It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time! Dec 18, 2019

It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!

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.

© sack/Getty Images Plus

palette

Today in History

Dec 18, 2018A hit ballet, long after its debut
Dec 18, 2020A towering view of the Pale Mountains
Dec 18, 2021Full moon
Dec 18, 2022South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Dec 18, 2024English National Ballet performing The Nutcracker

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 14, 2024La Geria wine region, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Apr 6, 2020Castle on a hill
Nov 24, 2024Sonoma Coast State Park, California
Mar 4, 2025Happy Fat Tuesday!
Nov 26, 2023Fallow deer, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England
Apr 18, 2024International Day for Monuments and Sites
Feb 17, 2024Black History Month
Dec 23, 2022Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
Jun 25, 2020Hoisting a flag for seafarers
Jul 18, 2022Marine Day in Japan
Oct 30, 2020Who s there? The largest owl in the world
Mar 1, 2018Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Apr 8, 2020Santorini through the clouds
Nov 7, 2019Paris is photo-ready this week
Apr 30, 2019It s International Jazz Day
Mar 1, 2023Womens History Month
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
Aug 29, 2022Baltic Sea, Estonia
Sep 18, 2023Fall Astronomy Week
Feb 24, 2023Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
Feb 18, 2024World Whale Day
Feb 17, 2021The persistence of Perito Moreno
Mar 23, 2020A peak in the clouds
Oct 20, 2020Reflecting on fall
Dec 24, 2018The birthplace of a classic Christmas carol
Sep 16, 2018Mexico celebrates its Independence Day
Dec 9, 2023National Llama Day
Jan 20, 2020A march toward a dream
Sep 7, 2021Whale hello there!
Oct 5, 2019A fair that s star-studded