I'm a simple emigrant, and Germany has given the world many Christmas traditions

In this and the two following posts, I will tell about the three most important ones, in my opinion. In Europe, especially in Germany and Britain, Advent calendars are very popular. Almost every brand around the holidays creates its own Advent calendar. Classic examples of calendars are with chocolate or cosmetic products, but there are more extravagant ones, for example with beer or treats for pets. The first Advent calendar was invented in Germany, and, like many traditions, this one originated from religion. In general, Advent calendars are a convenient way to count the days until Christmas. Therefore the earliest precursor is considered to be the marks on the wall. In the 19th century parents either drew sticks on the walls for the children, and the children erased one per day, or vice versa: each day the children drew a new stick. Then Protestants began displaying a new picture with a religious scene every day—thus the first wooden Advent calendar was invented, as shown in the picture. In the early 20th century calendars began to be printed, and the owner of the printing house, Gerhard Lang, came up with adding small doors, which created an element of surprise. He is regarded as the creator of the modern calendar. The story continues: the looming war, then a cardboard shortage, Nazi regulation of any printed material, etc. Lang’s business had to close. But after the war ended, entrepreneur Richard Sellmar, despite the shortage of paper, began printing and selling Advent calendars again. His company remains to this day one of the leading manufacturers of such calendars. In the mid-20th century calendars filled with chocolate appeared, and around the same time they began to spread worldwide. Unfortunately, many foreign brands forget that the main principle is counting down to Catholic/Protestant Christmas and make random boxes with a random number of compartments, instead of adapting to local traditions. Or they simply don’t change anything, and then a person, say in Russia, opens their 25 windows until December 25, which doesn’t mean anything to them either—also a bit odd. By the way, if you type «Weihnachten» into Google, you can find an Easter egg 🙂 And how do you make your waiting for something more interesting? #history