22 December 2023 , 09:00
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Nutcrackers are a Christmas decoration that we know and adore, and the festive season wouldn't be the same without seeing them adorning shelves, and even larger ones standing outside shops.
But do you know about the origins of them and their actual purpose? They were first commercially produced by a German woodworker in 1872, and they've become a staple over the years. The funny little figures even have a special link to Christmas due to The Nutcracker ballet, which first debuted in 1892 and has since gained enormous popularity and has become associated with the festive season as it's set on Christmas Eve.
So, nutcrackers are a cute Christmas decoration with a nice backstory, but what is their purpose? While it might seem incredibly obvious to some of us, many people were under the belief that a Nutcracker soldier was purely something nice to look at.
Its true purpose has come as a surprise to many, even though it's very clearly in the name. Yes, nutcrackers, shockingly, are used to crack nuts.
This went over many peoples' heads as they headed to social media to express their surprise after finding out the true function of nutcrackers. "Nutcrackers are actually used to crack nuts… I was today years old," posted one confused person on X, formerly Twitter.
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"NUTCRACKERS ACTUALLY CRACK NUTS?! WTF SINCE WHEN?", someone shouted on the social media platform, with another asking: "You're telling me that nutcrackers can actually crack nuts?" "Oomf genuinely didn't know that nutcrackers crack nuts I'm sobbing rn", added someone else, dramatically.
One person on TikTok said: "I was today years old when I found out Nutcrackers crack nuts." "Wait till you find out what a juicer does," came one of the replies, while someone asked: "Where have you been?????"
There may be hope for the world, however, as other people were equally as baffled as to why the purpose of nutcrackers wasn't known.
When people didn't realize that nutcrackers actually crack nuts LOL ridiculous that people didn't know that," asked one person. Another added: "Yes I'm living in a world with a bunch of nuts when this is 'shocking' news."
Nutcracker dolls are symbols of good luck, frightening away malevolent spirits - and in German folklore they serve as as protectors of a house. Decorative nutcrackers became popular outside of Europe after the Second World War when American soldiers stationed in Germany came home to the US with them as souvenirs.