Claire Thomson
Christmas markets are the ultimate sign of the beginning of the festive season, becoming bigger and brighter every year. From the colourful light displays to the tasty treats and everything in between, every city and country has its own take on the traditional Christmas market, leaving plenty of exploring and Christmassy adventures for the winter traveller.
Tradition
Christmas markets originated in the German-speaking world as a signal to mark the beginning of Advent. To start with, these allow townspeople to stock up on supplies to last throughout the colder winter months. As markets became more popular across much of Northern Europe, these evolved from one and two day events to what was known as “Wintermärkte”. Local families would set up stalls to sell baskets, toys, and wood carvings as well as foods like almonds, roasted chestnuts and gingerbread. These were usually bought as Christmas gifts.
In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the majority of towns and cities will have their own take on the traditional Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindlesmarkt). Traditionally, these are held across various town squares within the city and sell different regional food and drink specialities and hand-made decorations. Beginning at the end of November and running through until Christmas Day, the most popular are located in Nuremberg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Münich and Berlin.
Berlin’s Christmas Markets
This year, I’m on my year abroad in Bavaria, Germany and I have been lucky enough to have been surrounded by the German Christmas magic for the last month or so. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, all the Christmas markets in my state and most of the surrounding areas were cancelled before getting the chance to open. However, to combat my misery, I made the decision to travel to Berlin for a weekend, where the Christmas markets are still in full swing (with restrictions)!
Spending the weekend hopping from one set of amazing Christmas lights and markets to another, I visited six or seven in total, with each one slightly different yet just as spectacular. There were lots of different traditional German foods, such as Lebkuchen (a type of soft gingerbread), Gebrannte Mandeln (candied, toasted almonds) and Bratwurst. Glühwein (hot mulled wine) is also very, very popular at German Christmas markets and for a small charge, you can keep the novelty mug or glass that it comes in!
Moving onto decorations, there were so many unique and special handmade Christmas ornaments that you buy from the stalls. From wood carvings of the nativity to hand painted tree decorations and baubles, the selections were massive and there was something for every preference.
At night, the lights were beautiful. So many shopping centres, gardens and parks, and town squares were decorated. It’s truly hard to describe how wonderful Berlin is at Christmas time, I would definitely recommend a visit if you can!
Closer to Home
Christmas markets have moved across the world, including to the UK, with lots of big cities now having their take on the traditional Christmas market. With travelling becoming more and more difficult again, if you don’t want to miss out on the magic, Winter Wonderland in London can give you the bright lights and Christmassy atmosphere. Or north of the border, there is also Edinburgh’s Christmas, which is popular every year.
Having spent the weekend of Advent at Christmas markets this year, I’ve found that there’s truly no better place to kick off the festive season!
Featured image courtesy of Daniels Joffe via Unsplash. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.
Claire Thomson
Aspiring Sports Journalist and Modern Languages Student (French/German) at University of Glasgow