http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUDeyJrFWkM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T6BwQwo81U

THE NUTCRACKER(DER NUSSKNACKER)

• The Nutcracker originated in the small town of Seiffen, Germany.

• German are famous for their different types of wooden handicrafts

• According to German folklore, nutcrackers were keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home.

• Legend says that these nutcrackers served like a watch dog to your family and home from evil spirits and danger

• As this protector the nutcracker bares its teeth to the evil sprits and serves as the traditional messenger of good luck and goodwill.

• Nutcrackers are 300 years old and have been enjoyed in Europe for all that time but they became popular in the United States within the last 50 years.

• Soldiers in Germany during World War ll visited the many open-air markets and fairs through Germany. The soldiers brought the nutcrackers home to their families as a symbol of protection.

• When Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker Suite premiered in St Petersburg in 1892, the popularity of nutcrackers grew tremendously.

• Following this classic production coming to America the popularity of nutcrackers incresed largely in America.

Nutcracker Craft!!!!!