Each week we bring you a round-up of interesting and entertaining woodworking content from the Woodworkers Institute and the web, including handy tips to help you get stuck into your next woodworking project.
Origins of the Nutcracker
The wooden nutcracker has become an iconic symbol for the festive season. Combining a practical and playful spirit, these intricately carved and brightly decorated characters can be traced to the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) of Germany in the late 17th century. Designed as forthright soldiers, kings, and authority figures, nutcrackers were believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune during the holiday season.
As mining declined in the region, artisans turned to woodworking for income, and making nutcrackers became a staple craft. By the 19th century, their whimsical designs gained popularity as festive decorations and Christmas gifts. Families placed them on mantels or under Christmas trees, never out of reach if someone fancied a stubborn walnut.
The nutcracker achieved global recognition with Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker in 1892, bringing them to an international audience and establishing the nutcracker’s resonance with Christmas tradition. Today, the Erzgebirge region remains a hub for handmade nutcrackers. As well as a tool for cracking apart nuts, the nutcracker embodies protection, joy, and tradition, and has become a fabled symbol of the enduring relationship between woodworking and Christmas.