Sprechen sie Pennsylvaniaish?
by Cindy O. Herman
It wonders me if der Belsnickel will come. You better watchit,
You better not brutz,
You better not holler,
I'm tellin' you why:
Belsnickel is comin' to town"... Yah, the Pennsylvania Dutch life would put a slightly different spin on some favorite Christmas carols, not? No rosy-cheeked, kind-hearted, ho-hoho- ing Santa Claus for these kids. Och, no! Pennsylvania Dutch kids have to deal with the dreaded Belsnickel, with his hat and long, fur coat, a sack full of switches and his rigid requirements for appropriate youth behavior.
Haf you done your chores? Been nice to your sisters and brothers? Obeyed your parents? Thrown the cow over the fence some hay? In the Pennsylvania Dutch culture, a strong work ethic is of utmost importance, even among children, even during the holidays. Work comes first, always, so it stands to reason that their Santa Claus figure would be a stern-faced, sharp-eyed disciplinarian who seems to grudgingly reward the good and wrathfully punish the naughty. If you've been a very goot little boy or girl, you might get a fresh, tasty orange, nuts and maybe even some lollipop-sweet clear toy candy. That makes for some good fressing!
But if you've been nixie ... watchit! You might get a stern look and a lump of coal or, worse, one of der Belsnickel's switches - a form of discipline so cuttingly painful, I'm sure just the possibility of it caused more than one little nix-nutz to straighten up and do as he was told. As Greish Dawk, or Christmas Day, drew near, the youngsters would surely hope for a snow squall. "It wonders me if we'll have a stiver," they might have said, gazing wistfully out at the sky. More often than not in a Pennsylvania winter, a stiver would blow in, der Belsnickel would deliver more treats than switches, and family members set aside all but the most necessary chores of the day to gather in the warmth of home to fress and celebrate a happy Christmas Day.
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