Christ the King

Sunday, November 23rd, The Solemnity of Christ the King - For those who observe the Christian year it is the last Sunday before Advent begins. As such, it helps worshipers who are already thinking about Christmas to remember that the event of Christmas is about more than a baby in a manger—it's about the sovereign Christ - the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. 

Advent/Christmas Pyramid

The early Moravians brought rich Christmas traditions to the English colony of Pennsylvania and the Wachovia of North Carolina. One of their traditions was the Christmas pyramid. These four-sided, pyramid-shaped frame structures had a long history in northern and eastern Germany.

The pyramids were placed on tables and hung with cookies, candies and fruit - and featured a nativity scene or Putz. At least as early as 1748, the Christmas pyramid was in use in Bethlehem. On Dec. 25 of that year, the Bethlehem Diary recorded the following:

"Quite early, the little children enjoyed a delightful festal occasion. Their brethren had decorated various pyramids with candles, apples and hymn stanzas and, also, drawn a picture in which the children were represented as presenting their Ave to the Christ-Child …"

The Christmas pyramid is a combination of whimsy and piety. The middle shelf is traditionally where the Nativity Scene or Putz was placed. The image above is my 2017 Christmas Pyramid. 

I put up my pyramid at the beginning of the Advent season. Historically the Moravians put up theirs on Christmas Eve - and took it down a day or two after Christmas. 

Two Interesting Characters

Snapped at the 2019 annual rendezvous reenactment at Yadkin County, NC.

Historically the rendezvous was a time for fur trappers, long hunters and Indians to gather to buy, trade and sell their wares. It was both a commercial enterprise and a time for loose living. The last rendezvous was held about 1840.

Note the hat worn by the male pictured above. In short, he is wearing his wealth in silver. It is on his hat for two reasons: first, it showed that he had the resource to make purchases; second, if he desired the serves of a scarlet women his money was safe from theft being sewn on his hat. 

In real life the woman above is his wife. As a reenactor she is "his woman."