Wandering with Sam
Weihnachtsmärkte in Stuttgart
Dec 21, 2006, 14:30

Angels and Cathedral

In North America we associate Christmas with colorful lights, Christmas trees, shopping excursions, egg nog lattes at Starbucks, endless Christmas songs by various pop singers, and the ongoing debate over whether or not it is more appropriate to greet people with “Happy Holidays” so that we do not alienate or offend non Christians.

This year I am spending Christmas 2006 in Stuttgart in southwestern Germany, and so far I have realized that it is largely the same holiday here as in North America, but with a few subtle differences. I have not spent a lot of time in Germany, so my observations are really just what I have noticed so far from spending time in and around Stuttgart.

In Germany, Christmas is referred to as Weihnacht, which can be loosely translated to “holy night”, although as far as the Germans are concerned, it means the same thing as Christmas. In the United States we have Santa Claus, a combination of Britain’s Father Christmas and St. Nicholas, who is still celebrated in many European countries on December 6. In Germany, the almost identical character is referred to as the Weihnachtsmann. The Germans place some emphasis on Christian aspects of the holiday, including the display of nativity scenes and the prominence of advent calendars with little tabs that can be progressively opened each day throughout the month of December. And the winter climate in Baden Würtemberg is quite temperate with evenings below freezing, but dayime temperatures in the forties. Despite this year’s rather mild winter, it is still a wintry climate with a tradition of snow and ice.

Glühwein und Krip in Stuttgart

Probably the most distinct Christmas tradition in Germany is the Weihnachtsmarkt, or the Christmas market that usually appears during the first week of December and lasts until right before Christmas. This tradition is not limited to Germany, since cities in France and Belgium have their own markets as well, but the ones in Germany seem to be the most famous, especially in Nuremburg or in Rothenburg am Tauber. Typically, the markets are located in a market square near a cathedral or major church in an area that has been a center of commerce since the Middle Ages.

The Christmas markets consist of dozens of wooden huts arranged in rows and covered with pine branches and very spectacular decorations, including lights, golden angles, Christmas trees, nativity scenes, and even episodes from Grimm’s’ fairy tales. A common motif was Hansel and Gretel visiting a gingerbread house with a mean old witch peering out at them. Often the rich decorations of the Christmas market are at the base of a gothic Cathedral, like the markets in Aachen, Cologne, and Strasbourg.

Each of the huts is a small shop that sells a variety of holiday related items, like Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas cards, wreaths, or components for a nativity scene, while other shops sold kitchen accessories, candles, or wooden toys. One of my favorite shops sold ceramic scale models of historic buildings in European cities, mostly medieval timber frame buildings or churches that could be illuminated by a candle.

Angel in Stuttgart

Some of the huts specialized in food and drink, including Schwabian dishes like Maultaschen (stuffed pasta), spätzle (similar to macaroni and cheese), or the classic bratwurst with a piece of bread. One stall even served cod baked over an open fire, probably more of a Baltic tradition. All of them sold Glühwein (mulled wine) or warm cider in a small souvenir glass that you could keep if you forfeited the one euro deposit. Others sold baked goods, candies, gingerbread, chocolate covered cookies, and the classic stollen, a sugar covered loaf of sweet bread.

The markets were always packed with people, very comparable to the Pike Place Market in Seattle during the height of the tourist season. But that was part of the fun, although it required patience. A lot of musicians would entertain the crowds as they meandered through the stalls. Most were schoolchildren playing Christmas carols on their band instruments, accompanied by a singer or two. Other entertainers included wind up organists with organs that had assorted characters like stuffed monkeys playing the saxophone attached to them. One strange act at the Stuttgart Christmas market consisted of two young ladies, one dressed as Santa Claus, the other as an angel, who stood as still as statues in front of a xylophone until someone threw some change into their box, at which point they would start their minute long act of playing the xylophone and tap dancing, only to freeze again until someone else freed them later on.

Esslingen Medieval Market

I have visited Christmas markets in several cities in southwestern Germany and saw a lot of similarities, almost as if there is a Christmas market template that most of the communities subscribe to. I have noticed that Germans have that tendency to be predictable, or in ordnung. However, despite the similarities, there were a few variations, such as the medieval Christmas Market in Esslingen, a quite old suburb of Stuttgart. Although this market had a bit of a theme park atmosphere, the masses of people, the mead and coarse bread, the flickering candles, and street performers lent a sense of authenticity. This market was much darker in the evening because it was only lit by candles and subdued orange lights that resembled coals in a fire. The stalls were constructed of crude pieces of timber with faded black lettering painted on them to resemble a previous era of less refined buildings. The stalls tended to sell more medieval oriented crafts, including jewelry, toy swords and crossbows, clothing, leather goods, and CDs of medieval music. One of the stalls was occupied by a blacksmith who sent ringing tones of ironworking throughout the market.

Christmas Decorations in Freiburg

A lot of people were wandering about in armor or in course tunics, sort of like a giant SCA convention. I noticed one group of rough students in wool tunics drinking out of animal horns while they sang a Latin hymn, gaudete, gaudete christus est natus ex maria virginae gaudete. However, they seemed to have trouble remembering some of the lyrics, so someone incongruously whipped out a cell phone to connect to the internet to find them. In addition to the market, they also had medieval oriented games, including axe and knife throwing and a gambling game that involved places bets on which miniature house a hamster would emerge from.

I have heard about the Christmas markets before, but I was really impressed with their dazzling decorations and festive atmosphere, and although the passing of Christmas tends to be a sigh of relief as far as the pocketbook goes, I will be a bit sad when the lively market stalls become just another series of empty cobblestones alleys between the Stiftkirche and the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart.


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