Moravian advent stars originated in Niesky, Germany in about 1856; evolving from a geometry class project in a Moravian boys’ school. Stars vary in size, number of points, as well as shape of the base. There is quite a lot of geometry to be learned from this creative, hands-on way to teach about polyhedrons. The iconic stars continue to shine brightly in Moravian communities today, unually displayed from the first Sunday of Advent until January 6th- Epiphany or Kings’ Day. In the above photo, Samuel C. Post, a member of the men’s fellowship group of the First Moravian Church of Greensboro, is making miniature Moravian stars during a the annual Christmas tea. Mr. Post makes the stars in traditional white as well as in school colors of sports teams popular in the south. Mr. Post and the other vendors at the holiday event were so kind to explain and demonstrate their art, regardless of whether or not a purchase was made. 

Moravian stars were everywhere during last Saturday’s tea, from the tiny stars seen above to the large star with 62 points in the church sanctuary. Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 6th, 2014 if you want to see this fabulous Moravian star-making process for yourself. We’re determined to get to Winston-Salem this year to see the one atop Baptist Hospital. It measures 31 feet in diameter. That. Is. Big.