Take Five: Christmas Markets
Photo by Joe Klamar/GettyChristmas markets (or Christkindlmarkets) have marked the Advent season in the German-speaking region of Europe since the Middle Ages. Today you can find these open air street fairs across the globe and in places from South Africa to Chicago. Christkindlemarkets get their name from the deliverer of Christmas gifts in German-speaking countries: the christkind or christkindl (meaning Christ child). Kris Kringle is an Americanization of the term christkindl, but the traditional christkind is typically depicted as a sprite-like child with blonde hair and angel wings.
Usually held in pedestrian-friendly town squares, Christmas markets let shoppers purchase gift while enjoying carols and sampling seasonal food and drinks—like mulled wine and lebkuchen, German biscuits that taste similar to gingerbread. Visiting any of these Christmas markets from across the globe is sure to put you in the holiday spirit.
1. Viennese Christmas Market
This traditional Christmas market dates back to the 13th century in Vienna. Now it takes place each year in front of the city hall in Austria’s capital.
Visitors can browse booths for artisan gifts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day through December 26 and warm up with roasted chestnuts and “Christkindlmarkt Punsch.” Made with a secret recipe including red wine, oranges, spices, rum and raspberry brandy, this hot punch is a signature beverage of the Vienna market.
Special attractions during the market’s run include free weekend performances on Vienna’s Rathausplatz from a variety of choirs and Christmas story readings from celebrities. The Viennese Christkindl also appears at the market on Thursday through Sunday evenings. You can find her to take a photo or hear the poems and stories she reads to the children.
2. Chicago Christkindlemarkt
Photo by Paul Ellis/Getty
The Chicago Christmas market has been a staple of the holiday season in the Windy City since the late 1990s. Inspired by the Nuremberg, Germany, Christmas market, the German American Services organized the inaugural Christkindlemarkt to bring the European tradition to Chicago in 1996.
The magical village pops up in Daley Plaza each year in mid-November and remains open through Christmas Eve. The stalls include an array of whimsical handmade items, such as a variety of ornaments, wood-carved figurines and cuckoo clocks, jewelry and toys. Beer steins with lids are also a popular item.
The market boasts authentic German eats including bratwurst, stollen (a type of fruit cake), schnitzel, strudel and plenty of beer. Chicago’s own christkind, who first appeared 2013, can be found wandering the booths. The market is open seven days a week and entry is free.