''Kindleinwiegen'' or (Rocking the Christchild) is a tradition during the

Nativity of Jesus The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew and Gospel of Luke, Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Herodian kingdom, Roman-controlled Judea, th ...

celebrations which can be traced back to the

liturgical drama Liturgical drama refers to medieval forms of dramatic performance that use stories from the Bible or Christian hagiography. The term has developed historically and is no longer used by most researchers. It was widely disseminated by well-known the ...

s of the later

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

period. It is a tradition primarily from the German speaking parts of central Europe which appeared across the region in a variety of forms, chiefly though not exclusively, in

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

and churches. It was at its most widespread between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, and survived more strongly in

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

regions than in those areas that switched to

protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, following the interventions of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and others. The celebration involved a form of congregational dancing accompanied by singing around a picture of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

placed on a crib or adjacent altar. The performance was led by the priests, and the singing, at least initially, appears to have consisted of duet sung by two priests. The ceremony is still carried out, believed now to be uniquely, in the Church of St Mary of the Purification, Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, England, usually on the nearest Sunday to

Candlemas Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday, Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of ...

, although if that Sunday falls in January it is usually enacted on the following Sunday, so that it is always the first Sunday in February. It was restored at Blidworth in 1922 so the service which took place on 6 February 2022 marked the centenary of its restoration.

History

The first surviving record of a appears in , produced in 1161/62 by Gerhoh of Reichersberg, provost of the Augustinian Cannons at Reichersberg Abbey in

Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...

. According to Gerhoh's description, the location of the ceremony was a monastery church and the participants were monks or "secular" clerics. The ceremony consisted of the singing of several songs from the

book of hours A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

and other unspecified liturgical sources, enriched with various drama-actions by the participants. In later centuries a wider level of congregation participation became the norm.

Reformation

By the fifteenth century the custom had spread to practically all the churches in Germany. During the sixteenth century the more hardline protestant congregations began to reject it as one of the fruits of ("papist") superstition. Nevertheless, even in regions touched by the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

it took a long time for to disappear entirely.

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

biographer

Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phili ...

describes the customs regarding the in Protestant

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

before and after the City Council formally abolished the practice in 1702. He starts with a comment on a hymn in German that also uses some Latin words ( Virga Jesse floruit, as used by the Leipzig composers

Johann Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offici ...

and Bach for their Christmas compositions):

Counter-Reformation

There was throughout the centuries considerable variation concerning the details of the ceremony. Even in regions that remained staunchly catholic, as the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

took hold there was a reaction against some of the medieval jollity of the earlier celebrations, and the image of Jesus tended to be removed from the crib and placed instead on the altar, which was felt to be more respectful. There was also increasingly use of "props" such as a

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

doll to supervise proceedings. In another version, each of the young girls from the village dressed up and brought to church their own wax doll of the Baby Jesus. This provides a link to the Christmas nativity scene centred on the crib that became popular in the nineteenth century and remains a focus of Christmas decoration in many churches today. Another surviving link from the custom is the Christmas song , still popular in German speaking areas, and believed to have originated as one of the songs that would have accompanied the old ceremony. Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer (ed.): '. Vol. 9, col. 878

Revival

Although the had generally fallen out of use by the start of the twentieth century, there have been revivals. On 7 January 2012 the Viennese

medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred music, sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the Dates of classical music eras, first and longest major era of Western class ...

expert Eberhard Kummer marked the 850th anniversary of the ceremony's first surviving recorded mention with a revival performance in St Gertrude's Church at

Klosterneuburg Klosterneuburg () is a town in the Tulln District of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Frequently abbreviated to Kloburg by locals, it has a population of about 27,500. The Stift Klosterneuburg ( Klosterneuburg Monastery), which was establish ...

, a short distance upstream of Vienna. Proceedings involved two altar girls rocking the "Christchild" in his crib, to the accompaniment of authentic dancing. The ceremony took place again at Klosterneuburg in January 2013 and January 2014.

References

Sources

* Spitta, Philipp. "Fünftes Buch: Leipziger Jahre von 1723—1734" in ''Johann Sebastian Bach'', vol. 2.

Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel () is a German Music publisher, music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher. Overview The catalogue contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works ...

, 1880.
"Fünftes Buch: Leipziger Jahre von 1723—1734"
in ''Johann Sebastian Bach'', vol. 2. 3rd ed., Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1921. **{{cite book, last=Spitta, first=Philipp, author-mask=0, url=https://archive.org/stream/johannsebastia02spit#page/181/mode/1up, via=

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

, chapter=Book V: Leipzig, 1723–1734, title=Johann Sebastian Bach: his work and influence on the music of Germany, 1685–1750, translator1= Clara Bell, translator2=

John Alexander Fuller Maitland John Alexander Fuller Maitland (7 April 1856 – 30 March 1936) was an influential British music critic and scholar from the 1880s to the 1920s. He encouraged the rediscovery of English music of the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly Henry Pu ...

, type=in three volumes, volume=II, location=London, publisher=

Novello & Co Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cla ...

, year=1884 Christianity in Germany Christmas in Germany