Have you seen some of the amazing student work down the language hall?! Here is some background, written by our German Teacher, Stephen Van Orden:

“The Erzgebirge mountains are in the southern part of Saxony on the Czech border.  In the Middle Ages, large silver deposits were discovered as well as tin, lead, zinc, and later uranium.  Because of the boom-and-bust nature of mining, the region experienced periods of prosperity and periods of poverty.  When the mining operations were not producing, the people of the region turned to the other main natural resource they had in their small mountain towns, wood.  They became expert lathe turners and wood carvers.  Over time, most of the folk art they created became associated with Christmas, and today many of the Christmas decorations that we associate with Germany had their origins in the woodshops of the Erzgebirge: nutcrackers (Nussknacker), candle towers (Pyramiden), incense smokers (Räuchermännchen), candle arches (Schwibbögen), and other decorations.  Today, the region is almost synonymous with Christmas.  For many years, the region was behind the Iron Curtain, so the rest of the world largely forgot about it, and we came to associate decorations like the nutcracker with other parts of the world.  Since German Reunification 30 plus years ago, the Erzgebirge has been reestablishing itself as the home of many beloved Christmas traditions, and it has become a tourist destination again, particularly during the Christmas season when tourists love to visit the Christmas markets.

This region of Germany is particularly important in my classroom because at Timpview we have a sister school and an ongoing exchange program in Meißen, Saxony which is only 90 minutes or so away from the region.  This is part of our region of Germany.  This year, I wanted to recreate and live Erzgebirge Christmas traditions with my students.  This is an ongoing process, but I can already report several successes.  Two weeks ago, we learned about the tradition of the Engel and Bergmann (angel and miner candle holders).  In the Erzgebirge, people put an Engel for each female member of the family and a Bergmann for each male member of the family in the living room window during the Christmas season.  All of the women are angels, and all of the men are miners.  At night the candles are lit which traditionally served as a reminder to the miners returning from the mines that all as well with their families at home.  In class, we engaged in a role play about buying an Engel and Bergmann set at a Christmas folk art store in the Erzgebirge town of Seiffen.  Then we made our own out of craft wood and wooden beads.  The students’ creations are now on display in the showcase in the Timpview World Language Hall.”

-Stephen Van Orden, German Teacher