Since the 1700s, children in Pennsylvania German country, waited with anticipation for a scratching at the window to announce the arrival of Belsnickel on Christmas Eve. A big man, dressed all in furs, maybe with marks of dirt or coal on his cheeks. He carried a switch and had sweets and nuts in his pockets. The children would get sweets and nuts but might also feel the switch. So, who is the Belsnickel, and how did he become a tradition among some German Americans?
Belsnickel/ Belznickl is a corruption of the names Pelz Nikolas, Pelznickl, Pelzmärtel, and Pelzmarten. Pelznickl means “furry Nikolas” (like St Nikolas), and Pelzmarten means “furry Martin” (like St Martin). His story comes mainly from the Palatine region of Germany, where he’s described as a combination of St. Nicholas and Knecht Ruprecht. You’ll also find him in the Saarland and Odenwald area of Baden Wurttemberg. In Swabia, he acts as a companion to St Nicholas.
In Germany, Pelzmartin would arrive at homes with children on November 11 (St Martin’s Day) and Pelznickl on December 6 (St Nicholas Day). He would strew treats like apples and nuts on the floor, and children would gather them up while avoiding a swat from the switch.
When the Germans from those areas emigrated to America, they brought Pelznickl with them… With a few changes and a new name.
Belsnickel arrives in America
Belsnickel would show up on Christmas Eve to the Protestant German families of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Hudson Valley of New York. Now, he wore a fur coat with sleigh bells attached at the waist. His arrival was still announced by tapping at the window with his switch.
Once inside, he would show just how much he knew about the good and bad behavior of the children. The children would be asked, “Were you impish or admirable?”. And somehow, he always knew the answer. Then, he’d listen to the children recite a few bible verses or poems. After threatening them mildly, he made the kids promise to do better next year. Belsnickel would reach into his pocket to scatter treats like nuts and candies on the floor, and children grabbed what they could while the switch licked at them from overhead.
A family member or a local young man generally portrayed the original American Belnickel. Parents would tell him how the children behaved over the year, so he had all sorts of “secret knowledge .” The visiting Belsnickel got paid with cider or money as thanks.
Things change again.
In some places, the Belsnickel adopted the Irish mumming tradition. Mumming began as a parade of masked people who paraded in mid-winter. But it generally refers to the act of going door to door and collecting a treat or prize in exchange for performing a ritual. (We still do this. Think “Trick or Treating”… children go to the door dressed in masks, recite a rhyme, and receive a treat.) Now groups of young men, dressed in rags or furs and with masks on their faces, would go “Belsnickling” between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. They would enter houses and make people guess who they were. They might sing or preform a dance. Treats and drink were their prizes. The problem with this is that groups of young men drinking and wandering sometimes turned into vandalism and mayhem, giving Belsnickel and Belsnickling a bad reputation, and it fell out of favor.
But Belsnickel didn’t disappear.
One of my readers, Harold, shared a story about how a sort of Belsnickel came to visit him as a child in New York.
“When I was very young, the tree was never decorated, and sometimes not even in the home prior to Christmas Eve. I was sent to bed with no tree there. Then I was awakened close to midnight, and low and behold, the tree was up and decorated. My grandfather mysteriously needed something and had to go out. Then, there was a knock on the door, and Santa was there with a bag of gifts. He had a “Cat-o-nine tails” and would swipe it across the gift as it was handed out to remind everyone to say please and thank you. As I grew older, I took over his job – but without the whip.”
I found it interesting that the Belsnickel tradition still existed in New York. With a little digging, I learned that 300 German families settled in the Hudson Valley from the Palatine. They would have brought Belsnickel. (You might also find him in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.) Harold most likely remembers him as Santa because of what came next…
Over time, the Dutch and English holiday traditions would have suppressed some German traditions.
Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, helped shape how Americans celebrate the holidays with four Christmas Stories published in The Sketch Book. Clement Clark Moore’s “A Visit From St Nicholas” cemented the image of St Nicholas dressed in furs and covered in soot, giving out gifts on Christmas Eve.
The Dutch version of St Nikolas is “Sinterklaas “, which turns into Santa Claus in English… Just like that, American children were getting visits from Santa Claus.
Belsnickel makes a comeback!
The public Belsnickel tradition faded during the two World Wars, along with other German traditions. But in the past 25 years, it’s started making a comeback. In Pennsylvania German communities, Belsnickl still appeared on or around Christmas Eve; now, he makes more public appearances. And who else has seen the famous Office episode where Dwight comes in dressed as Belsnickel?
So… on Christmas Eve, don’t be too surprised if you hear a rapping at the window. Who knows? It might be the Belsnickel in his fur coat, with a switch and a pockets full of candy. Were you Impish or Admirable?
Thank you to Harold, for sharing his story with me and sending me on another dive through the resource materials. Harold shared with me that Santa is in his blood. His father was the Santa at the Boynton Beach Florida mall for many years… and now Harold wears the red coat to deliver presents.
Belsnickel visits the Office
References–
The Old Magic of Christmas- Linda Raedisch
A Cup of Yuletide Fear: Monsters of the Holiday Season with Cory Hutcheson
Belsnickels, Belly Guts, Yorks and Holiday Traditions
Belsnickel- Furry Palatine Gift Giver
How Washington Irving Shaped Christmas In America
The Belsnickell a Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas Tradition
Public Domain Superheros Belsnickel
Thank you for this article. We were a Pennsylvania Dutch family, growing up in the heart of PA coal region, and many things were done or said that we just took for granted was “the way we did things” and didn’t really question why at the time. Growing up heritage and traditions were not talked about as such, but were still practiced. I remember my grandma talking about belsnicklers, but in relation to Halloween, not Christmas. Later growing up, I heard of Belsnickle in relation to Christmas, ( in fact a local rural life museum has a pre-Christmas weekend where Belsnickle visits) but I could not figure out the connection between the two. Now, I understand. Sadly, there is no one left in the family to ask about these things, now that I’m older and do wonder about them, so your site and references/resources are a tremendous help in understanding some of the traditions my sister and I continue to practice. It’s a joy to me to know why we do some of the things we do! Thank you.
Hi Sarah… I understand what you are saying. So much of what we said and did when I was younger I just took for granted. Although there was a sense of “this is what we do IN the house… that’s what they do outside”. I’m delighted to hear that you still practice the traditions. We are introducing my son’s girlfriend to ours. Let’s see how long they can keep going. Karen