Christmas in Alsace
1160
In France, during the Christmas season, there is
a place that becomes a magical land, a land of fairytales and gaily
decorated towns and villages. A land that celebrates the season with
traditions that goes back hundreds of years. And a land that brings
together the best of two cultures in celebration of the holiday season.
This land is Alsace and it’s capitol Strasbourg. At
Christmastime, the region of France that borders on Germany becomes a
gigantic land of legends, myths and centuries old traditions. Along the
snow-draped Vosage Mountains, from Mulhouse to Strasbourg, is a
succession of gaily-decorated villages where numerous wood-framed
houses and shop windows are adorned with countless sparking lights. There
are dazzling city squares, where holiday markets abound, playing host
to eager holiday shoppers. And everywhere the sacred music of Christmas
carols fills the air. At night in particular, there is a special glow,
when everything is illuminated with holiday lights During the Advent,
the four-week period preceding Christmas, age-old Alsatian traditions
come to life across the region. Part
of the tradition is the Christmas markets, which are a show unto
themselves. Nearly every town has one but the oldest is located in
Strasbourg, the capitol of Alsace. The Christkindelsmärik is a
combination of German and French tradition. Set up in two squared in
the city center – Place Broglie and Place de la Cathédrale – the
markets date back to 1570, and are filled with the scents and sounds of
Christmas. Place Broglie becomes a giant Christmas tree lot, one of the
largest in the country. The
Cathedral Market must be experienced to be appreciated. You’ll find:
gingerbread, bredele biscuits, honey and melted spun sugar, glazed
apples, mulled wine (with the tantalizing aromas of cinnamon, orange
and spices), Alsatian wine, schnapps, Christmas beer, roasted goose and
foie gras-fill the air and awaken the senses, adding to the warmth of
the market atmosphere. Friendly regional craftsmen display their
handmade wares: Advent crowns and calendars, painted glass balls,
candles, Christmas tree decorations, music boxes, fabrics, tablecloths,
ribbons, glassware, tableware, paintings, brightly colored wooden toys,
nativity scenes and other holiday figures. Voices,
bells, music and children’s laughter complement the vibrant images.
Chestnuts roast over open fires. Just a few blocks down from place de
la Cathédrale is Place Kléber and the site of the great Vosage
Christmas tree, some 30 meters high—adorned with different decorations
and lights every year. The cutting and decorating of one’s own
Christmas tree is a tradition that originated in Strasbourg and dates
back to the 1600s. Unique pageantry is as much a part of the Alsatian
Christmas as the lights, market and trees. The region does have is
unique characters such as Christkindel (or Christ Child) who brings
Christmas presents in the form a young girl dressed in white with a
veil covering her hair; she wears a fir crown with four candles and
holds a scepter topped with a star. Fairy-like, she represents light
and rewards good children with unique Christmas characters. Accompanying
Christkindel is the horrible Hans Trapp, or Rüpelz, a coarse, hairy
person with chains who strikes terror in the hearts of children. He
puts naughty children in a big sack and carries them away deep into the
forest, never to be seen again. Peckersel, a donkey, sometimes joins
them, carrying on his back baskets with the sweets Christkindel gives
to tots. And then there is the loveable old gent, Saint Nicolas, with
his long white beard, red bishop’s coat, miter and crook, who is also
on hand (he comes at night on December 6, when children leave their
shoes out for treats), as are the Three Wise Men. Look for all of them
at processions, markets and in plays. Most
of all, it is not to late to join one of the most unique and colorful
event that takes place throughout the region during holiday season.
Termed The Seven Lands of Christmas, seven regions or “lands”
throughout the area host theme celebrations. Special events include
Christmas markets, concerts, traditional foods, processions, wine
tasting, Christmas tree decorating and lighting, story telling, live
nativity scenes, guided tours, puppet shows, cake making contests, a
giant illuminated nativity scene, numerous children’s events and a
myriad of other festivities. Should you decide to spend Christmas in
Alsace you are advised to take along warm clothing, walking shoes, a
hearty appetite, your best singing voice, your sense of adventure and
above all, your childhood ego. No where will they be in demand than in
the magical land where your entire being will join in celebration of
the season. Copyright © Paris New Media, LLC
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In France, during the Christmas season, there is
a place that becomes a magical land, a land of fairytales and gaily
decorated towns and villages. A land that celebrates the season with
traditions that goes back hundreds of years. And a land that brings
together the best of two cultures in celebration of the holiday season.
