Christmas in the Jägerhof 2016. In the beginning there was Paradise – the prehistory of Christmas Eve

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The familiar vaults with their Christmas decorations, including the many large and small Christmas trees, each individually and inventively decorated by a different folk artist; the 15 to 20 stalls open each day, some offering traditional, others newly invented handmade products at affordable prices; the crafts and hands-on activities for children; the varied programme of events with readings, concerts and puppet theatre performances, and last but not least the accompanying exhibition – all these offerings attract thousands of guests of all ages to the Jägerhof each year. Regular visitors therefore prefer to come during the week, when it is not quite so crowded.

This year the accompanying exhibition is taking a new look at a familiar tradition: Christmas Eve. How many people are aware that this day was not originally part of Christmas at all, but was dedicated to Adam and Eve? In the late 18th century, when more and more families held pre-Christmas celebrations with their children on the evening before Christmas Day, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden logically played an important role. They only gradually came to be replaced by the Christ Child. The Garden of Eden (or Paradise) remained, however, and with it the apple tree, which gradually developed into the Christmas tree. From the highly creative period before the Christmas tree, the museum is exhibiting its most beautiful paradise gardens.