Christmas Ball Giving Day

For Christmas and other New Year holidays, it is customary to beautifully decorate the house and, of course, the Christmas tree The forest beauty is decorated with balls, figures of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, people and animals, lights, tinsel and garlands New Year's toys are carefully stored and often passed down from generation to generation December 25th is the Day of Giving Christmas Balls This holiday, dedicated to Catholic Christmas, helps create a New Year's mood, belief in miracles and magic An original decorated ball made by yourself or bought in a store is a good New Year gift In Europe, there has long been a tradition of giving relatives or children who stopped by the house to wish Merry Christmas a ball they liked The shape of the toy refers us to the apple - a symbol of harvest and fertility The ancestors of the ancient Celts and other Europeans decorated Christmas trees with oranges, nuts, gingerbread and candy canes Each decoration carried a special meaning, personifying a holy blessing, the mystery of divine providence or eternal life An apple, which was treated to loved ones in honor of the holiday, occupied a place of honor among edible toys, which became the prototype of the Christmas tree ball Beautiful fruits with plump sides, which were specially selected in the fall and stored until winter, were the main decoration of the spruce The first decorative balls were made in 1848 in Thuringia The outgoing year turned out to be a low harvest, and it was decided to replace apples with toys made of transparent or colored glass Soon their production began to be carried out en masse In addition to balls, glassblowers made various figurines that made German craftsmen from Saxony famous throughout the world Glass toys were expensive, so they could not completely replace homemade jewelry Fruits and sweets were still hung on Christmas trees In Europe, walnut shells, cardboard, cotton wool, colored paper and shortbread cookies were used to decorate the forest beauty and create intricate toys Snowmen, birds, animals and bells were made from these handy materials Fake fruits were made from papier-mâché and velvet A star was placed on the top of the tree - a symbol of Bethlehem In Russia, toys were made from colored braid, fabric, dough, rowan tassels and straw - dolls (beregins) were made from them Today, New Year's decorations are produced on an industrial scale But the tradition of making them yourself is still alive In honor of Christmas Ball Giving Day, on December 25, master classes on glass blowing and toy painting are held This colorful decoration carries a piece of the author’s soul, so it will be a good New Year’s gift for loved ones On the Day of Giving Christmas Balls, glass analogues of an apple - a symbol of fertility, wisdom, unity, love and immortality - are bought and given to work colleagues, friends and relatives