This land is Alsace and it’s capitol Strasbourg.
a place that becomes a magical land, a land of fairytales and gaily
decorated towns and villages. A land that celebrates the season with
traditions that goes back hundreds of years. And a land that brings
together the best of two cultures in celebration of the holiday season.
This land is Alsace and it’s capitol Strasbourg.
At
Christmastime, the region of France that borders on Germany becomes a
gigantic land of legends, myths and centuries old traditions. Along the
snow-draped Vosage Mountains, from Mulhouse to Strasbourg, is a
succession of gaily-decorated villages where numerous wood-framed
houses and shop windows are adorned with countless sparking lights.
Christmastime, the region of France that borders on Germany becomes a
gigantic land of legends, myths and centuries old traditions. Along the
snow-draped Vosage Mountains, from Mulhouse to Strasbourg, is a
succession of gaily-decorated villages where numerous wood-framed
houses and shop windows are adorned with countless sparking lights.
There
are dazzling city squares, where holiday markets abound, playing host
to eager holiday shoppers. And everywhere the sacred music of Christmas
carols fills the air. At night in particular, there is a special glow,
when everything is illuminated with holiday lights During the Advent,
the four-week period preceding Christmas, age-old Alsatian traditions
come to life across the region.
are dazzling city squares, where holiday markets abound, playing host
to eager holiday shoppers. And everywhere the sacred music of Christmas
carols fills the air. At night in particular, there is a special glow,
when everything is illuminated with holiday lights During the Advent,
the four-week period preceding Christmas, age-old Alsatian traditions
come to life across the region.
Part
of the tradition is the Christmas markets, which are a show unto
themselves. Nearly every town has one but the oldest is located in
Strasbourg, the capitol of Alsace. The Christkindelsmärik is a
combination of German and French tradition. Set up in two squared in
the city center – Place Broglie and Place de la Cathédrale – the
markets date back to 1570, and are filled with the scents and sounds of
Christmas. Place Broglie becomes a giant Christmas tree lot, one of the
largest in the country.
of the tradition is the Christmas markets, which are a show unto
themselves. Nearly every town has one but the oldest is located in
Strasbourg, the capitol of Alsace. The Christkindelsmärik is a
combination of German and French tradition. Set up in two squared in
the city center – Place Broglie and Place de la Cathédrale – the
markets date back to 1570, and are filled with the scents and sounds of
Christmas. Place Broglie becomes a giant Christmas tree lot, one of the
largest in the country.
The
Cathedral Market must be experienced to be appreciated. You’ll find:
gingerbread, bredele biscuits, honey and melted spun sugar, glazed
apples, mulled wine (with the tantalizing aromas of cinnamon, orange
and spices), Alsatian wine, schnapps, Christmas beer, roasted goose and
foie gras-fill the air and awaken the senses, adding to the warmth of
the market atmosphere. Friendly regional craftsmen display their
handmade wares: Advent crowns and calendars, painted glass balls,
candles, Christmas tree decorations, music boxes, fabrics, tablecloths,
ribbons, glassware, tableware, paintings, brightly colored wooden toys,
nativity scenes and other holiday figures.
Cathedral Market must be experienced to be appreciated. You’ll find:
gingerbread, bredele biscuits, honey and melted spun sugar, glazed
apples, mulled wine (with the tantalizing aromas of cinnamon, orange
and spices), Alsatian wine, schnapps, Christmas beer, roasted goose and
foie gras-fill the air and awaken the senses, adding to the warmth of
the market atmosphere. Friendly regional craftsmen display their
handmade wares: Advent crowns and calendars, painted glass balls,
candles, Christmas tree decorations, music boxes, fabrics, tablecloths,
ribbons, glassware, tableware, paintings, brightly colored wooden toys,
nativity scenes and other holiday figures.
Voices,
bells, music and children’s laughter complement the vibrant images.
