Passauer Christkindlmarkt am Dom

The Christmas market in Passau is finally open! The Christkindlmarkt or Weihnachtsmarkt is the Christmas market which is open throughout the four weeks of Advent. It is the best place in Germany to meet with friends and warm up during December. Are there Christmas markets in your country?

The history of Christmas markets goes back to the Late Middle Ages and the trade fairs (usually one-day markets) in the German-speaking parts of Europe. At the beginning of the cold season, such markets gave people the opportunity to stock up on meat and winter goods. During the 14th Century the towns allowed toy makers, basket weavers and confectioners to build stands and sell their merchandise to the people. Many of these items were often presented to children for Christmas. Some beloved stands had roasted chestnuts, walnuts and almonds, whichare still commonly enjoyed to this day.

Since the first half of the 20th Century, markets became a significant symbol of the pre-Christmas traditions. So what about today?

Today we define Christmas through candlelight along with the smell of biscuits, mulled wine, and beautiful ice-flowers displayed on windows. Other traditions are hanging Christmas lightsilluminating the streets and the telling of Christmas stories on freezing cold nights by a blazing fire. One can find all of these festive things wrapped together at the annual Christmas market!

Some delicious treats for sale at the market include: gingerbread, spiced biscuits, cinnamon stars, mulled wine, and hot apple juice. And you can find it this at the Christmas market in great selection and of the highest quality. So, it really is the perfect place to go with your family and friends to spend a nice evening. You can reflect on the best moments of the year drinking a cup of hot Glühwein (red mulled wine) or Glühmost (the white one). If you like the sweet stuff, you must try the different Christmas cookies, stars, fruits in chocolate and snowballs. Also, if you like Bavarian cooking, you can find all different kinds of sausages from the area.

There are a lot of traditional/Christmas events and festive delights during December at the Christmas market. Here you will find the events program of Passauer Christkindlmarkt am Dom: http://www.passauer-christkindlmarkt.de/en/programm/ .

Additionally, you can find lots of presents and souvenirs at the Christmas market. There are a variouscandles, hand-made felt accessories, toys, leather and wool products, bags, fleeces, hand-made soaps, and oils. What I like most is the different woodcarvings and glass decorations. So, if you are looking for some special German gifts to send your friends back home, it’s an ideal place to shop!

So dress warm and go have a blast at the Christmas market closest to you! And then come back and let us know: what do you like most about the Christmas market?