Vienna launched its December market in 1294, and within the next few years, Christmas markets started springing up in several German cities, including Munich and Frankfurt. Gradually they became popular in more German speaking regions, including France’s Alsace and Italy’s Southern Tyrol.
Today there are hundreds of Christmas markets in Europe and around the world, with Germany and the UK leading the way. In Germany, large ones are held in cities like Nuremberg, Dresden, and Cologne, while the U.K. leads with cities such as Bath, Manchester, and Birmingham.
In Europe, even in the same city, there can be more than one Christmas market, and Vienna alone hosts over 20 Christmas markets, with the largest being held in front of city hall.
In Canada, Christmas markets are a fairly recent initiative, with the Kitchener Christkindl Market opening its doors in 1996, and the Vancouver Christmas Market and Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market launching in 2010. Quebec City and Montreal also hold Christmas markets.
Traditional Christmas markets feature vendors in wooden stalls selling a wide variety of handcrafted items, including gifts and decorations, as well as goodies like gingerbread and sausages. Carolers sing, adults warm themselves with mulled wine (a heated spiced wine) and people of all ages get together to enjoy the bright holiday lights and the spirit of the season.
The markets are usually held from late November to the days leading up to Christmas, and have become a big tourist draw for the host cities, with visitors reaching over a million in some areas.
Toronto Christmas Market
The Toronto Christmas Market has been held at the Distillery District ever since its opening four years ago. The 19th century neighbourhood, is host to many small shops and restaurants, but with the arrival of the Christmas market, it bursts with life as holiday lights, vendor stalls, musical acts, and a 45 foot Christmas tree fill the area.
“We want people to rediscover the magic of Christmas,” said Mathew Rosenblatt, the founder of Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market in the welcome video on the company’s website.
The program this year includes carolers, storytelling, musical and dance performances by community groups such as Estonian and Polish folk dance groups, as well as established artists like Matt Dusk, Stephen Taetz, and Jully Black. One of the highlights will be the arrival of St. Nicholas on Dec. 5 riding on a white horse to lead the children into songs and stories.
Every night at 6 p.m., a caroling group will also lead the audience in a 15-minute sing-a-long, with song sheets being handed out to audience members. The caroling will culminate in the Caroling Challenge on Dec. 15 where thousands of people are encouraged to come and join the choir. Participants will receive a candle with a candleholder, and $1 will be donated to the Daily Food Bank for every person who participates.
“Our goal is to make them feel about the holidays the way they did as children,” said Rosenblatt speaking of the market’s mission in an interview with Epoch Times last year.
Lowe’s Toronto Christmas runs Nov. 29 – Dec. 15. For more information, visit: www.torontochristmasmarket.com
For more information about Christmas markets in Europe and North America, visit: http://www.christmasmarkets.com/
Epoch Times is a sponsor of the Toronto Christmas Market
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