The Legend of St. Boniface

An Englishman by the name of St. Boniface became the Apostle of the Germans. He adapted Germanic customs to become universal symbols of Christianity, especially the practices surrounding Christmas.

Christmas is a German Celebration

No celebration stands out in the minds of Germans as does Christmas. At 2 p.m. on December 24, all stores close and the celebrations begin. As a matter of fact, we also celebrate Advent the preceding four Sundays. We sing just as many Advent carols as Christmas carols. They talk of the coming of Christ into the world just as Christmas carols talk about his arrival.

The man who intoduced these practices to the German people was not German but hailed from the British Isles. There are many websites telling of his life and work, but most of them do not agree with each other, and none of them agree with what I remember of "Bonifazius" (pronounce Bonifahtsius) from my childhood.

I am going to tell the story the way I remember it, because that is the story which has impacted my life as well as the lives of my generation of Germans.

St. Boniface was no Frenchman

I vote in the federal riding of St. Boniface. It lies across the Red River from the City of Winnipeg. St. Boniface was originally settled by German-speaking Swiss mercenaries who named the area after the patron saint of the Germans. That area is now inhabited by predominately French-speaking Canadians. Most of them are shocked when I tell them that St. Boniface was no Frenchman. As a matter of fact, he was not German either. He was, however, a most interesting person.

Baptized "Winfrid" in his native England in the 8th century, he was sent as a missionary to Germany. Pope Gregory II gave him the Latin name of Bonifazius. The Catholic church has many saints by that name. The "Apostle of Germany," however, is known as St. Boniface of Mainz, the city in which he served as Bishop.

The Legend of the Advent Wreath

The nations all around had accepted Christianity, but the thick-headed Germans continued to cling to their native customs and murdered the missionaries who tried to convert them. St. Boniface (ca. 675-754), however, found a way to get through to them. He knew that he first had to learn to understand their practices before they would accept his.

He noticed that the Germans had various customs around the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Those practices signify the longing for light and the hope for its return. At midnight on December 21, burning wreaths made of needle tree branches were rolled down the hillsides, signifying the approaching light. These wreaths had a cross in the center, dividing the circle into four quarters. They were examples of the ancient international symbol of the swastika (the medicine wheel in North America). St. Boniface saw this practice as a beautiful parable of Christ's advent into this world. He therefore transformed the swastika into the Christian symbol of the advent wreath which is found in German homes during the four weeks preceding Christmas

The copyright of the article The Legend of St. Boniface in Natural Health is owned by Traute Klein, biogardener. Permission to republish The Legend of St. Boniface in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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