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Subscribe to RSSSteeped in tradition and charm, Germany's Christmas markets date back to the Middle Ages. But they are also a big business. NBC News' Andy Eckardt reports from Berlin.
BERLIN — Iconic sites like the Brandenburg Gate and remnants of the Berlin Wall aren't the main attractions in Germany's capital at this time of year. In December, the biggest crowds can be found at one of the city's 80 traditional Christmas markets.
Their handcrafts, beautifully decorated stalls and medley of colorful lights attract festive visitors during what was once a bleak time of year for the tourism industry.
Experts estimate that the Christmas market industry is worth about $5 billion annually to the German economy.
Cities across the United States are also trying to cash in on the centuries-old tradition. They include Chicago, Denver, Tulsa, Okla., Helen, Ga., and Arlington, Texas, where the local Chamber of Commerce has teamed up organizations including the Texas Rangers baseball team to bring some European traditions to the Lone Star state.
Nam Y. Huh / AP
Shoppers examine German Christmas ornaments at the Christkindlmarket in downtown Chicago on Nov. 30.
"Because Arlington has a German sister city, because we have about 3 million residents in Texas that have German ancestry and because many U.S. soldiers here were once stationed in Germany, we wanted to celebrate this German tradition," Henry Lewcyk from the Arlington Chamber of Commerce told NBC News.
'Tremendous boost'
In its second year, Arlington's German Christmas Market has also helped local businesses.
"This new attraction has brought a tremendous boost to our local hospitality and entertainment industry," Lewczyk added.
The biggest Christmas market outside of Germany can be found in Birmingham, England. The event runs 38 days this year and combines two traditional markets with a total of 190 stalls.
On average, three million people enjoy decorations, crafts and food products from Germany each year in the British city. Officials say that local retailers and hotels see a total of nearly $146 million in associated spending annually.
The markets weren't always such an easy sell.
“When I visited the first tourism fairs in Japan and the United States in the 1980s with my Christmas products, people first smiled at my presentations there,” German entrepreneur Harald Wohlfahrt told NBC News. "But very quickly, I became an ambassador for German Christmas customs."
Yet, when it comes to capturing the authentic German Christmas feeling, many say it can only be found in Germany.
Johannes Simon / Getty Images
Christmas decorations hang for sale at the traditional Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany. Dating to the 16th century, it is seen as one of the country's oldest markets.
“Christmas markets stand for German ‘Gemütlichkeit’, the coziness of the holiday season,” Wohlfahrt said.
“We want to avoid the commercialization of Christmas because our philosophy is that this special German tradition needs to be preserved.”
Germany has been building on a rich Christmas culture and carefully attends to old traditions.
From the famous Dresden Christmas ‘Stollen’ – a fruit cake that dates back to a recipe created in medieval Saxony in the 15th century — to historic mouth-blown and hand-painted glass ornaments, there is a large number of Christmas products that are sold, and often manufactured, at local Christmas markets.
German craftsman Matthias Streckfuss has been coming to Berlin's "Christmas Magic" installation at the city's picturesque Gendarmenmarkt for nearly a decade.
“Every year, more and more people come to see our traditional handcrafts, they buy our works, but sometimes just want to get into the Christmas spirit with a chat about our professions or simply, the good old times,” the 50-year old Streckfuss said.
Streckfuss is one of only 10 mammoth ivory carvers in Germany, who crafts jewelry, miniatures and even sculptures out of fossil mammoth ivory, which is imported from the Siberian tundra.
“It is a dying trade but I still have a growing number of customers and a 5 to 10 percent sales increase every year, thanks to the Christmas market business," he added.
There are nearly 2,500 Christmas markets across Germany. The ‘Christkindlesmarkt’ in Nuremberg is the largest attracts more than two million people each year. And that means jobs.
Michael Probst / AP
Hundreds of people gather in the rain to attend the opening of the traditional Christmas Market in the German city of Frankfurt on Nov. 26.
“At our all-year Christmas stores and for our online shop we permanently employ 270 workers, but for the Christmas markets we always need to hire more than 700 additional people,” said Wohlfahrt, who is general manager of Käthe Wohlfahrt, a well-known family business that sells traditional German Christmas decorations.
The markets have become so popular that new creations have found their way into the scene: Berlin, for example, also hosts a Christmas designer market. Another sells authentic home-baked food and organically produced clothes.
