Exhibition of Austrian Christmas toys from over 100 years ago

Unique Christmas toys from Austria that are over 100 years old will be displayed in the Ethnographic Museum in Burgas. These Christmas tree ornaments are part of the exhibition “How they celebrate Christmas in Austria” /The Culture of Advent/, which will open on 21st November. The intriguing Christmas exhibition includes masterpieces from the collection of the museum “Quiet Night”. This event is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Radostina Ivanova-Mishineva’s initiative, Honorary Consul of Austria in Burgas. This is the first time these Christmas toys are being shown in Bulgaria. The exhibition was organised thanks to the cooperation between the Cultural Union “BLAUES FENSTER” – Wagrain and the Regional History Museum – Burgas with the support of the Honorary Consulate of Austria in Burgas. The heads of the Cultural Union that manages the museums “Quiet Night” and “Waggerl” in Wagrain Maria Walchhofer and Karl-Heinz Kreuzsaler will come to Burgas to arrange and present the exhibition. It will be extremely intriguing for the visitors to learn about the symbolism of the Christmas toys – angels, straw stars, balls, cribs, and others.

The angels play a special role in the exhibition – they are a symbol of good news. Before, Christmas trees were decorated with apples, and that is what the ball toys symbolise. The cones symbolise fertility, the bells – harmony, the nuts – God’s plan for the world, and the straw stars – the crib which Jesus laid in as a baby. The exhibition also includes old Christmas cards and books. To make it a true Christmas experience, an Austrian bazaar will be opened along with the exposition. You will be able to taste original Austrian Christmas cookies, aromatic drinks, and savoury delicacies.

The exhibition and the bazaar open at 5:30 p.m. on 21st November. In the yard of the Ethnographic Museum, third-graders from “Vasil Aprilov” school will present Bulgarian Christmas rituals and traditions to the guests of the Austrian Cultural Union. “These traditions are being taught thanks to Mariyana Stefanova, the principal of the school.” said the teacher Elza Vasileva.

Translation: Malena Petrova