Christmas toys in museum
An exhibition at Minsk’s National Art Museum features toys which usually decorate Christmas trees in the Congo, Peru, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia and dozens of other countries. Moreover, all those coming to the museum can make a toy with their own hands.
“I collect Christmas toys while travelling around the world,” tells us the Director of the Grai Museum and Factory of Christmas Toys, collector Andrei Begun. “It was most difficult to find Christmas decorations in Iran. We continued our searches for a long time but all we found looked somehow boring. Eventually, we were lucky – finding a Zoroastrian symbol: a figurine of a lion devouring a buffalo. This is the sign of transition from the old year to the new one.”
Among the exhibits on show are a garland in the form of peaches, flying airships, houses, nativity scenes, exotic fruits made of crystal, porcelain and even banana tree leaves, among others. Postcards and diverse Christmas messages take children and adults to different historical epochs.
Each exhibit has its own history. The pearl of the collection is a glass ball from the late 19th – early 20th century Vienna ball. Interestingly, centuries ago, all Christmas decorations were made by glass blowers, though this ball was made by machine.
“All our toys differ,” notes Mr. Begun. “Look, for example, at a Canadian toy with a screw-off top and a message inside. In our country, we usually hang glass balls on the Christmas tree, but anything can act as a decoration around the globe.”
Children will definitely like the exhibition most of all as they can plunge into a fairy tale here – to come closer to Christmas houses and ancient Santa Clauses and learn of the traditions of celebrating the New Year in different corners of the world.
Visitors also have an opportunity to learn the craft of Christmas decoration making from professional masters.
