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The Legend of St. Boniface

by Traute Klein, AKA biogardener

An Englishman by the name of St. Boniface became the Apostle of the Germans. He adapted Germanic customs to become universal symbols of Christianity.

Christmas is a German Celebration

As Easter Sunday morning is to North Americans, so Christmas Eve is to Germans. If they only go to church once a year, this is the time, Heiligabend.

No celebration stands out in the minds of Germans as does Christmas. At 2 p.m. on December 24, all stores close and the celebrations begin. As a matter of fact, we also celebrate Advent the preceding four Sundays. We sing just as many Advent carols as Christmas carols. They talk of the coming of Christ into the world just as Christmas carols talk about his arrival.

The man who intoduced these practices to the German people was not German but hailed from the British Isles. There are many websites telling of his life and work, but most of them do not agree with each other, and none of them agree with what I remember of "Bonifazius" (pronounce Bonifahtsius) from my childhood.

I am going to tell the story the way I remember it, because that is the story which has impacted my life as well as the lives of my generation of Germans.

St. Boniface was no Frenchman

I vote in the federal riding of St. Boniface. It lies across the Red River from the City of Winnipeg. St. Boniface was originally settled by German-speaking Swiss mercenaries who named the area after the patron saint of the Germans. That area is now inhabited by predominately French-speaking Canadians. Most of them are shocked when I tell them that St. Boniface was no Frenchman. As a matter of fact, he was not German either. He was, however, a most interesting person.

He was baptised Winfrid in his native England and in the 8th century, he was sent as a missionary to Germany. Pope Gregory II gave him the Latin name of Bonifazius. The Catholic church has many saints by that name. The "Apostle of Germany," however, is known as St. Boniface of Mainz, the city in which he served as Bishop.

The Legend of the Advent Wreath

The nations all around had accepted Christianity, but the thick-headed Germans continued to cling to their native customs and murdered the missionaries who tried to convert them. St. Boniface (ca. 675-754), however, found a way to get through to them. He knew that he first had to learn to understand their practices before they would accept his.

He noticed that the Germans had various customs around the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Those practices signify the longing for light and the hope for its return. At midnight on December 21, burning pine wreaths were rolled down the hillsides, signifying the approaching light. These wreaths had a cross in the center, dividing the circle into four quarters. They were examples of the ancient international symbol of the swastika. St. Boniface saw this practice as a beautiful parable of Christ's advent into this world. He therefore transformed the swastica into the Christian symbol of the advent wreath which is found in German homes during the four weeks preceding Christmas.

The Legend of the Christmas Tree

During the cold of winter, the natives of Germany also adorned the fir trees of the forest with colorful decorative presents. In this practice, St. Boniface again saw a parable of Christ coming into the world to bring us God's gifts. He therefore made the fir tree the emblem of Christmas, and to this day, the very shape of the fir tree evokes memories of Christ's birth.

Heathen Symbols Converted to Christianity

Many Christian condemn the celebration of Christmas, because it is derived from heathen celebrations. I understand their reasoning, but I do not share their convictions. I see another side to the story. Let's think of the story of St. Paul on Mars Hill in Athens. He noticed the statue which the Greeks had erected to "the unknown God." Did he condemn their worship of this unknown God? To the contrary. He announced, "This unknown God I declare to you today. His name is Jesus."

That is exactly what St. Boniface did. He declared that the light which the Germans of the 8th century were worshiping was none other than "Jesus, the light of the world," and that the gifts which Germans placed on their trees were a symbol of Jesus, God's gift to mankind.

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. That is what our German ancestors did, and that is the practice which St. Boniface preserved for us to this day.

Christmas is a German Celebration

Now you know the legend of the German Christmas. An Englishman by the name of Wilfred became St. Boniface, the "Apostle to the Germans" and the patron saints of German-speaking people around the world. And he is the reason that people light the four candles of the Advent wreath and hang presents on the Christmas tree.

Other Christmas Traditions and Legends

Advent Memories
My Childhood Advents were filled with music and prophecies. This article is illustrated with watercolors which I painted in the summer of 2000. Also links to other Christmas articles.
Fröhliche Weihnachten!

More Christmas Stories