Sat. Dec. 21, 2pm-4pm
Presenter :: Christopher Malone, Curator Historic Trappe
Topic :: Moravian Christmas Traditions

Program Description:
When many people think of Christmas, their first thoughts travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which has been known as the Christmas City since 1937. On Christmas Eve in 1741, the Moravians who founded the town gathered together and sang a hymn, christening the town “Bethlehem,” after the village where Christ was born. Since then, Moravian holiday customs have made their way into popular culture. From the Christmas tree to candles in the window, decorating a “putz,” and the famous Moravian star, the symbols and traditions associated with the Moravians have become icons of the Christmas spirit. Local curator and historian Christopher Malone will share how this tiny group from northern Germany impacted the very way we celebrate Christmas in America—especially here in Pennsylvania!

Christopher Malone Bio:
Christopher Malone is a curator and scholar who specializes in Pennsylvania German material culture with a focus on the Moravians and other intentional communities. Christopher completed a Masters in Architecture at Syracuse University and a Masters in American Material Culture from the Winterthur Program. His thesis centered on the ways that outsider visitation changed Moravian material culture in the community's first one hundred years in Pennsylvania. He won the program's E. McClung Fleming Thesis prize for the most distinguished thesis. Christopher has worked for the Moravian Historical Society and was the curator at the American Swedish Historical Museum. He is currently the curator at both Historic Trappe and the Lutheran Archives Center in Philadelphia. Christopher is a columnist for Maine Antique Digest, and is the editor of The Daily Antiquarian, a blog focusing on the history, architecture, and material culture of the American Mid-Atlantic. He is also the Content Curator for Americana Insights, a publication that presents the latest research and discoveries on traditional American folk art and material culture through groundbreaking essays by leading scholars.