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BETHLEHEM FAMILY ENDS ITS 150-YEAR-OLD PUTZ TRADITION

Morning Call - Allentown, Pa. Author: BRYAN HAY, The Morning Call

Copyright Morning Call Dec 16, 1994

This Christmas marks both the end and a beginning of a Bethlehem family's putz tradition.

For the first time in 150 years, the Morris family home on Market Street will not be warmed by its putz -- a collection of creche figurines purchased from Germany in the 1870s -- or the generations of memories it bred.

Joseph Morris, a fixture at Central Moravian Church and former superintendent of its Sunday School, moved this year and donated the family putz to the Moravian Historical Society in Nazareth, where it will be shared with visitors to the Whitefield House on E. Center Street.

A putz is the quintessentially Moravian custom of assembling a miniature indoor Holy Land to tell the story of the Nativity.

Morris' grandfather bought the house in the 1850s and decorated it at Christmas with tiny animals, shepherds, wise men and the holy family. Many of the animals, including a non-biblical polar bear and several bovines, are covered with real animal skin.

In a putz, the chickens can be as big as camels. Nothing is done to scale, which is part of the charm, noted Susan Dreydoppel, the society's executive director.

Except for a small Moravian star, the scene is lit by beeswax candles, as it would have been done in the 19th century.

A small sandy desert, filled with non-breakable items, fronts the putz -- a place for children to sit and play without disturbing the fragile figurines and listen to the Christmas story. This was Morris' grandmother's idea, said Dreydoppel.

Every corner of the moss-covered scene has signposts signaling a chapter in the family's life. Now it's up to the museum to point them out.

One of the pieces -- an angel hand carved in Oberammergau, Germany, a town known for its Passion play and detailed woodworking - - was given to Morris when he retired as head of the Sunday School.

A three-paneled paper transparency from Germany, probably dating to the late 19th century, fit around the bay window in the room where the putz was displayed. Illuminated with natural or electric light, it tells the Christmas story in old German script.

"Today it would cost a small fortune to outfit a whole putz," Dreydoppel said. "The old-time putzes, the ones everybody remembers, are disappearing."

Although some families vigorously maintain the tradition, others can't always find the time to erect putzes, a process that can take a whole day, sometimes longer, Dreydoppel said.

Large putzes are still assembled by area Moravian Church congregations and can be seen by the general public.

The putz tradition began in the Middle Ages as a way for illiterate peasants to interpret the Christmas story, Dreydoppel said.

Wood carvers from the Tyrolean region of Europe spent long winters carving the figurines, which eventually found their way into homes. Moravians picked up on the idea.

The Moravian Historical Society, 214 E. Center St., Nazareth, is open 1-4 p.m. daily. It will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. For information, call 759- 5070.

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