National Gingerbread House Day
National Gingerbread House Day:
Celebrated annually on every December 12th, the National Gingerbread House Day is all about the sweet-zesty bread that transformed into a piece of art. Gingerbread house is the show-stopper when it comes to Christmas goodies!
Year | Date | Day | Where |
2020 | 12th December | Saturday | United States |
2021 | 12th December | Sunday | United States |
2022 | 12th December | Monday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#GingerbreadHouseDay
#NationalGingerbreadHouseDay
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on December 12th:
Why National Gingerbread House Day?
The gingerbread fanatic Armenian monk, Gregory Nicopolis introduced gingerbread to Europe in 922 AD. He taught the French Christians the Bible and gingerbread baking, food for the soul and stomach! The gingerbread also became a part of the religious ceremonies in the church, it was even molded and baked to form images of saints. You might even think that for many casual believers, gingerbread could have been a good reason to go to church.
Gingerbread making became a popular art form in Europe. It was shaped in the form of stars, soldiers, hearts, animals and even swords and pistols to be sold in sweet shops, seasonal and special markets. Cities like Prague, Pulsnitz, Lyon, and Ulm became gingerbread centers. Nuremberg, Germany came to be known as the Gingerbread capital of the world when skilled bakers were being employed by the guilds to create complex art forms from gingerbread in the 1600s. Gingerbread figurines were also crafted to depict events, rulers, and their companions.
Gingerbread house making began in Germany during the early 1800s and became part of the Christmas tradition since then. Many historians trace back the origin of this tradition to the evergreen Grimm’s fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel”. The tale about an evil witch who lived in a gingerbread house who enticed the wandering children in the forest sparked the imaginations of the German bakers and they fashioned gingerbread (lebkuchen) into a decorated fairy-tale style home. The custom came to America along with the German Immigrants.
Gingerbread houses are traditionally made of baked gingerbread dough held together by melted sugar or icing. Frosting or candy can be used as roof tiles and embellishments. The gingerbread house can also be modified to form a cabin, castle, or museum according to your whims and fancies. The only requirement is the baked gingerbread cookies, hard enough to form building blocks but soft enough to gobble it up later without losing any of your teeth! The longevity of the gingerbread house depends on storage and maintenance and can even last up to one year if you can control your salivating mouth and grumbling stomach from eating it!
“Run, run, run as fast as you can,
You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
Well, who wants to run behind a gingerbread man, when you have a gingerbread house to yourself? The gingerbread houses are the best when it comes to decorations or goodies. The aroma and the beauty of the gingerbread house take us on a trip down the memory lane, to the smiles and laughter shared with our loved ones over many holiday seasons.
How Can We Observe National Gingerbread House day:
- Be the gingerbread house architect!
You can have your gingerbread house and eat it too! Have fun by building the home of your dreams using gingerbread. Check out the numerous recipes and tips online to make the best gingerbread house!
- The Best Gingerbread house in the house!
Hold a Gingerbread house making competition and enjoy your day with friends and family! You can also use ready-made kits to get the construction started with no delay!
- Share the love on Social Media!
Share the photos and videos of your celebration using the #GingerbreadHouseDay
Interesting Facts On National Gingerbread House Day:
Few interesting Facts on the amazing Gingerbread!
- The world’s largest gingerbread house was constructed in Bryan, Texas. It is the size of a tennis court at a height of 21 feet covering 2, 250 square feet in 2013.
- The Pepperkakebyen (Norwegian for “the gingerbread village”) is made of gingerbread houses by the people of Bergen, Norway since 1991.
- Gingerbread Talismans were thought to provide protection from evil spirits
- Gingerbread houses are prepared as a part of Saint Lucy’s day celebration in Sweden
- In 1444 according to the references from Vadstena Abbey Swedish nuns were known to use gingerbread for indigestion.
- Gingerbread relief of a patron saint associated with the child’s name was a common gift on a person’s name day.
- -Gingerbread making was taken so seriously and in the 17th century, only the professionals were allowed to make them with an exemption for Christmas and Easter.
- The oldest account of gingerbread figures was that of the ginger-bread figurines made in the likeness of the guests who were visiting the courts of Elizabeth I of England.
History Of National Gingerbread House Day:
The creator and the origins of this day remain unknown. The National Gingerbread House Day is celebrated as a fun food holiday across the US.