Christmas Time with All the Senses

Christmas time is full of unique smells, tastes, sounds and sights. All our senses are engaged in a special way at this time of year. The special exhibition ‘Christmas time with all the senses’ at the Museum of European Cultures (MEK) explores this phenomenon and shows a wide range of relevant pieces from its extensive collection.

Christmas has many meanings: spending time with friends and family, celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ, and pausing to reflect and enjoy the season. Christmas is also a festival of the senses and surprises. The mixture of lights, smells and sounds creates an enchanting atmosphere. And all these experiences of Christmas are conveyed through the senses – whether by the smell of incense and the organ playing in the church, the taste of home-baked Christmas biscuits or singing together under the Christmas tree.

But the Christmas season is not just about sensory experiences, surprises also play an important role: Advent calendars, filled stockings and shoes or the wrapped Christmas presents under the Christmas tree. They create excitement for a whole month during the Advent season. That’s why the MEK is also unwrapping some surprising things from its large Christmas collection for the visitors. The objects come from various European countries and Latin America: brightly coloured nativity figures with strikingly long necks by the artist couple Mendívil from Peru, an imposing tree of life from Mexico, the colourful hustle and bustle in a ‘nativity scene tavern’ from Naples, Italy: the mesmerizing shadow play created by a rotating Christmas lamp from Germany. Or the frightening mask of a wild animal – what does it have to do with Christmas? Of course, Advent calendars with their 24 little doors full of surprises are also a must. ‘Christmas Time with All the Senses’ is an exhibition full of surprises that visitors can engage with first-hand.

A special exhibition of the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (Museum of European Cultures) – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin