Christmas magic from Lauscha: The history of the glass cucumber!

Christmas magic from Lauscha: The history of the glass cucumber!

in the Thuringian village of Lauscha, a cradle of the glass Christmas jewelry, the Christmas tree ball was invented over 170 years ago, which today adorns the Christmas trees worldwide. Originally used for decoration with homemade edible ornaments, the glassblowers went over to make colorful spherical jewelry made of glass. The high demand for these artistic creations ensured that the Lauscha Christmas tree decorations were quickly exported to the USA and beyond, as Vol.at . The development of silver nitrate for the mirroring of the balls is particularly remarkable, which gave them their typical shine. The tradition of Christmas tree jewelry is complemented by the introduction of electrical lights and innovative decorative methods that have been created since the 18th century.

The Christmas cucumber: A German myth in America

A strange, yet popular decoration in many US households is the glass spice cucumber, which is considered part of the Christmas tree traditions. This tradition was made popular by department store founder Frank Woolworth in the 19th century when he imported glass Christmas tree decorations from Lauscha and also invented legend that Germans hang a cucumber on their Christmas tree. The custom says that the finder of the cucumber receives an additional gift. However, the origins of this custom are unclear and probably crossed by several myths, such as Welt.de . The stories also include the narrative of a German soldier in the US citizens' war, which as a lucky charm put a cucumber on the tree after he was recovered.

According to Michael Haberland, one of the last glass wind players from Lauscha, it is likely that this tradition actually originated in the glass art of his home village. Klaus Müller-Blech, head of the Manufaktur Inge Glas, also supports this theory: "There is a lot to suggest that the cucumber from glass was invented in Lauscha," he says. At a time when Christmas tree decorations are increasingly imported from China, manual production from Germany remains a special attraction. The Christmas cucumber remains a factual bestseller, regardless of whether as a nostalgia product or as part of new trends in the Christmas business.