Christmas pyramid

Christmas Pyramids are lights stand that is used as a pre-Christmas room decoration and jewelery of outdoor spaces. Production and use of Christmas pyramids are part of the folk art and traditions in the Erzgebirge. The carousel -constructed racks are made both with Christian themes (such as angels and Nativity) as well as with worldly motives (eg, miners and forest motifs) and are traditionally driven by means of the rising heat of the candles that a is the impeller and the associated rod via a plate moving.

Construction

Pyramids are usually made of wood and have a tapered top linkage on a four -to eight- square base plate. Inside there is a vertical, in a glass or ceramic bearings rotatably mounted shaft to which one or more plates are attached. In this carved or turned wooden figures are placed. At the upper end of the shaft there is an impeller driven by candles on the outside of the pyramid. By the air heated by the plug, rising air impeller connected to the shaft and the disc be rotated. Traditionally, Christmas pyramids rotating clockwise, rarely also counterclockwise.

Christmas Pyramids are made in different shapes and designs, usually by carving, turning and fretwork. They are elaborately decorated to part and have the form of a house with a pointed roof, sticking out at the upper end of the rotary wing. Other than floor pyramids with several floors for different ( often Erzgebirge ) constructed characters whose company accordingly more candles are needed. Table pyramids usually have a plate and can differ from the usual structure.

A special form of the bottle pyramid, in which the pyramid - like a ship in a bottle - is in a glass bottle.

History

The origin of the Christmas pyramid dates back to the Middle Ages. During this time it was in Southern and Western Europe customary in the apartment evergreen branches (eg boxwood ) hang to avert disaster in the dark period. In Northern and Eastern Europe you tried this using the power of light.

The Christmas pyramid combined both traditions and was mainly in the Erzgebirge a symbol of Christmas. The well-known in Germany in the 18th century lights racks were the origin of today's pyramids. They consisted of four with green branches entwined rods that were tied together at the upper end and provided with lights. In many village churches of the Mark Brandenburg formerly stood to the Christmas upwardly tapering bar scaffolds were filled with burning candles and hung with glittering objects. The ornamentation of these pyramids and the lighting of the candles lights was one of the main tasks of the candlestick formed at that time peasant societies. Until the mid-19th century was the Berlin Christmas pyramid Perjamide (also called " Brandenburg pyramid " or " Perchtemite " ) the highlight of the Christmas gifts in Berlin. These mostly simple entwined with pine green pyramid-shaped wire and wooden frames were decorated, served as light sources and were sold at Christmas markets or self- produced. End of the 18th century, these pyramids were used in many pictorial representations and were in the 19th century as a "trademark" of the Berlin Christmas market. After the wars of liberation took place in the cities of the Christmas tree becoming increasingly widespread.

Miners of the Erzgebirge not interpreted the basic form as a simple tree with lights, but felt reminiscent of the shape of a horse goepel. They started the inside blank rod frame with hand-made wooden figures to fill and thus developed the basic principle of Christmas Pyramid.

The term pyramid ( Erzgebirge: Peremett ) for a light- wearing Christmas decoration, which was erected in the church said to have been first used in 1716 in the Schneeberger city and mountain Chronicle. It says in retrospect, to the time before the renovation of the church of St. Wolfgang, that visitors to the Christmas mass at the first Christmas holiday candles burning with have taken to the church and there the eitele and all sorts of illumination has aufgebauet loving youth [ ... ] Pyramids of loud lights. These pyramids, it seems rather a collection of many burning candles in the shape of a pyramid, it has not acted around Christmas pyramids in the modern sense.

When in 1830 the cheap paraffin was discovered that the expensive tallow candles or Rüböllämpchen with which the pyramids were driven by then replaced, experienced the Erzgebirge pyramid an upswing. There was a variety of designs and styles, such as Gothic and oriental style as well as the forest motif. On the plate presented to figures from numerous topics, including the birth of Christ, mountain areas and the animals of the forest.

Great pyramids

Great pyramids in the Ore Mountains

Until the 1930s remained Christmas Pyramids exclusively domestic Christmas decorations, in the living rooms often had a special place. According to tradition, the last, the retired Frohnauer Steiger Traugott Pollmer 1926 had the idea of ​​a " pyramid for All " set up outdoors. 1931, three years after Pollmers death, work began on the first wooden outdoor pyramid under the direction of Schnitzvereins of Frohnau to Annaberg -Buchholz and in collaboration with local craftsmen, local council and the art carver Paul Schneider. Once completed, the Frohnauer pyramid was inaugurated on 17 December 1933.

The four-storey storey pyramid was almost five meters high and was electrically powered and illuminated. She was fitted with carved and painted flat figures. On the lower floor there camels turned on the second was the birth scene with the Three Wise Men to see, on the third floor shepherds with their sheep and on the fourth figures of mining. In addition, the crown is turned musician angels. Two years after its inauguration, the pyramid has been dismantled.

Today, during the Christmas season in many places Ore at market places, Christmas markets and in other exposed places outdoor Christmas pyramids are put into operation. Some of these large pyramids are situated throughout the year.

See also: List of local pyramids in the Erzgebirge District

Great pyramids in other places in Germany

Even outside of the Ore Mountains, the setting up of large pyramids has naturalized. The pyramid on the Striezelmarkt was manufactured by a company in Gablenzgasse and was at its formation in 1997 as the largest pyramid in the world. In Berlin -Mitte is a pyramid turns on the Christmas market in front of the Red Town Hall, which is situated more than 20 years and has also been made ​​in the Erzgebirge. In the Lower Saxon town of Bad Bentheim is a Christmas pyramid, which comes from the Erzgebirge partner town of Wolkenstein. It was created as a thank you for the donation of two modern fire-fighting moves. In other states such as Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony- Anhalt created by local artisans local pyramids exist with figures of regional concern.