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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Sea Slug Day
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Here s looking at you
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Night of the ‘Cold Moon’
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World Honey Bee Day
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St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland
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Happy 800th, Salisbury Cathedral
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Salzburg, Austria
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New Years Eve
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Room at the top?
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Anniversary of the British Museum
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An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
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Acadia transformed
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Arches National Park, Utah
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Teacher Appreciation Day
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Driftwood on Boneyard Beach, Hunting Island, South Carolina
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Just a couple of yellow-billed hornbills
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Short-eared owl
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Negratín Reservoir, Granada, Spain
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Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
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Ruins of a royal temple
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World Photography Day
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La Brecha de Rolando (Rolands Breach), Spain
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Ready for takeoff
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Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
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It s Australia Day
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Life in a North African town
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Fallow deer, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England
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Hanging out on a limb
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Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
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Boxing Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

