‘Tis the Season for Christmas Markets

By Katie Finnegan

It’s that time of year again when there’s a certain magic in the air. Festive lights sparkle against the dark winter sky, as people wrap up warmly in their hats and scarves. It’s also around this time that town and city squares are taken over by little wooden stalls festively decorated and ice rinks dotted with both young and old skating, and falling around. Christmas markets are a big festive tradition all over the world and are an ideal place to get your Christmas shopping started with plenty of unique gift ideas along with traditional food and drink to sample.

Galway Christmas market – Eyre Square 2010

Last year marked the first year of the Galway Continental Christmas market and it’s returning again this year. Come the 25^th of November, Eyre Square will be transformed into magical winter wonderland with over seventy wooden chalets retailing food, beverages and goods from all over Europe with over a third of the chalets being occupied by local traders. The authentic Bierkeller will be home to great European beers, plus mulled wines and hot ciders.

It seems this year, that as well as the 70 wooden chalets; the Christmas market will also feature 25 tents. The ‘Occupy Galway’ protesters are currently camped at the top of Eyre Square, adjacent to where the Continental market will open later this month.

The protest began just over a month ago with four tents and a handful of protesters, however as time has gone on, more and more people have begun to join in the protest.  Just yesterday, the Christmas Continental Market released a statement saying that they had come to an agreement with the protesters.

Occupy Galway protest

“We are very happy to confirm and to welcome the consensus reached by Occupy Galway on Friday November 11, in which they have agreed to relocate their camp from its current position on Eyre Square to a new location on the north east corner of the square in order to facilitate the complex logistics and layout of the planned Christmas Market and to fully enable to market to go ahead as planned.”

“This consensus has been achieved as a result of very positive and constructive engagement with Occupy Galway which saw both parties gain strong mutual understanding. We now have a strong basis for positive working relations and co-existence over the next month until the market ends on December 18th. We thank Occupy Galway for their hard work, generosity and understanding in achieving this consensus.”

Event producer Maria Moynihan Lee said the organisers are currently finalising the layout of the site and the final contents prior to works beginning in Eyre Square on Monday 21^st of November.

Galway is just one of many cities that transforms over the Christmas period. Markets like these originated in Dresden, Germany in 1434 and later spread to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. In recent years, they have become increasingly popular in Scotland and England as well as further afield in the likes of Chicago and New York.

Nuremberg hosts Germany’s largest Christmas market every year, and is often referred to as ‘Christmas City’. At 5.30 p.m on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday, the Christmas Angel opens her market, reciting the solemn prologue from the gallery of the church of Our Lady. 180 wooden stalls, ornamented with red-and-white cloth, have given the Christmas Market its name of "Little Town from Wood and Cloth".

Plum people for sale at the market

Stall holders sell a variety of traditional merchandises: Nuremberg spicy gingerbread, fruit loaves, bakery goods and sweets, typical Christmas articles such as Christas tree angels, cribs, Christmas tree ornaments and candles, toys as well as arts and crafts products. Unique souvenirs include "Nuremberg Plum People", little figures made from prunes. In the line of refreshments, people can stay warm with a mug of mulled wine and indulge in a Nuremberg Bratwurst sausage.

The market's stall-holders also compete for the most elegant stall design and each year the City presents an annual award of gold, silver and bronze "Plum People" for the winning stalls. This year the Nuremberg market runs from the 25^th of November to the 24^th of December.

of the best Christmas markets in the country, and its location in the picturesque town centre only adds to its appeal. As you would expect from the nation that produces some of the world’s best beer, sampling some local brews and mulled wine are a big feature of this Christmas market. There’s also an open-air ice rink and a variety of Christmas stalls. Christmas markets in Belgium are a big feature of its festivities and are well worth visiting to get you into that Christmas spirit. Bruges’ Christmas market runs from the 25^th of November to the 3^rd of January 2012.

Ice Rink in Bruge

Other European Christmas markets can be found in nearly every big city. Vienna, Strasberg, Copenhagen, Gothenberg, and Madrid are just a few that deserve to be noted. Europe is not the only place where these beautiful markets can be found; America also follows in the festive spirit. 

Chicago’s Christkindlemarket took its festive influence from the German Christmas markets and is currently in its 16^th year. This is one of the most popular markets in the city of Chicago and attracts an estimated one million visitors to Daley Plaza in the heart of the city every year. A variety of typical German foods tantalise the taste buds and European chocolates and baked goods can also be found at the market. The famous Glühwein, which is served in a souvenir boot shaped mug, and the imported German beer rounds off the culinary tour. The city of Chicago is an ideal location for a festive market as the twinkles of the stalls mirror the twinkles of the many surrounding skyscrapers that highlight the city’s snowy backdrop.

Flyer for market in Chica

A visit to an authentic Christmas market is sure to engage all your senses and get your body, mind and soul ready for the holidays. Even before you arrive at the market area, the wonderful aroma of hot beverages, freshly grilled and fried snacks, and seasonal sweets fills the air. You're likely to find Glühwein (hot mulled wine), bratwurst grilled to perfection and served in a crusty bread roll, fried fish fillets with tartar sauce on a roll, and other hearty snacks that will warm you up from the inside out in no time. These markets are also great for those who enjoy the sweeter things in life such as Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Christstollen (traditional sweetbread), freshly candied almonds, Christmas cookies and many other delicacies. A visit to a Christmas market also makes shopping for the holidays easy, offering a great array of toys, ornaments and other gift ideas, often hand-crafted by local artists.

Galway’s Christmas market runs from the 25^th of November until the 18^th of December. For more information, visit www.galwaychristmasmarket.ie.