Arya News - Invented by German Lutherans in the 19th century, the advent calendar has long been a staple of the country’s Christmas traditions from Berlin to Bavaria.
Credit: Instagram / @henri.schmidt.cdu
Invented by German Lutherans in the 19th century, the advent calendar has long been a staple of the country’s Christmas traditions from Berlin to Bavaria.
But this year, members of the German parliament received a rather unusual version: a battle tank containing 24 chocolates, sent out by leading arms firm Rheinmetall .
Based on the design of the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle, which Rheinmetall supplies to Ukraine , the tank-shaped calendar is supposed to be a symbol of Germany’s role in defending Europe .
But the unusual contraption, which contains 24 doors along the tank’s cardboard chassis, has infuriated some Germans who feel that it is “glorifying” warfare, and reflects a creeping militarisation of their culture.
Rheinmetall has produced three versions of the calendar: a tank and two armoured vehicles .
The chocolates are hidden behind doors on the side of the tank
Henri Schmidt, an MP for chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats party, caused controversy when he posted an Instagram video of one of the vehicles.
“So many advent calendars landed in Berlin in the last few weeks, I could almost open my own Christmas market,” joked Mr Schmidt, as he showed off the shoebox-sized advent calendar.
His constituents did not see the funny side, with many commenting about the “tasteless” gesture.
Eventually, Mr Schmidt’s account removed the comment function from the post, while a German magazine called the calendar a symbol of an “unholy alliance” between politicians and the defence trade.
The arms industry is a controversial issue in Germany , where the horrors of the Nazi period are never far from discussions about what role – if any – the German military should have in global affairs.
Mr Merz , who was sworn in last May, is firmly of the view that Germany must become a major new security power in Europe, after decades of underinvestment in its armed forces.
There is significant debate in Germany about the role of the arms industry - Morris MacMatzen
He has passed historic reforms which allow unlimited defence spending on German defence projects, with Rheinmetall expected to be one of the main beneficiaries.
Mr Merz has also vowed to transform the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, into the “strongest conventional army in Europe”, and has introduced a new, voluntary military service scheme.
But many Germans are deeply sceptical of the plan, due to the shame of the country’s Nazi past and, in the former Communist eastern states, sympathetic attitudes towards Russia.
This week, the trade magazine of a German precious metals firm, Kettner Edelmetalle, condemned the tank advent calendar as a symbol of an “unholy alliance between politics and the arms industry.”
The magazine added: “Christmas should be a celebration of family, reflection, and peace, not the glorification of weapons of war. But as long as politicians like Schmidt are more excited about tank advent calendars than about real solutions to our country’s problems, nothing will likely change.”
Some German politicians have defended the calendar, noting that the country faces a new reality where security is becoming an everyday topic, even at Christmas.
“It’s a very creative advent calendar. The ‘Lynx’ is a top-quality product of the German defence industry, and it is something we can be proud of,” Gregor Golland, the commissioner for armed forces in the Düsseldorf state parliament, told German tabloid Bild.
A Rheinmetall spokesman said: “In total there were three different models, including two armoured transport vehicles in addition to the one pictured.”
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