MORAVIAN STAR

A 'Moravian star' () is an illuminated piece of Advent or Christmas decoration popular in Germany and in places in America and Europe where there are Moravian congregations. The stars take their English name from the Moravian Church; in Germany, they are known as Herrnhut stars, named for the Moravian community that became known for producing them.

Contents

History

Cultural Importance

Types of Stars

References

External links

History

The first Moravian star is known to have originated in the 1850's at the Moravian School in Niesky, Germany, most probably as a geometry lesson or project. Around 1880, Peter Verbeek, an alumni of the school, began making the stars and their instructions available for sale through his bookstore. ^{[1] [2]} His son Harry went on to found the Herrnhut Star Factory, which was the main source of stars until World War I. It has since gone on to resume operation. ^[3] Other star making companies and groups have sprung up since then. Some Moravian churches have congregation members build and sell the stars as fund raisers.

Cultural Importance

The Moravian star had no religious significance behind its origins, and in spite of being named for the Moravian Church is still predominantly a secular symbol of the holiday season. They are often seen in Moravian nativity and putz displays as a representation of the Star of Bethlehem, but there is no religious reason behind this; it is an aesthetic choice.
The City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, founded by Moravians in 1766, uses the Moravian star as their official Christmas decoration. Moravian stars hang on the streets of downtown Winston-Salem. In addition, a 31-foot Moravian star, one of the largest in the world, sits atop the North Tower of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center during the Advent and Christmas seasons. ^[4]

Types of Stars

There are many forms of Moravian stars, but the most commonly seen and accepted version is the 26-point form, composed of eighteen square-based points and eight triangular-based points. A Moravian star has a regular shape, but many do not use the point on the top--which would make them true polyhedrons--as the hanging apparatus is attached in this position.
Simple paper decorations made from four folded strips of paper are sometimes also called Moravian stars, but can also be known as ''German stars'', ''Swedish stars'', or ''Froebel's stars'', indicating they are not exclusively Moravian in origin.
^[5]
[6]

References

1. "The Moravian Star", retrieved 8-10-2007
2. "History of the Moravian Star", retrieved 8-10-2007
3. Herrnhuter Stern GmbH, retrieved on 8-10-2007
4. "Annual Star Lighting Service", Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, retrieved 8-10-2007
5. "Star Quantity: Little White Slips of Paper Become Thousands of Christmas Decorations, ''Winston-Salem Journal'', 11-19-2006
6. "How To Make Stars", Nagle Design, retrieved 8-10-2007

External links

★ Make a Moravian Star