It is well-known that we Germans helped to popularize the now-beloved symbol of Christmas, the Tannenbaum, or Christmas Tree. But there is another less-famous and somewhat misunderstood tradition of the Christmas pickle.
The legend goes that on Christmas Eve, the German custom was to place a pickle (or a pickle-shaped ornament) in the branches of the Christmas Tree. The parents “hide” the pickle after all the other ornaments have been placed and the first child who finds it is rewarded with an extra gift. If it is an adult who discovers the pickle, they are the recipient of a year’s worth of good luck.
However, the whole legend is a complete myth! If you ask any German about it, most of us have never even heard of this silly tradition! There were some West Germans during the Cold War who believed it must be the practice of East Germans, who had nothing more than pickles with which to decorate their tree. But most East Germans knew nothing more about it than the Westerners did.
So where did this odd story come from?
There are at least two popular versions of the origin of the German Christmas Pickle. Both come to us from the United States.
In the first tale, a Bavarian immigrant was fighting in the American Civil War. As a prisoner of war, he was injured and dying. He begged his guard for just one pickle before his death. The guard was sympathetic and granted the dying soldier’s request. However, this pickle apparently had miraculous restorative powers, and the Bavarian survived.
The second story originates in Berrien Springs, MI, the town which calls itself “The Christmas Pickle Capital of the World.” Their story takes place in medieval Spain.
Two young schoolboys were traveling home for the holidays and stopped at an inn for the night. The innkeeper was a cruel and evil man who imprisoned the boys in a pickle barrel. Lucky for them, St. Nicholas himself was also staying at this inn on the same night. He found the boys and freed them from their pickled prison by using his magic staff.
The town of Berrien Springs has capitalized on this unusual tradition with an annual Christmas Pickle Festival. The festival features a “Dillmeister” who distributes fresh pickles during their parade. And of course, you can buy the famous pickle ornaments all over the town.
So, while the origins of this holiday “tradition” remain clouded in mystery, you can still enjoy your German Christmas Pickles, regardless of whether they actually came from Germany! ;-)
—Marcus
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