, tanks and aerial warfare. “Aeroplanes” were just coming into military use at the beginning of the war. Initially, they were used mostly for reconnaissance. 1 Corps Observation Group School trained both pilots and observers for the new aerial observation and photography. The 91st Aero Squadron was assigned to general surveillance. The 91st Aero Squadron, originated at Kelly Field, on August 21, 1917. From there they traveled to New York and New Jersey before being shipped overseas. They arrived in France on November 15, and at “Amanty Aerodrome” on December 14, 1917. Could the photo of the Christmas tree have been taken at that time? The photo shows a tree with decorations of looped tinsel, American flags and paper ornaments. Small parcels and cards surround the bottom. Above the tree, it is easy for you to see the ceiling joists of the hanger-like building. American doughboys sharing gifts with the children in war-torn France is such a beautiful expression of the Christmas spirit!

The “Amanty Christmas tree” scene was recreated on the stage of this year’s Weihachtsmarkt in honor of those American doughboys and flyboys. The Sophienburg continues its centennial commemoration of the American involvement in WWI by adding the Amanty Christmas Tree to our “War Stories” exhibit.

You can visit the Sophienburg Museum and Archives Tuesday through Saturday to learn about the history and heritage of New Braunfels and Comal County. We invite you to bring your children out on December 5th to learn about and experience the “Legend of St. Nikolas”. This annual event is only $5 per family and includes a short program, a children’s activity and an opportunity to walk through the exhibit floor. Choose either the 5:00 pm or the 6:30 pm program. by calling 830.629.1572 to make your reservation. Space is limited.

Sources:

• Sophienburg Museum & Archives
• History of 12th Aero Squadron; History of 91st Sqadron; Amanty Airdrome – Wikipedia

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There is something really magical about the Christmas season and especially in New Braunfels, with its rich history and traditions. The stage is set when the Main Plaza lights are turned on. There are several Christmas events sponsored by the Sophienburg, so you know they are going to have something to do with history.

Weihnachtsmarkt

Sophienburg’s money-making event that allows the doors to stay open, is Weihnachtsmarkt. That long word means “Christmas Market”. The Sophienburg brings exciting shopping for Christmas gifts to Comal Countians. Every year that event at the Civic Center is more than a shopping experience, it really is a place to meet friends, to eat German food, to shop for unusual gifts and to really get into the Christmas spirit.

As I listened to the plans for this year’s market, I realized that Weihnachtsmarkt is also a great art experience. Yes, just like last year, the artists in the group that volunteer to decorate have created an artistic experience not to be forgotten. In other words, when you go to Weihnachtsmarkt, you experience interesting shopping plus a side effect of an artistic experience or if you go to see the art, you have a side effect of shopping. The decoration committee, headed by Beverley Wigley and Donna Debner, plus about 75 helpers, have chosen the theme this year to be “The Nativity”. Talk about an appropriate theme for Christmas, they have it! The Nativity is the traditional iconic Christmas symbol. About 300 volunteers put on the event. Besides the decorating, there’s the Sophienburg’s prime shopping booth, Sophie’s Shop that so many volunteers are involved in.

Nativity

The origin of the Nativity has many different interpretations but many historians claim that the birth date of Jesus Christ was adopted as December 25^th in the fourth century. For two centuries after the birth of Jesus Christ, His birth was considered unimportant, for at that time, only death dates were recognized. Also because Christ was considered divine, a natural birth was played down. Supposedly sometime along the way, the church legitimized Dec. 25 as the date of Christ’s birth to compete with the Roman holiday, “Natalis Solis Invicti”, a popular Roman celebration that honored the birth of their sun god of agriculture on that date.

The Church officially recognized Dec. 25 as the Nativity of Christ and it became a day of holy prayer by celebrating a “Christ Mass”. The name stuck as “Christmas”. When the Roman emperor, Constantine, united his emperorship with the Church, he declared Christianity to be the state religion in the year 354 A.D. Not only Christ’s death was emphasized, but also his birth. December 25th became the Nativity, a holy day, or holiday.

