Elizabeth Will Young in holiday costume in Manheim, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of the Manheim Historical Society.
The excitement for Christmas gifts and delicious family dinner weighs heavily on wide-eyed children, trying to remain calm, sitting upon the wooden floor in front of the fireplace. Their mother dabbles with her crochet, while father smokes a pipe, glancing nervously at each other now and again. The cold winter air thumps against the thin glass windowpanes and trees creak through a songless dance. There in the distance, a faint tinkling is heard. Was it their imagination? But no, it gets louder, and clearer – bells! Then a larger thump at the window and father opens up the door to let in wind and snow and ….. the Belsnickel!
Mother smiles, but quickly glides into the kitchen doorway, away from the fur covered, grungy man with a sack of treats and a long, wooden stick for whacking. The Belsnickel does a jig around the living room, hooting and hollowing, his bells clanging, getting the children in a roar. Then he stops abruptly and stares at the children straight in their eyes, and with a deep, stern voice, bellows “Have you been good?!”
The Belsnickel is a character from German folklore who visited village folk during Christmas time. His name is sometimes spelled Peltznickel and (in both spellings) it means “Nicholas in pelts (animal skins)”. Like most holiday traditions, the exact details of the folktale and how this tradition was celebrated varied by region and time, but essentially he was a character much like Santa Claus and was often equated with him. However, unlike what we typically think of as Santa Claus, the Belsnickel was a bringer of both mirth and terror, merry revelry and nervous fear. He also did not arrive invisible, while the little ones were in bed. He would arrive on Christmas Eve and was invited into the house. There he would toss various treats like candies and nuts on the floor and as the children scrambled to get them, he would use a stick or whip to either hit them or threaten them to be good.
The tradition of a person dressing as the Belsnickel and visiting neighboring homes was carried from Germany to America. It became popular in the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside in the 19th century and even into the 20th century, although there was a significant declined in the early part of the 1900 hundreds.
A vintage depiction of a Belsnickel. Photo found on the Byers' Choice, LTD. website.
The level of harshness varied with each particular Belsnickel. Sometimes the Belsnickel would require the children to sing or to pray. Despite the lashing and spanking the children might endure, they were often quite thrilled with their treats. However, some children were always afraid of him and even older kids would be wary to venture out past sunset on Christmas Eve in case they crossed the Belsnickel about. Oftentimes, the Belsnickel did not arrive as a solitary man but in a cavalcade of revelers, masquerading as a group of belsnickels. Their frolicking through the streets was called “belsnickeling”. Their attire would be animal skins, furs, or old clothes and rags. Their faces would be hidden beneath masks or darkened with charcoal or shoe polish. One account describes a belsnickel covering his face with a stocking with holes cut out for his eyes. Sometimes women too would dress up as the Belsnickel as well. While visiting neighbors, it was common for the belsnickels to receive treats and drinks from the homeowners.
A group of belsnickels out for their Christmas jaunt. Photo found on the Museum of Shenandoah Valley's website.
In a 1950 paper by Robert F. Fehr, a woman reminisced about her experience with the Belsnickel. She said, “He had a weird mask on when he got there, and I was really scared. I was just playing with one of my early gotten toys when he got there, and I was speechless. He hit me over the hands once when I went for the candy, and then he handed me a whole handful of candy corn. It was a great experience, and one which I will never forget.”
A very strict Belsnickel. Photo found on A Scary Little Christmas website.
One account of belsnickeling described in the book The Folklore of World Holidays tells of a most rambunctious scene from the La Have Islands in Nova Scotia. After sundown on Christmas Eve, several people from the town would dress up in masks and costume and parade through town with bells, whistles, firecrackers, and horns. They would call out to homes, asking to be let in. Once inside, they would provide a dizzying display of revelry with clumsy and uninhibited dancing, boisterous music, and sometimes off-colored flirting with the ladies of the house. Many children were afraid of the belsnickles which suited the parents just fine, because the threat of “the belsnickles will get you” helped keep the children well behaved throughout the year. During a belsnickle visit, one of the masqueraders would ask the children if they had been good all year. Of course, they professed their innocence and
would receive a tasty treat for their good behavior.
So this Christmas Eve, as you cozy in, dunking cookies and watching TV specials, keep an ear out for the distant sounds of bells and prepare your testimony ….. for the Belsnickel may be approaching!
The Manheim Sentinel newspaper in Manheim, Pennsylvania. January 2, 1903
“Belsnickels were out in full force on Wednesday evenings this and a last weeks, and ushered in Christmas as well as New Year’s Day, and all seemed to have a good time. The streets presented a lively appearance, and scores of men and boys marched to and fro attired in all manner of costumes that struck terror to the young and caused much sport for the older persons. These annual demonstrations bring to town large crowds of people from the country district and neighboring towns. As usual there were large gathering of people in front of the Danner & Co. store where masqueraders also congregated and played, sang and performed all kinds of antics.”
The Manheim Sentinel newspaper in Manheim, Pennsylvania. December 23, 1910
“The old German custom of ‘Bellsnickels’ appearing on our
streets on the evening before Christmas will again be observed on Saturday
evening. From what we hear the number
will be very large and their costumes grotesque and some very funny. These masqueraders will make a second
appearance on the evening before New Years Day, and another big crowd is
promised. All our rural friends are
invited to come to town and take part in these great annual festivities.”
A belsnickel mask. Photo found on the Museum of Shenandoah Valley's website.
A newspaper announcement for the Belsnickel. Evening Star, Dec. 6, 1902.
A modern Belsnickel! Photo by Andrew Ferguson for the Berks-Mont News.
Examples of Pennsylvania Dutch followed by English and then High German. Note the equivalency here of Pennsylvania Dutch Belsnickel, the English Santa Claus, and the German Christkindshen. Extracted from Horne’s Pennsylvania German Manual: How Pennsylvania German is Spoken and Written.
To read more about the Amish Pennsylvania Dutch, click here.
To read about my upcoming book on the history of Manheim, Pennsylvania, click here.
REFERENCES:
Evening Star. (Washington, DC), Dec. 6, 1902.
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83045462/1902-12-06/ed-1/.
Horne, A. R. Horne’s
Pennsylvania German Manual: How Pennsylvania German is Spoken and Written. Allentown, PA: T. K. Horne, 1905.
MacDonald, Margaret Read, Editor. The Folklore of World Holidays, First
Edition. Gale Research Inc., 1992.
Mahnke, Aaron. The
World of Lore: Wicked Mortals. New
York: Del Ray, 2018.
Mitchell, Lisa. "Belsnickel Reminds All to be Good at Kutztown Christmas on the Farm." Berks-Mont News. 2016.
“Pennsylvania Dutch Traditions.” Byers Choice Ltd. www.byerschoice.com/christmas-traditions/pennsylvania-dutch
Powers, Nick. "Belsnickel-wha?: Holiday Traditions in the Shenandoah Valley." The Museum of Shenandoah Valley. Belsnickel-wha?: Holiday Traditions in the Shenandoah Valley | The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (themsv.org)
Shoemaker, Alfred Lewis.
Christmas in Pennsylvania.
Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1959.
Troop, Sarah Elizabeth. "Belsnickel." A Scary Little Christmas. 2013. Belsnickel | A Scary Little Christmas (wordpress.com)
tags: christmas, christmas traditions, pelznickel, pelznickle, belsnickling, belsnickeling, folklore, yuletide, yule, germany
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