A Moravian star (German: Herrnhuter Stern) 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 Mother Community in Saxony, Germany, where they were first commercially produced.

History

The first Moravian star is known to have originated in the 1830's at the Moravian School in Niesky, Germany, most probably as a geometry lesson or project. The first mention is of a 110 point star at the 50th anniversary of the Paedagogium (classical school for boys) there in Niesky. 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. Although damaged at the end of World War II when the Russians put Herrnhut to the torch, the Star Factory resumed manufacture of them. Briefly taken over by the Communist DDR government in the 1950s, the factory was returned to the Moravian Church owned Abraham Dürninger Company who conttinues to make the Stars in Herrnhut^[3] Other star making companies and groups have sprung up since then. Some Moravian congregations have congregation members who build and sell the stars as fund raisers.

Cultural Importance

Although the Star originated in th church's schools as a geometry lesson, it was soon adopted throughout the Moravian Church as a beloved Advent symbol. At the time, Moravian Congregations were inhabited exclusively by Moravians and the church owned and controlled all property. All of life was formed by their Christian faith and there was no distinction between secular and sacred even in their daily activities. All of life was considered worship. So it was that the Advent Star went effortlessly from a pastime for boys into the Congregation. Properly called the "Advent Star" the Moravian Star remains a beloved symbol of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany holiday season. They are often seen in Moravian nativity and putz displays as a representation of the Star of Bethlehem. For Moravians the Star recalls the Creator, Who said "Let the light shine in the darkness"; it also recalls the messianic promise of God to Moses that "A Star shall arise out of Jacob"; the Advent Star reminds Moravians of the star followed by the 3 Wisemen from the East to find the Infant Jesus in Bethlehem; the Advent Star also reminds Moravians of the Risen Christ Who said "I am the bright and Morning Star" in the Apocalypse. Now the Star has been widely accepted throughout Germany as an Advent and Christmas symbol. A large Advent Star shines in the dome of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden. A large Advent Star shines over the altar of the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church)where Johann Sebastian Bach is buried in Leipzig. 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 most widely available is the 26-point form, composed of eighteen square and eight triangular cone shaped points. This is the kind of star that can be bought either from the Star Factory in Herrnhut of from one of the Moravian Book and Gift Shops. No matter how many points it has, a Moravian Star has a regular shape, based on polyhedrons. There are Moravian Stars with 20, 26, 32, 50, 64 and 110 points that are commonly handmade in the Moravian Schools. The variety comes from the division of the bases of the points---making an octagonal point out of a square point, etc. For example, the common 26 point Moravian Star becomes a 50 point Star when the squares become octagons and the triangles regular hexagons. This leaves a 4-sided rhomboid shaped hole in the corners of the points. This is filled with an irregular four sided point. These 4-sided points form a "starburst" in the middle of what looks like a regular 26 point Star.

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 Stars, named after Friedrich Froebel, the German educator who invented them.

^{[5] [6]}

References

External links

• Make a Moravian Star

This article incorporates text translated from as of December 24, 2006.

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