Presented by Mrs Abanty Paul
Foreword:
Exploring can be of different kinds and nature. For me, it is all about exploring the world of stories, legends and folktales that have been inspiring, motivating and intriguing us for years. With Christmas just round the corner, I started exploring the net for various Christmas stories and traditions associated with the celebration of one of the most popular and joyous festivals of the world.
And, needless to say, I came across quite a few interesting tales and stories-some facts, some myths and fictions associated with Christmas. Each one of them was unique in its own nature.
Amongst these, I was attracted to some strange customs and traditions followed by certain countries and the stories/tales related to them.
Today, I’m going to share one such story with you and the tradition that came into being from it. This is the “Legend of the Christmas Spider”. Of course, there are a couple of variations to this popular Eastern European folktale and today I’m going to tell you the folktale that comes from Germany. I hope you like it.
Foreword:
Exploring can be of different kinds and nature. For me, it is all about exploring the world of stories, legends and folktales that have been inspiring, motivating and intriguing us for years. With Christmas just round the corner, I started exploring the net for various Christmas stories and traditions associated with the celebration of one of the most popular and joyous festivals of the world.
And, needless to say, I came across quite a few interesting tales and stories-some facts, some myths and fictions associated with Christmas. Each one of them was unique in its own nature.
Amongst these, I was attracted to some strange customs and traditions followed by certain countries and the stories/tales related to them.
Today, I’m going to share one such story with you and the tradition that came into being from it. This is the “Legend of the Christmas Spider”. Of course, there are a couple of variations to this popular Eastern European folktale and today I’m going to tell you the folktale that comes from Germany. I hope you like it.
Legend of the Christmas Spider
A long time ago in Germany, a mother was cleaning for Christmas. Spiders fled up to the attic to escape the broom. On quiet Christmas Eve, the spiders slowly came down for a peek. “Oh, what a beautiful tree!”
In excitement, they scurried up and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed amongst the glittering beauty. But alas! By the time they were done, the tree was shrouded in their dusty grey web.
When Santa came with gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled because he saw how happy the spiders were, but knew how heartbroken the mother would be if she saw it covered in dusty webs. So he turned the webs to strands of silver and the tree was even more beautiful than before.
That’s the story of tinsel on trees and why every tree should have a Christmas Spider in it’s branches.
A long time ago in Germany, a mother was cleaning for Christmas. Spiders fled up to the attic to escape the broom. On quiet Christmas Eve, the spiders slowly came down for a peek. “Oh, what a beautiful tree!”
In excitement, they scurried up and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed amongst the glittering beauty. But alas! By the time they were done, the tree was shrouded in their dusty grey web.
When Santa came with gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled because he saw how happy the spiders were, but knew how heartbroken the mother would be if she saw it covered in dusty webs. So he turned the webs to strands of silver and the tree was even more beautiful than before.
That’s the story of tinsel on trees and why every tree should have a Christmas Spider in it’s branches.
 | Afterword: Many of us often decorate Christmas trees with tinsels without knowing where, when and why this particular tradition originated. Well, it seems that this legend is also behind the use of tinsels to decorate our Christmas trees, although not everyone puts a spider as a Christmas decoration on their trees. To conclude, I can say that if there is hope and faith in your heart, miracles often happen. This is exactly what this beautiful story is all about. |
