Who is the fairy-like being dressed in gold and white robes — with a crown upon her golden locks — who has peacefully drifted around the Christkindlmarkt grounds the past few years? She looks like an angel, while her name, “Christkind,” translates to “Christ child” in German. The Christkind is the bearer of Christmas gifts to most children in German-speaking countries, just as Santa Claus is to children in the United States. Her origin goes back to the protestant reformer Martin Luther in the early 1500’s. At that point in time, the tradition was to give children gifts on December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. To turn away from the Catholic veneration of saints and saints’ days, Luther suggested replacing St. Nicholas with another gift-giving figure, the Christkind, who would instead bring presents on December 24th in celebration of Jesus’ birth. As such, the Christkind was modeled after the infant Jesus, who Luther said was the bringer of these Christmas gifts to children. The appearance of the Christkind has morphed over the last five hundred years to be more of an angelic figure with long blond hair and wings. The Christkind has also gained feminine features over time, and a young woman is typically chosen to play the part at Christkindlmarkt events throughout the world. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into our very own Christkind (local Sister Bay resident Lillian Ahrens) at this year’s market, she plans to be on the grounds from 1-2pm every Sunday.
