Unfortunately, a great many people believed these decorations to be witches balls, the consequence of which is that the balls, often found in the windows of little antique shops (particularly in England) cannot be bought...the storekeepers believing that to sell them would be to sell their luck.
In 1863, gas was introduced into Lauscha, which made glass-blowing a much easier task. The glass could be blown exceedingly thinner without bursting and it was possible to use wooden moulds to create shapes and "figurals." These creations soon gained popularity and by the 1870s, Lauscha was exporting glass balls to Britain and America. It became something of a status symbol to display as many glass ornaments on the Christmas Tree as could be afforded...which at first, was usually not many, except for the wealthy. By the 1890s, however, almost everyone in Britain had trees laden with glass ornaments in many shapes and designs.
In other parts of Europe, the tendency toward more traditional decorations lingered for quite some time. Glass ornaments alternated with fruits in Germany and with paper scissorcuts in Poland, while straw decorations remained popular in many alpine regions of Switzerland and Austria. In Italy, a "Ceppo" was used instead of a tree. It was a pyramid-shaped structure, complete with shelving which featured a Nativity tableau on one shelf and fruits and floral decoration on the others. Scandinavian countries used grain garlands, straw goats and tiny wooden gnomes called "Tomte," "Nisse" or "Gubbe." The color scheme favored by Scandinavians was primarily red and white and incorporated the use of many candles.
Mikulas
Mikuláš Day - 05 December 2004: Mikulas is really the first part of Christmas for many Czechs. In the midst of these holiday preparations, the parents of small children have the holiday of Mikulas,St. Nicholas Day, to look forward to. It's celebrated on the eve of the day in his honor, thus on the fifth of December, and is the only one of the old Czech advent holidays to still be celebrated. So every year on this night, the streets are filled with devils rattling chains, St. Nicholases with white cotton beards, long white robes and bishop's staves, and angels with paper wings, coming to see small children to give them a scare before giving them sweets, and then drinking a toast with their parents. Advent also brings with it advent concerts, which are often connected with collections for a charitable cause.
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