"Christmas markets have become a magnet for visitors," said Katharina Dreger, head of public relations at Visit Berlin. She said the tourism industry's one-time "winter hole" in the German capital has been filled by visitors from across the country and abroad.
Often found with a cup of hot mulled wine or a bag of roasted chestnuts in their hands, many foreign visitors say the winter wonderland atmosphere can't be beat.
“These are my first markets in Europe and they are just amazing, they are magical,” said Emma Saligari, 33, from Australia, who was spending two weeks on a special Christmas Market Tour that includes more than 20 stops in Germany.
“We do have little winter markets in Scotland, usually with five or ten of the little stalls. But this is much more traditional, this is the real thing,” added Ray Cox, 57, from Edinburgh, who came to Berlin with his wife Fiona.
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Leave a Comment:
Pls send me 20 euro for Cristmas.......
Thank you!
So do atheists skip Christmas or do they just wait for their national holiday on April 1?
Not all together Timmy, we do enjoy the Christmas lights and the sales.
Also I would think everyday is fools day for the believers of that invisible entity you call God.
One more thing Timmy, Christmas is just a way to brainwash Children into being FOOLED into your world of bull@!$%#. Same goes for Easter.
Feliz Navidad Timmy.
Wow, Timmy. You're so worldly. You sound like you've travelled all over and met all kinds of people with all that insight.
Most Christmas traditions were pulled from pagan belief systems and incorporated into the seasonal flair. Do you boycott and bitch about gift-giving, the Christmas tree, or the Yule log because they don't fit into your religious beliefs?
What a moron you are.
I was going to reply until I caught the dumbass bit at the end.
I celebrate April 1st every year! Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me! Jesus wasn't even born on December 25. I don't even think they went by the same calendar. April 1st used to be New Years Day.
Lived in Germany for 12 years and have been to dozens of german Christkindlmarkts. A good time was always had by all. US markets are nice but are rarely the same. They smell different for one since they don't have the same open air cooking and rarely do they allow for gluhwein sales (I imagine insurance costs too much).....
We had those little markets in Italy too. They would traditionally open around the feast of St. Lucia (dec. 13). They'd have baked goods like torrone (yuck...) or have roasted chestnuts (yum), candy, chocolates, etc. Some would sell handcrafted figurines - religious and secular - or ornaments. Some had junk - cheap toys or trinkets, counterfeit music tapes and such. There were musicians playing traditional carols on an instrument called zampogna (a weird looking bagpipe-like instrument).... ah, memories.
Eine Weihnachtsmarkt ist keine Weihnachtsmarkt ohne Glühwein!
@Ranman87: Genau! Altho' the word "Weihnachtsmarkt" is masculine, ergo "Der Weihnachtsmarkt." But w/o Glühwein, it's not the same as back home. Alles Gute!
My mom spent 2 and a half years of her childhood in Germany. I cannot wait to go there at Christmas time and see the Christmas Markets!
Has Christmas Become Too Commercial ? What Are Your Views
In the U.S., yes, it is a commercial slugfest. You are 'told' you must buy gifts for everyone including the mail person, the teacher, the hairstylist, the baby sitter, etc.
In Italy, gifts are primarily for the children. Close family members may or may not exchange gifts. Celebrations are usually low-key, with big family dinners of regional delicacies.
Personally, being from northern Italy (the 'heathen' Italy), my Christmases were spent with just my mom, dad and sibling. We had a small family, so it was all very intimate. We'd make our specialty dish (tortellini in capon broth) on Christmas Eve. We'd have pandoro or panettone or cotechino (stuffed pig leg) and drink spumante and wine (yes, we drank as kids). We'd open our gifts - no more than one or two items each. Then, we'd go out and walk around the city. By that time, it was either snowing or snow covered the ground. Countless other families would do the same. The following day is also a holiday - St. Stephen - or Boxing Day in other countries.
The more fun time - for me at least - was New Year's Eve. Our 'tradition' was to go to the movies. In fact, in Italy the Christmas/New Year's time used to be when a lot of blockbusters come out. Now, with easier means to translate and dub movies, there are fewer U.S. blockbusters, but still there are a lot of domestic movies that come out. Then, we'd go to our main square and see the old man, a papier mache representing the old year, being burned as the new baby, representing the new year, is brought forth. New Year's Eve was the only time we were allowed to remain awake well past our bed times. As I got older, it was a time when my friends and I would head to the clubs and dance the night away.
