Unique Traditions in the Christmas City | Bethlehem, PA | Moravian Star, Putz, Christmas Tree Trail
We traveled back to Pennsylvania's Christmas City - Bethlehem, PA. This time, we wanted to check out all of the unique Christmas traditions that make Bethlehem special. Bethlehem has a rich Moravian history that has influenced much of its present day traditions including its historic 82-years old hand carved Putz, a Christmas tree trail, and the Moravian star.
We start our journey exploring several of the museums throughout the historic district in downtown Bethlehem on their Trees of Historic Bethlehem tour. For a small fee/donation, you can visit the museums and explore this year's theme of play and games. With almost 30 trees across 4 historic sites, we checked out the trees and voted for our favorites. This time-honored tradition is sponsored by the Bethlehem Garden Club and competition is fierce for the coveted prize of "top tree".
From there, we explore the history of Bethlehem's Putz. A Putz is a traditional Moravian decoration used during the holidays. Similar to Nativity scenes, it was a way to share the story of Christmas without words and books. Bethlehem's Putz is 82 years old and almost all of the figures are hand carved by local Moravian church members and individuals from Germany. The Holiday Putz Trail embodies the spirit of the church's Putz with fun exhibits of Putztown featuring its own Putzkindlemarkt, downtown streets, and other scenes reminiscent from Bethlehem. Its a must do if you visit Bethlehem.
Finally, no visit to Bethlehem isn't complete without a trip to the Moravian Bookstore (the oldest in the country) to see their selection of Moravian stars. Originating in Germany, the stars have become a symbol for Bethlehem both during the holidays and year-round.
What we see:
▫️ Moravian Museum of Bethlehem
▫️ Single Sisters' House
▫️ Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts
▫️ Hotel Bethlehem
▫️ Moravian Bookstore
▫️ Historic Moravian Putz
▫️ Sun Inn
Looking for more information on Bethlehem’s Chriskindlemarkt, a German-inspired Christmas market? Check out our video:
▫️Exploring Pennsylvania's Christmas City Christkindlmarkt 🎄| German Christmas Market in Bethlehem
• Exploring Pennsylvania...
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❤️Subscribe to join our adventures: kzread.info@UCX2...
📷Follow us on Instagram: / jlewtravels
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#Bethlehem #bethlehempa #lehighvalley #moravian #moravianstar #christmascity #Christmas #pennsylvania #christmastree #christmaslights #traveltips #thingstodo #visitpa #christmasmarket #christkindlemart #putz
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⏱️Timestamps
0:00 What's to expect
1:05 Getting Around | Horse Drawn Carriages
1:38 Trees of Historic Bethlehem | Moravian Museum + Sisters' House
4:34 Trees of Historic Bethlehem | Kemerer Museum
7:23 Historic Putz
7:46 Putztown
8:55 Hotel Bethlehem
9:47 Moravian Bookstore + Moravian Star
10:56 Final Thoughts + Ending
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🎵Music
▫️ Oh Christmas Tree - DJ Williams
▫️ Christmas Chores - RKVC
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⛰️ #52HikeChallenge Goal: 36/52
Playlist: • Hiking
1. Harper's Ferry
2. Patapsco Valley State Park
3. Cromwell Valley Park
4. D&L Trail, Weissport
5. Valley Forge National Historical Park
6. Sawmill Trail
7. Switchback Trail
8. Catoctin Mountain Park
9. Cunningham Falls State Park
10. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
11. D&L Trail, Jim Thorpe
12. North River, NY
13. Prospect Mountain, Lake George
14. Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge
15. Trillium Lake, Mount Hood
16. Alta Vista Trail, Mt. Rainer
17. Glacier View + Skyline Trails, Mt. Rainer
18. Glacier Basin Trail, Mt. Rainer
19. D&L Trail
20. New River Gorge Bridge Walk
21. Kaymoor Trail
22. Long Point Trail
23. Thurmont
24. Rend Trail
25. Duke Farms
26. Carrol Creek Linear Park
27. Riverside Park
28. Switchback Trail
29. Boston Freedom Trail
30. Salem Heritage Trail
31. Nahant-Swampscott Waterfront Promenade
32. Switchback Trail, Jim Thorpe
33. Blue Blazes Trail, Catoctin Mountain Park
34. Oregon Ridge Park
35. Lime Kiln Trail, Cromwell Bridge Park
36. Oregon Ridge Park
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Hello, fellow #travelers and #adventure seekers. I'm Jon and welcome to my #travel channel. Join me on my #adventures as I experience different foods, drinks, and interesting places around the world. Thanks for checking out my channel and look forward to #exploring the world with you!
