Sunday, November 20, 2011

Weihnachtsmarkte is Coming!

In Germany, Christmas is something to be celebrated, and boy, do the Germans know how to do it! All across Germany (and in Austria and parts of Switzerland), some of the larger cities create Weihnachtsmarkte, or Christmas Markets, in their town squares. This looks something like a festival and each draws crowds by the thousands throughout the month of December.

As I walked through the market square in Darmstadt, I saw carpenters and shopkeepers starting to erect the booths and displays that will be Weihnachtsmarkte soon. A gigantic Christmas tree awaits trimming. Signs promising gluhwein (warm spiced wine) and Christmas cookies went up. Trucks crowded the market square unloading boxes and boxes of Christmas wares. Weihnachtsmarkte is coming! I can't wait!
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3 comments:

  1. josieNovember 20, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    Whatever-that-word-is sounds so quaint and looks so inviting, I have to admit. It made me wonder what, if anything, we have here can be compared to it? Certainly NOT our malls (and the hysteria of Black Friday), nor the moth-eaten Santas arriving at the end of parades. Maybe... Lebanon's huge extravaganza with the mammouth horses???

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  2. KristanNovember 20, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    Andy got to go to a Christmas market in Frankfurt one year. He brought back a very cool flame-powered carousel thingie for my parents.

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  3. Juliann WetzNovember 20, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    Kristan - I know exactly what you're talking about. I learned those are traditionally from eastern Germany, but I don't know what they're called. They're everywhere over here.

    Josie - I don't think there is an equivalent in the US, unless it was a small town Christmas/Winter Festival.

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