The Moravian Star

In a town filled with its many Moravian traditions, none is more visual than the Advent Star. How and where did the beautiful "Moravian Star," displayed at so many Lititz homes during the Christmas season, begin?

 The earliest Moravian star reportedly was made of paper, possibly by a group of boarding school boys in Niesky, Germany, and hung outside the school during Advent in 1821. It was red and white, signifying the blood and purity of Christ. It was long assumed by historians that, because the stars were made in a boarding school, they were used as geometry lessons for the boys in the school.

          In the summer of 2011, however, a surprising discovery was made in the Moravian Archives in Bethlehem, PA. The December issue of This Month in Moravian History reported that a recently translated diary entry, dated December 20^th, 1820, revealed: “In the afternoon we all drank and like yesterday, some of us went to see the star in the Brethren’s House of 110 points, made by Madsen.” This entry by a young Moravian provides us with two bits of previously unknown information: first, the star maker’s name, Christian Madsen, a single Brother who likely resided in the Brethren’s House; and second, that the original star was made specifically as a Christmas decoration for use at the Niesky Brethren’s House. Further study of the diary showed that the next month the multicolored, 110-point star was displayed for the 50th anniversary of the Moravian boarding school in Niesky. The school then adopted the star pattern as a geometry project.

By the early 1900's, paper stars were being made in yellow, red, white, and combinations of these three colors. Although Lititz Moravians prefer the white stars, many European members of the church favor the yellow or red. At Herrnhut, Germany, the mother of all Moravian congregations worldwide, there hangs a yellow Moravian star with 110 points.

As far back as any Lititz Moravian can remember, a large 26-point star had hung above the pulpit during the Advent Season. However, in 1980, much to the congregation's delight, a 110-point white star was hung and lit in their church. Lititz Moravian Congregation member Barney Braun presented this magnificent ray of light to his church and to the Glory of God. Mr. Braun acquired the drawings for the 110-point star from a fellow Moravian in Königsfeld, Germany, and spent many long, loving hours in its making. The 58" 110-point star was the first of its kind hung in any U.S. Moravian Church. Longtime Lititz residents may recall that Barney also crafted a similar star which he hung from a branch of a large tree in front of his home on South Broad Street, much to the delight of passers-by during the Advent and Christmas seasons.

At one time only Lititz Moravian families displayed the stars during the Advent Season. Passing through town, you could determine houses occupied by Moravian families. However, as more and more people became aware of the beauty of the stars, non-Moravians began using them as part of their holiday decorations. Hung on the first Sunday in Advent and taken down before the beginning of Lent, the Advent Star has become a popular tradition of Moravians worldwide. They rejoice in the birth of the Savior, whose coming pierced the darkness of earthly sin like a long-awaited star.

by Charlene VanBrookhoven, LHF Historic Journal, Winter 1993 (edited and updated, December 2023)