The National Gingerbread House Day is observed annually on December 12.

It celebrates the tradition of making houses and architectural models out of gingerbread cookies. The tradition can be traced back to the 1600s.

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The idea of a gingerbread house originated in Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel tail. German gingerbread guilds made the idea of gingerbread houses more festive.

A favorite food of an Armenian monk, Gregory of Nicopolis, brought gingerbread to Europe around 992 AD and taught French Christians to bake it. Gingerbread was often used in religious ceremonies and was baked to be sturdy as it was often molded into images of saints.

According the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest gingerbread house was made in 2013 by the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas. The house was 60 ft long and 10.1 ft tall.