Pleated Christmas hearts
Encyclopedia
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
: Julehjerte) is a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and north German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Christmas tree ornament
Christmas ornament
Christmas ornaments are decorations that are used to festoon a Christmas tree.Ornaments take many different forms, from a simple round ball to highly artistic designs...
.
The exact age and origin of the tradition is unknown, but the oldest known pleated Christmas hearts was made by the Danish fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
in 1860, but the heart has no handle, and therefore could not have been used as a Christmas tree ornament. That pleated heart is today located in the Hans Christian Andersen House in the city of Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
in Denmark. We know, however, that Andersen did use to make decorations for Christmas trees, and the predecessor of the pleated Christmas hearts were made of wicker baskets.
The oldest known guide to make pleated Christmas hearts is found in the Official Nordic handicraft Journal from 1871, and the oldest pleated Christmas heart (from 1873) is preserved at the National Museum. But it took up till 40 years before the pleated Christmas hearts became common.
It is believed that kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s from around 1910 started spreading the use of the pleated Christmas hearts which were made from glossy paper in order to enhance the children's creative abilities, patience and fine motor skill
Fine motor skill
Fine motor skills are the coordination of small muscle movements which occur e.g., in the fingers, usually in coordination with the eyes. In application to motor skills of hands the term dexterity is commonly used....
s.
The first pleated Christmas book called Julehjerter was released by the Lottrup Knudsen brothers in 1975.
A more recent book which includes a big variety of pleated Christmas hearts templates is Francis Land's Flettede julehjerter.