Пікірлер: 21
Love the Moravian Star love Bethlehem, historic city!
@JLewTravels
6 ай бұрын
We love going to Bethlehem during the holiday season. The city is really scenic and comes alive. I am glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching!
Victorian cards, clue-- all are spectacular.
Great stuff
@JLewTravels
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
I vote for the nativity scene!
@JLewTravels
Жыл бұрын
That's a really good choice. We really loved the nativity scene. 🎄
Ooh, like candyland too- the gingerbread men
@JLewTravels
6 ай бұрын
It is so hard to pick one tree, but candyland is a good pick.
Liked and subscribed! The Hungry-Hungry Hippo tree, the Game of Life tree, the Candyland tree and the Twister tree all bring fond back memories of playing those games back in the day, but I must say that the jigsaw tree is my favorite, with a runner-up nod to the Dungeons & Dragons tree as I have been an avid player of the game for over forty years. However, for a more traditional type of tree, the Victorian Cards tree is my hands-down favorite. The effort of the artwork which goes into the Putz Christmas Village is not so crazy when one considers how popular and important Christmas Nativity and Creche scenes are in Europe (from where the Moravians came): there are even master craftsmen who specialize in creating nothing but Christmas Nativity and Creche pieces, with items being sold year round as locals purchase these items singularly throughout the year due to the high prices these bespoke artistic masterpieces can fetch. I truly enjoy the laid-back (yet informative) manner of your videos, which offer a Rick Steves vibe - perhaps a JLew Travels American Christmas special will soon air on PBS. Lots of fun! Thanks for sharing what must have been a wonderful time in Bethlehem. Retirement just got a lot better now that I have discovered your channel, especially as I plan to soon watch all your videos from the beginning.
@JLewTravels
Жыл бұрын
Thanks and welcome, Mark! Rick Steves has huge shoes to fill so we will take the compliment and also continue working to make each video better. Have fun watching our old videos, but cut us some slack as we were figuring things out last year! 🫣 You were spot on with the trees, each is unique and fun depending on the lenses you are looking at it through. Andrea loved the Victorian cards tree, but the checkers and Candyland brought back so many good childhood memories for me! And the Putz - we were so impressed and transported back to Germany for sure. We both spent some time in college abroad so it was nice to “revisit” Europe in our backyard.
@Mark723
Жыл бұрын
@@JLewTravels I promise to be gentle in the slack-cutting department. As a retired travel agent with over thirty years in the business, what impresses me most so far is your palpable enthusiasm and enjoyment of the travel experience, or better stated: your love of sharing your travel adventures. I am looking forward to each previous and every new video effort with anticipatory delight. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
@JLewTravels
Жыл бұрын
Merry Christmas to you too!
Checkers.
Which tree on the historic tree tour was your favorite? Let us know below.
@crissdrums3975
Жыл бұрын
Best tree was in first building
@JLewTravels
Жыл бұрын
@CrissDrums that one is a good tree too. It was so hard to pick a favorite.
Candyland and Life
@JLewTravels
7 ай бұрын
Good choices! Thanks for watching! We hope you enjoyed the tour!
Checkers tree
@JLewTravels
Жыл бұрын
That was Jon’s favorite tree too. It’s a classic game and the tree was beautifully decorated!