Sandy Colling explores German Christmas traditions centered on horses, from Advent rides through villages to St. Nikolaus parades on horseback and blessing ceremonies. The episode covers Christmas markets with horse-drawn carriages, riding club performances, and live nativity scenes with animals, plus a December 3-12 travel itinerary featuring sleigh rides with Altwürttemberger horses.
Chapters
Welcome to Equestrian Journeys. I'm Sandy Colling, your guide to the captivating world of European horse culture. In each episode, we'll talk about centuries-old traditions, rich history, and the vibrant modern horse scene. You'll hear great stories, get insider travel tips, and meet wonderful guests who share our passion. Whether you're planning your next adventure or exploring from home, Equestrian Journeys offers a unique perspective on travel and equestrian, as well as non-equestrian culture. All around Europe. Join me each week as we uncover hidden gems and stories from Europe's magnificent equestrian heritage. And today I want to talk to you about Christmas, Weihnachten, because Christmas in Germany is super special. And although it seems a little far away because it's only the end of August, trust me, you will maybe want to even travel to Germany and check out the amazing Christmas markets. Or even be there for Nikolaustag. Nikolaustag is on the 6th of December, and it's not Santa Claus, it's Nikolaus. And what do the kids do? They put out a boot on the evening of the 5th of December, and then they're given either goodies or coal if they haven't been good. It's a super fun tradition, as well as the Adventskranz. So the Adventskranz is a wreath that has 4 candles on it. And the four Sundays prior to Christmas, you burn a candle. And there's a song or a poem that goes: Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt. Erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier. Dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür. So those are some great little traditions. But we want to talk about Christmas traditions that involve horses. And believe it or not, there's quite a few traditions in Germany. For Christmas that are wrapped around horses. Der Adventsritt. So the Advent ride, where riders are dressed in festive costumes and they do rides through villages or town and they celebrate the Advent season. So again, the Advent are the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. And it really brings together local communities. And it's a, it can be a spectacle actually for some of the, the onlookers, the spectators. As well as a lot of horse-drawn carriage rides. Of course, in July we did the ride with the Altwürttemberger, but you'll see a lot of horse-drawn carriage rides that are very popular in the Christmas markets, and they really bring that nostalgic feeling to the market atmosphere. And they're decorated with lights and wreaths, and the experience is of course accompanied with Glühwein, the scent of Glühwein, the mulled wine. And I talked about that a couple days ago because it's just such a part of the German Christmas tradition. And there are so many different kinds. Then you have a lot of regional equestrian or regional traditions with horses. Like in Bavaria, you have the Krampuslauf, which is a parade that features the mythical creature Krampus, K-R-A-M-P-U-S. So some participants ride horses dressed des Campus, adding a dramatic element to the event. And it really brings that traditional folklore with equestrian culture, but it is very regional. So it's really in Bavaria. I actually never knew about it until much later because where I'm from, Rheinland-Pfalz, the Rheinland-Palatinate, we didn't know about that. But we had the Sankt Nikolaus parades. So Nikolaus is oftentimes portrayed on horseback during parades that pass through towns And like I talked about Nikolaustag, this is a tradition that reflects the historical significance of Saint Nicholas as a figure of giving, of generosity, and the horse symbolizes his journey through the region. Oftentimes you have the Weihnachts— the Weihnachtsquadrille. So a lot of the farms or the little barns, the riding clubs and equestrian centers often host very special riding shows. And they're usually club and turn, where riders perform choreographed routines to Christmas music, a quadrille or even a pas de deux, and oftentimes wore costumes with festive attire. So I remember growing up in Einöd in the little riding club that I used to ride at, a whole weekend was dedicated to the Weihnachtsquadrille and a little club and turn show and all the good Christmas cookies and the Christmas traditions and the Christstollen and the They really wanna bring together the local community and bring together the riding club. But I remember riding a pas de deux and it was so fun at Christmas, dressed in Christmas attire and the horses with the little Christmas hats, Santa hats. It's so fun. And then in some very rural communities, and again, it's more in Bavaria as far as I know, there's the tradition of blessing the horse at Christmas time. What this tradition is about is to ensure animals' health and safety for the coming year. So I absolutely love that. It includes a short service followed by, again, a fest. The Germans love their fest. Das Weihnachtsfest. They love the fests. Another thing that's quite popular, and it was when I was growing up, animals present at the birth of Christ, and they're oftentimes performed in The little town villages or the village squares. A lot of little towns have their square and perform their little nativity, their live nativity, and not just with horses, but with other animals. So it really adds that authenticity and special touch for the Christmas narrative. Christmas market equestrian displays. So the gingerbread out of the little horse is so popular. And certain Christmas markets feature large equestrian displays where local riders demonstrate skills, oftentimes dressage, or even jousting. And this, again, draws the crowd, and it provides a link between the festive atmosphere and the region's equestrian heritage. So a lot of these traditions are really region-specific. And it is— it's different from region to region. So when we're in Baden-Württemberg at Christmastime, we'll see traditions from that region, Baden-Württemberg. And if you're lucky and it snows and you're joining us, We'll be on a sleigh ride, horse-drawn sleigh ride with the Altwürttemberger. And that's a super popular winter activities. So they're really cherished by families and tourists alike. We'll be coming from America to visit the Altwürttemberger and do a horse-drawn sleigh ride if there's snow. If not, we'll still do a ride with the Altwürttemberger. And competitions. Like I mentioned earlier, there's the Christmas-themed Quadrilla, but there's also the competitions, which are super fun. I actually remember, now that I think about it, we had a Christmas jumping competition one year. And it was so fun with colors, and the jumps were all Christmas decorated. And again, it just really celebrates the festive spirit amongst riders. And one thing that I love is decorating the stables for Christmas. So we would come in, and the stall of our horse, or the horse we were leasing, we would decorate it with lights, And wreaths and ornaments, and sometimes there were even competitions. And this is super fun. We would create an Adventskalender, which they've become popular in America over the last few years, for horses. So in the show notes, I'm gonna link a really fun exercise for you, how to make your Adventskalender for your horse. And you can start now because if you're like me, crafts take forever. Or if not, save it. And make one as we get closer to Christmas, and you can hang it outside your horse's barn door, and it's just a super fun way to celebrate Christmas. The Christmas cookies that are shaped in horses, it's just a very special way for horse owners to bake special Christmas cookies for their horses, often with horse-friendly ingredients like oats, carrots, and apples. We did this a lot growing up, and the treats are such a fun way to celebrate and to share the holiday spirit with our horses that we love so much. So these equestrian traditions really showcase the deep connection between German culture, horses, Christmas celebration, and they just really bring a unique charm to the holiday season in Germany. So if you join us in December 3rd to 12th, and we'll be going to Christmas markets and we'll be learning and experiencing some of these very fun Christmas traditions all around the horse. This wraps up another episode of Equestrian Journeys. I want to thank you for joining me. If you enjoyed learning about our journey today, all about horses and Christmas in Germany, why not share it with a friend who loves horses and/or travel? So don't forget to subscribe to Equestrian Journeys on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For more content, travel tips, and beautiful images from our equestrian adventures, visit the website linked in the show notes, as well as the Adventskalender directions. And if you have questions or suggestions for future episodes, reach out to me on social media @EquestrianJourneys. Until next time, keep your passion for horses and travel alive.
