Figure 1.--This NAZI Advent Calendar pamphlet was published in 1943. It is notavle by the extent to which Christianity and Jesus were removed from Advent. German mothers were hang the calendar up in the home on December 1. As was the German tradition, one page is turned every day. Th final page was for Christmas Eve. There are lots of pictures of winter scenes, fables, war toys, images to draw, pictures of brothers and fahers at the Front, a sample letter to write fther, every thing but Jesus. The cover shows a mother surrounded by her childern with the father consopiously absent.

The transition to the new NAZI religion was already underways by the time of the War. Very early in the NAZI era the NAZIs began developing rituals as well as holidys. They were faced with the established religions and as discussed above, these religions were confronted and undermined in different ways. An aspect of the transition was to trandform the important national holidays, including the religious holidays into NAZI holidays. This was not an easy process, but was well underway even before the War. We note articles in Party publications about how to to transform the existing holidays to NAZI holidays. Most German holidays had religious foundations. This of ourse included Christmas, the most important of all German holiday celebrations. An example is an article entitled "New Meanings for 'Inherited' Customs?. The most important German holiday was Weihnacht (Christmas) which conviently does not use Christ's name. The author suggests that the content and meaning of holidays, even, Christmas can revised, making them over as NAZI holidays. And we begin to see the results of this approsach. An important German tradition is advent cards and calendars. Duting the War, Advent calenders appear without any religious content. The NAZIs by the time of the War had soweakened the churches that they were unable to resist the transition in progress. We note efforts by athetist groups in the West to oppose events like public Chritmas parades or Christmas parties or even Christmas greetings. This has aroused vigorous public debate. No siuch debate was permitted in NAZI Germany ewhjich would have compolicated the transition..

Sources

Kremer, Hannes. "Neuwertung 'überlieferter' Brauchformen?" (New Meanings for "Inherited" Customs?), Die neue Gemeinschaft 3 (1937), pp. 3005 a-c.