The Faroese artist, Edward Fuglø has designed this year's Christmas
Seals, which depict Christmas Windows.
Christmas Window
As Advent approaches, Christmas windows begin lighting up villages and
neighbourhoods, representing the first sign of the quickly approaching holiday.
The tradition of telling the world that the people in your home are
celebrating Christmas is centuries old – almost as old as windows themselves in
our part of the world.
In ancient times, it was common to place a candle in the window on
Christmas Eve and let it burn all night until Christmas morning – if it did not
burn out before then. Some women used to stay up all night to watch the burning
candle as peace descended upon the house.
Christmas night must have been cosy. The holiest night of the year in a
village covered with snow and under the glimmering stars, as bright windows
celebrated the baby Jesus – a moment far from the arduous tasks of everyday
life required just to survive.
New traditions emerged in the late nineteenth century, as more Christmas
decorations from abroad reached the Faroe Islands, such as paper cuttings and
other decorations to hang in windows. At first, these were probably only found
in the fine houses of Torshavn and the larger villages, but the customs slowly
spread to the rest of the islands.
Christmas windows also changed in the middle of the twentieth century
with the arrival of electricity. This made it possible to buy Christmas stars
made of paper with a light bulb inside, which were soon accompanied in windows
by strings of small multicoloured lights. The industrial revolution made life
more commercial and Christmas became a part of these modern times.
Christmas went from being a holiday lasting one to two days, to
something that lasted much longer. Today it is not uncommon to see decorated
Christmas windows from November until late January and there are virtually no
limits to how we decorate for Christmas.
The candle in the window has now become an ocean of light that sparkles
and shines in many colours. Entire houses, ships, and even villages shine out,
virtually sweeping away the dark and heavy days. Christmas is a children’s holiday
that also awakens the childish spirit in adults as we are moved by the
Christmas spirit.
Happily and full of anticipation, we go up to the attic to get our
Christmas decorations – including something beautiful to hang in the Christmas
window.
Edward Fuglø
