The Legend of the Christmas Spider

The Legend of the Christmas Spider

If you celebrate Christmas, you likely have annual traditions when it comes to decorating your Christmas tree. There are many accessories we like to decorate our trees with, but one of the most common decorations is tinsel. Long, shiny, and fun, tinsel is a great way to add a flash of color and sparkle to any Christmas tree. But do you know why tinsel is such a common Christmas tree decoration in the first place? Believe it or not, you can actually thank the Christmas spider for this festive decor.

According to the legend, there was once a poor widow who lived with her children in a small hut. The widow was hardworking, but barely made enough to provide for her children’s needs. One year, a pine cone fell on the floor of their hut and started to grow into a pine tree. The children cared for the tree all year, hoping that it would grow large enough in time for Christmas.

Although the tree did grow large enough by Christmas, the widow was too poor to afford decorations for the tree. The children went to bed disappointed, wishing they had enough money to get some decorations this Christmas. The spiders living in the home, witnessing this sad scene, decide to help the widow and her children by decorating the tree with long, shiny spider webs.

When the children woke up in the morning, they were overjoyed to see the tree decorated with shiny webs. The sun shone through the window onto the webs, making them shimmer in the light until they turned into silver and gold. The widow used the silver and gold to provide for her children, and they were never impoverished again.

Some Europeans (predominantly Ukrainians) still decorate their trees with spider ornaments. Usually, these ornaments are made of glass beads and are considered beautiful art pieces representing the legend of the Christmas spider. It is believed that the spider ornament will bring you good luck, just like the spiders brought luck to the widow and her children!

If you’re looking for some new Christmas decorations this year, consider getting yourself some tinsel and a spider ornament. You never know - perhaps they really will bring you good luck!

ARAKNA Body Jewelry
4081 Blvd St-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec

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