The streets of this market square are all decked out in a tradition born nearly 700 years ago. Weihnachtsmarkte or Christkindlmarkte (Christmas markets, if you prefer less of a mouthful), take place around the world, but they originated in Germany as a celebratory way to observe Advent, the Christian season leading up to Christmas Eve. These markets are generally open-air affairs where everything is decorated, including the trees (called Tannenbaums in German if they"re firs). People shop from local artisans who sell their handmade wares in small wooden chalets. Then it"s off to eat traditional foods—roasted almonds, pastries, and biscuits—and sip on warm mulled wine.
It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!
Today in History
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Summer solstice
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An uncommonly cool critter
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Bridge of Hillsborough County
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International Day of Color
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You won’t see this on Mulberry Street
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Let s crack the code
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Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Great hornbill, Thailand
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World Bicycle Day
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Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Here we mark the price of freedom
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Forward-thinking women of history
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Composite image of a lunar eclipse
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Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
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Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
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International Womens Day
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Mercury in retrograde
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Let’s have a ball
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The Door County Coastal Byway in Wisconsin
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Waiānapanapa State Park, Maui, Hawaii
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Black History Month
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Baltic Sea, Estonia
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Spring blooms in the Netherlands
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The migrating monarchs of Michoacán
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Over and under the delta
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Grand Teton National Park
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For the love of bikes
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Adorable activism
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Celebrating the UN’s International Day of Families