At the Weihnachtsmarkt, different interpretations of the Nativity theme will be carried out throughout the building. The stage is the main focus of the Nativity decorations. Two giant arches with scenes depicting the Nativity are surrounded by fir trees. Between the two arches are life-sized mannequins of Joseph, Mary and the Christ Child. Sophie’s Café is located in front of the stage where shoppers may sit and enjoy German food. Each of these tables are decorated with a different Nativity and these centerpieces are for sale.

Scherenschnitte and strudel

Several other features this year are Santa’s Workshop for children where a child can take a “selfie” of him or herself with Santa. A new activity called “Schnitt & Strudel” is being offered. Enjoy eating strudel and coffee and learn the art of paper cutting, Scherenschnitte, taught by Betty Spain. She has created a whole Christmas tree of Scherenschnitte ornaments. There is a $15 fee and everything is furnished. Call the Sophienburg 830-629-1572 for times and reservations. Strudel will be enjoyed during the class. Strudel recipes actually go back to early Austria, but strudel is a descendant of the Turkish Baklava pastry, introduced into Austria in 1453. New Braunfelsers know about strudel.

Lindheimer decorates for Christmas

Up on the hill, in keeping with the Lindheimer exhibit, decorations are “au natural”. Would Lindheimer have decorated with glitz and glitter? No way. For months the volunteers, mostly the collection ladies, under the direction of Keva Boardman, have been collecting nature’s fine decorations – acorns, berries, wood, leaves, bird’s nests, butterfly wings, honeycomb and Spanish moss. Decorations throughout the museum with garland and wreaths take you back in time. They are doing their best to make Ferdinand Lindheimer, the naturalist, feel at home. I found this rather interesting: Keva Boardman accepts these natural materials and then puts them in the freezer. It is not wise to introduce bugs and spiders into a museum.

St. Nikolaus

St. Nikolaus will be at the Sophienburg again on Dec. 5. St. Nikolaus is thought to be the forerunner of our modern Santa Claus. Like other old legends, there are many variations of the St. Nikolaus story. He was from Turkey and in the 4^th century entered the seminary. He soon became the Bishop of Myra, Asia Minor, and won many converts. Because of his popularity, the Romans imprisoned him. Finally, the new emperor, Constantine, released him from prison and even made him a church council member. Because of his generosity, he became the patron saint of children in several countries. During the Protestant Reformation, St. Nikolaus was banished from most European countries. The Dutch made him the protector of sailors and began the tradition of children filling wooden shoes with treats. Americans went from wooden shoes to leather shoes to long socks, even stretchable panty hose. In American New England, where the Dutch settled, they spelled St. Nicholas “Sint Nikolass” which, with time, became “Sinterklass” and finally Santa Claus.

Clement Moore wrote the poem, “The Night Before Christmas” and he described St. Nicholas as a little man in a red robe with a belly that “shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.” This description contradicted the vision of a tall stately man in a red Bishop’s robe trimmed in fur with a long white beard as described before.

Then cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a picture of what he thought Santa looked like for Harper’s Weekly in 1881. Nast’s picture definitely put on weight. He looked like the Santa of today. Our St. Nick at the Sophienburg is a combination of several versions, although he does wear a hooded red robe trimmed with animal fur and has a long beard. Our Nikolaus speaks only German and hollers out to the children, “Kannst du beden?” or “Can you pray”? and without even understanding what he said, the wide-eyed children say, “Yes, I can pray”. Early St. Nick stories were brought to New Braunfels with the immigrants. Come to think of it, so did Lindheimer and so did the idea of the Christmas Market, Weihnachtsmarkt. See you there.

Time: Market – Nov. 20 th, 10 to 5, Nov. 21^st, 10 to 6, Nov. 22^nd, 10 to 5

Place: New Braunfels Convention Center, 380 S. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels, Texas

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