Chestnuts roast over open fires. Just a few blocks down from place de
la Cathédrale is Place Kléber and the site of the great Vosage
Christmas tree, some 30 meters high—adorned with different decorations
and lights every year. The cutting and decorating of one’s own
Christmas tree is a tradition that originated in Strasbourg and dates
back to the 1600s. Unique pageantry is as much a part of the Alsatian
Christmas as the lights, market and trees. The region does have is
unique characters such as Christkindel (or Christ Child) who brings
Christmas presents in the form a young girl dressed in white with a
veil covering her hair; she wears a fir crown with four candles and
holds a scepter topped with a star. Fairy-like, she represents light
and rewards good children with unique Christmas characters.
bells, music and children’s laughter complement the vibrant images.
Chestnuts roast over open fires. Just a few blocks down from place de
la Cathédrale is Place Kléber and the site of the great Vosage
Christmas tree, some 30 meters high—adorned with different decorations
and lights every year. The cutting and decorating of one’s own
Christmas tree is a tradition that originated in Strasbourg and dates
back to the 1600s. Unique pageantry is as much a part of the Alsatian
Christmas as the lights, market and trees. The region does have is
unique characters such as Christkindel (or Christ Child) who brings
Christmas presents in the form a young girl dressed in white with a
veil covering her hair; she wears a fir crown with four candles and
holds a scepter topped with a star. Fairy-like, she represents light
and rewards good children with unique Christmas characters.
Accompanying
Christkindel is the horrible Hans Trapp, or Rüpelz, a coarse, hairy
person with chains who strikes terror in the hearts of children. He
puts naughty children in a big sack and carries them away deep into the
forest, never to be seen again. Peckersel, a donkey, sometimes joins
them, carrying on his back baskets with the sweets Christkindel gives
to tots. And then there is the loveable old gent, Saint Nicolas, with
his long white beard, red bishop’s coat, miter and crook, who is also
on hand (he comes at night on December 6, when children leave their
shoes out for treats), as are the Three Wise Men. Look for all of them
at processions, markets and in plays.
Christkindel is the horrible Hans Trapp, or Rüpelz, a coarse, hairy
person with chains who strikes terror in the hearts of children. He
puts naughty children in a big sack and carries them away deep into the
forest, never to be seen again. Peckersel, a donkey, sometimes joins
them, carrying on his back baskets with the sweets Christkindel gives
to tots. And then there is the loveable old gent, Saint Nicolas, with
his long white beard, red bishop’s coat, miter and crook, who is also
on hand (he comes at night on December 6, when children leave their
shoes out for treats), as are the Three Wise Men. Look for all of them
at processions, markets and in plays.
Most
of all, it is not to late to join one of the most unique and colorful
event that takes place throughout the region during holiday season.
Termed The Seven Lands of Christmas, seven regions or “lands”
throughout the area host theme celebrations. Special events include
Christmas markets, concerts, traditional foods, processions, wine
tasting, Christmas tree decorating and lighting, story telling, live
nativity scenes, guided tours, puppet shows, cake making contests, a
giant illuminated nativity scene, numerous children’s events and a
myriad of other festivities. Should you decide to spend Christmas in
Alsace you are advised to take along warm clothing, walking shoes, a
hearty appetite, your best singing voice, your sense of adventure and
above all, your childhood ego. No where will they be in demand than in
the magical land where your entire being will join in celebration of
the season.
of all, it is not to late to join one of the most unique and colorful
event that takes place throughout the region during holiday season.
Termed The Seven Lands of Christmas, seven regions or “lands”
throughout the area host theme celebrations. Special events include
Christmas markets, concerts, traditional foods, processions, wine
tasting, Christmas tree decorating and lighting, story telling, live
nativity scenes, guided tours, puppet shows, cake making contests, a
giant illuminated nativity scene, numerous children’s events and a
myriad of other festivities. Should you decide to spend Christmas in
Alsace you are advised to take along warm clothing, walking shoes, a
hearty appetite, your best singing voice, your sense of adventure and
above all, your childhood ego. No where will they be in demand than in
the magical land where your entire being will join in celebration of
the season.
Copyright © Paris New Media, LLC
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