"Christmas Symbols" - The Nutcracker

When it comes to "The Nutcracker", you may first think of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet "The Nutcracker", but today's protagonist is not the must-see ballet for Christmas, but the traditional German handicraft "Nutcracker Doll" (Nussknacker-Figur).

Why is it said that the world-renowned "Nutcracker" originated in Germany? How is this craft related to ballet? How did it spread? Let's take a look~

"Nussknacker", literally, it is not difficult to see that this is a tool used to pry open the hard shell of nuts (ein Werkzeug zum Öffnen von Nussschalen), also known as walnut pliers.

Initially, Nussknacker was only used to represent a practical tool for handling nuts. The two arms (zwei Armen) of this tool are cross-connected on the same joint (Gelenk). Crush the tough husks.

"On Christmas Eve, the girl Clara's godfather gave her a nutcracker doll. At night, Clara went to sleep with the gift. The dream doll led her to defeat the mouse king, and finally turned into a handsome prince, inviting Clara to roam the snow together. Kingdom and Jam Mountain. Clara enjoyed toys, dances, and feasts in her dreams, and happiness and joy remained in her heart forever."

In 1844, Alexandre Dumas adapted Hoffmann's fairy tale, and then Tschaikowsky composed music for it, creating the world-renowned ballet "The Nutcracker".

The dance drama retains a child's dream story on Christmas Eve, so the ballet "The Nutcracker" has been the Christmas repertoire of many theaters since its birth, and watching "The Nutcracker" on Christmas has also become an ideal choice for family gatherings. The best "Christmas gift" for kids.

In addition to the time background of the fairy tale itself, the reason why the "Nutcracker" tops the list of Christmas gifts in Germany all the year round, Uwe Löschner, curator of the Nutcracker Museum, gave a more realistic reason:

"In order to bake the traditional Christmas rolls (Christstollen) and cakes at Christmas, the poor often use a lot of nuts, and the nutcracker is undoubtedly a Christmas necessity."