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Fairy Tale Hour with the "Nürnberger Christkind"
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- (© Constance Heery)
All the children’s eyes grew wide and many mouths stood open when the „Nürnberger Christkind“, dressed in her gorgeous white and golden outfit, finally arrived at the Goethe-Zentrum last night.
The large crowd of German and American children and their parents had eagerly awaited her arrival while enjoying the beautiful Christmas display at the library of the Goethe-Zentrum and a delicious spread of German „Spekulazius“ cookies and hot cocoa.
After a short introduction, the „Nürnberger Christkind“ read two well-known German Advent stories to the children and talked to them about Christmas wishes, their favorite Christmas songs and inquired about their family’s Advent traditions like baking cookies and setting out the shoes on St. Nicholas Day.
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- (© Constance Heery)
The children, at first a little shy, soon opened up to ask her many questions. She lovingly answered all of them and only had to deny one wish – to show the children that she can really fly. There she had to patiently explain that Christmas Angels are only allowed to fly when it is really dark and nobody is watching.
At the conclusion, the children were able to see the „Christkind“ up close, touch her beautiful golden curls and inspect her jewel-studded crown. Many of them just wanted to give the Christmas Angel a giant hug and had a lot of fun taking individual pictures with her to commemorate this special occasion.
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- (© Constance Heery)
The Nuremberg Christmas Angel
The Nuremberg Christmas Angel with her white and golden dress, long blond curls and her golden crown, has been the symbol for the Christmas Market for many decades.
During Advent time, the Christmas Angel is the most important representative of the city and of the traditional Christmas Market. Every year, on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday, the Nuremberg Christmas Angel opens the Nuremberg Christmas Market by reciting a solemn prologue.
Her other tasks in the run-up to Christmas include appearances on the Christmas Market and on the Children's Christmas Market, fairy tale hour in the "House of Stars" and over 150 further appointments in charitable institutions. Her visits to old people's homes, kindergartens, institutions for disabled people and hospitals bring joy to many people.
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- (© Constance Heery)
Just before Christmas, the Christmas Angel gives presents to the little patients of Nuremberg's children's hospitals. In addition, the Christmas Angel has to give a lot of interviews, has many TV appearances, and acts as an ambassador for Nuremberg when she visits Christmas Markets in other cities.
This Christmas messenger from Nuremberg is even known as far away as in the USA. The Chicago "Christkindlmarket" which was established in 1996 and is modelled on the Nuremberg market, is opened every year by the previous year's Nuremberg Christmas Angel – with the prologue spoken in English.
