10/09/2026
I was not aware of this custom, but now I want to try it with a forsythia branch, as I don’t have a cherry tree here.
On December 4, German families cut a bare branch from a cherry tree and put it in water.
It is called the Barbarazweig, the Barbara branch, because December 4 is St. Barbara's Day. The branch goes into a vase in a warm room, gets fresh water every few days, and then everyone watches it.
If it blooms by Christmas Eve, good luck is coming in the new year. And for a young woman in the house, the old saying was that a wedding would follow.
When it works, there are white cherry blossoms on the table in the middle of winter, right next to the Christmas tree.
Some German American families still cut their branch every December 4, and others swap the cherry for forsythia or apple.
Did your family ever cut a Barbara branch?
