Legend of the Christmas Spider
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The Legend of the Christmas Spider is a folk tale about a poor widow whose children's Christmas tree is covered in cobwebs that turn into gold and silver.[1] Neither Germany nor Ukraine is confirmed as the definite place of origin for this folk tale, according to the Wikipedia entry.[2]
Key facts and history
A widow who worked hard and her children resided in a small dwelling.[1] The youngsters looked after the tree, looking forward to having one for Christmas when winter came.[1] When Christmas Eve came, they lacked the money to put ornaments on it.[1] Upon waking, they discovered the tree was entirely covered in spider webs.[1]
The morning light hit the webs, changing their appearance to look like gold and silver.[1] People in Ukraine craft spider-shaped ornaments called pavuchky from paper and wire.[2]
What the cited sources add
A 2005 book by DeeAnn Mandryk describes versions where Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or the Child Jesus performs the miracle.[3][4] Folk art curator Lubow Wolynetz dates the Ukrainian tradition to the late 1800s or early 1900s.[5] The legend may be based on an older European superstition about spiders bringing luck.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Legend of the Christmas Spider" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light: Slovenia to Wales", Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago; "The Ukrainian Tradition of Spider Webs and Christmas", Ukraine.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Legend of the Christmas Spider" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Orysia Paszczak Tracz, "A spider for Christmas?", The Ukrainian Weekly, 31 December 2006; Barbara Klumb, "Spider Tale Spins a Web of Holiday Yore", The Milwaukee Journal, December 2019, p. 1, 3; "Tabletop Trees: Tinsel Tree", Martha Stewart Living, December 2001; "What Is A Christmas Spider And Where Did The Tradition Come From?", Southern Living; Arlene Erlbach, "Merry Christmas, Everywhere!", Millbrook Press, 2002, p. 42 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Legend of the Christmas Spider" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: DeeAnn Mandryk, "Canadian Christmas Traditions: Festive Recipes and Stories From Coast to Coast", James Lorimer & Company, 2005, p. 56–57; "Legend of the Christmas Spider", Spider Wisdom, 19 December 2010; Julia Goralka, "A Christmas tree, Jesus, and a spider", Washington Times, 11 December 2011; "Tabletop Trees: Tinsel Tree", Martha Stewart Living, December 2001 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9781554390984 ("Canadian Christmas Traditions"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Wikipedia, "Legend of the Christmas Spider" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: https://www.today.com/home/spider-ornaments-christmas-trees-symbolize-good-luck-t120335 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Legend of the Christmas Spider" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barbara Klumb, "Spider Tale Spins a Web of Holiday Yore", The Milwaukee Journal, December 2019, p. 1, 3; DeeAnn Mandryk, "Canadian Christmas Traditions: Festive Recipes and Stories From Coast to Coast", James Lorimer & Company, 2005, p. 56–57 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Legend of the Christmas Spider (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Ukrainian folklore
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Legend of the Christmas Spider (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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