Christmas Pyramids are Christmas decorations with roots from the folklore of the Ore Mountain region in Germany. They consist of a decorated pyramidal frame with candle holders, a central carousel and a propeller, mostly with nativity scenes and other Christmas decorations.
The name “Christmas Pyramid” came from Napoleon's Campaign to Egypt at the end of 18th century when he brought pictures of pyramids back to Europe and with time they reached Ore Mountains where they reminded people of their Christmas constructions and decorations. Christmas Pyramids became popular around the world after the discovery of kerosene in the 1830's because to light and to spin the pyramid became much cheaper compared to using expensive candles or rapeseed oil. Christmas Pyramid don't have to be limited only to Christmas. In the Erzgebirge mountain range, there was a tradition of dancing around the “St. John's Tree”, which is a pyramid decorated with garlands and flowers, at the summer solstice. Original Christmas Pyramids were used to hung from the ceilings in the German family houses.