In early January (the epiphany), a figure from Italian folklore would show up. She's an old and ugly woman known as the Befana, who brings candy to good kids or coal to the bad ones. And then, it would be back to school :(
Commercialism is the only good thing that comes from Christmas, it helps the Economy.
As Christianity dies so will Christmas, and everyone will celebrate Festivus instead.
Festivus! Saw that episode last night or the night before, poor George. As for Christmas I for one get the "blues" and do not enjoy it much. John, being a Christian or surrendering yourself to a higher power by any name does not make anyone stupid.
Commercialism has kept food on many peoples tables.Remember it's goodwill towards man,so if stimulating the economy keeps people employed then I'm all for it.Besides after a long hard year of toiling it's great to do nice little things or buy something for people,make a special meal and catch up on the phone with old friends.My customers are all getting cheaper each year and that's ok by me.I'd rather be me cleaning their homes then them who hate their great paying jobs and all the entrapment's that come with it.They've all played the recession card now for 4 years and new customers have been coming my way.Out with the old and in with the new.
Let's all get back to basics. Merry Christmas and/or Happy New Year is more appropriate for this time of the year than Happy Holidays...after all, what is the holiday we are celebrating if not Christmas and New Year?
Actually, celebrations at this time of year have been going on since well before Christianity came along. This is the winter solstice, when the amount of light during the day will creep up again. It was seen throughout the ages as a time for renewal, anticipation for new crops and a fertile growing season. Traditions like the Christmas tree or mistletoe find their origins in these ancient ideas.
Of course, people didn't know then that the earth's rotation and the axis on which it rotates dictate winter solstice and how far we are from the Sun directs how much daylight we see.
Umm, Hanukkah? Pancha Ganapati? Kwanzaa?
If you really care if someone uses "happy holidays" instead of "merry christmas," then you're the one with the issues.
Yeah, but since those aren't celebrated anymore, who cares LoDolce? That was to stupid point number 1 you made.
As for stupid point number 2: It's not how far you are from the sun, it's the angle at which the sun hit the ground. In the Northern Hemisphere we are actually closer to the sun during the winter because Earth is slightly closer to the sun at this point in its orbit. But that doesn't make it warmer, now does it? You'd also be surprised to learn that many ancient cultures understood the tilt of the Earth exactly. Stonehenge for example...ring a bell???
Thanks for nothing Vita...
Just give people the greeting of the one you choose.nobody should be offended.After all we are all celebrating something during this season.I say Merry Christmas and if you say Happy Solstice,I'm ok with that.
Stop your pissing contest.My superpower is: "super cocoanut nerd headknock!"
More like super d-bag...
Gluhwein for all!
Philly has one. Pittsburgh a first time one this yr.
1986, we went to Germany at Christmas to visit relatives and celebrate the Christ Child with my Opa, (grandfather). My cousins and I want to the KristkindlMarkt in Stuttgart. It was the best Christmas I ever experienced!!!!
I know what you mean. I spent many Christmases in Germany with my wife and her family. We would all spend at least one day in Nurnberg at their KristkindMarkt. We allways had at least one glass of Gluwein. I miss not going now that most of my wifes family has passed on..
christmas in Germany is really nice
America can do it better. Of course the market will be held in a Walmart parking lot and the stand will be filled with Chinese made junk.
You hit the nail on the head with that one oneiron
I'm an American living in Germany and the Germans make Christmas awesome with the markets.... cute towns, shopping, food, and alcohol! Love it=)
No matter what we try to do here regarding a Christmas Market, it will never be the same.
So a story titled with the word "export" is mostly about German sales in German cities...yet another great example of modern journalism.
A Christmas item made in Germany is a classy, cherished find. At Christmas we always look for the " Made in Germany" items to buy and impress. And I'm not German!
I'll have gosser gluwein mit rhum!!
I like the idea of german christmas ornaments etc.Not so keen on chinese made americana
Austria has the same thing as Germany with most of the gifts being handmade. Probably there is a little more religion involved in Austria but drinking good wine and beer is probably more important than the religion.
What a great idea, it will give Americans more opportunity to practice their second amendment rights and shoot and murder each other. so eventually the world will be rid of their hypocrisy
There is nothing quite like it to walk amongst the various Christmas booths on a cold winter night in downtown Munich sipping a glass of "Gluhwein" and eating some Stollen.
There is nothing quite like walking amongst the various Christmas displays on a cold winter night in downtown Munich sipping a glass of warm "Gluhwein" and eating some Stollen