Young people with learning difficulties have played an essential part in the creation of an extraordinary Advent calendar.
The group participants of a workshop situated in a daycare centre managed by the non-profit organisation Jugend am Werk compiled the Viennese District Apiary’s (Wiener Bezirksimkerei) popular Christmas merchandise.
The colourfully illustrated Wiener Honig Advent calendar – which costs EUR 68 (GBP 59), three Euros more than last year – consists of 23 jars, each of them containing 30 grammes of the sought-after foodstuff “and a surprise” for Christmas Eve.
The Viennese District Apiary said on social media about the Jugend am Werk’s ALPHA workshop: “Maria Grama and Markus Taub are in charge of the ‘packaging and production’ group.
“We truly enjoy visiting them time and time again. These young individuals fulfil their tasks with skill and joy.”
Austrian artist Johanna Flaschberger has been in charge of designing the 2023 edition. She opted for a “baroque bee queen with her sceptre” and a group of worker bees “enjoying their deserved winter break in front of Vienna City Hall.”
Flaschberger’s playful illustrations evoke comparisons to Dutch masters such as Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
The Viennese District Apiary, which currently manages more than 250 honeybee colonies at 50 locations all over the Austrian capital, says on its website: “There’s organic honey from all 23 Viennese districts behind each of the calendar’s little doors. We hope that it will help you bridge the time until Christmas.”
Advent calendars are a Christmas-period tradition which dates back to the 19th century. Nowadays, conventional editions include 24 pieces of chocolate.
The Viennese honey calendar, which is on sale online and in stores across Vienna, is strictly limited to 1,000 items.
