The Christmas Pickle

A German Traditions that most of us Germans do not know :-)

Whenever I meet American people during Christmas time and we talk about our Christmas tree they ask: Where's the pickle - the cucumber?
The what? Was my first question… but over the years I learned.

At first I thought it was a joke. But it is true that some families have been hanging a small glass cucumber/pickle in the Christmas tree for a long time. It is - of course - green. Whoever finds it first gets to open the first present in the evening or gets a special present. And in fact, more and more Christmas trees have such a cucumber hanging on the tree.

Why?  - the legend

A legend tells of a wounded soldier. He had been seriously injured in the war and was supposed to make a last wish.
And that was: a pickled cucumber. When he had eaten the cucumber, he suddenly felt healthy again.
He continued to celebrate Christmas for many years believing in the strength of the cucumber.
In America this custom is much more widespread than in Germany. There, the Christmas cucumber is described as an "old German tradition."

Especially in these special Corona times it is great to get to know new traditions. Traditions keep us secure and make us feel safe and help us to set a special (Christmas) mood.  They give us the strength and perseverance to go through these days with a kind of normality.

December 2020 Christine Krämer
This blog post is a personal recommendation and based on personal experience. It has been prepared with the greatest possible care and does not claim to be correct, complete or up-to-date.“

If you like what we do, please recommend us and share with your friends
https://www.instagram.com/kiramiga/
https://www.facebook.com/relocationbykiramiga/