About the Christkindlmarkt

Today's blog is inspired by Flipsycab, who was kind enough to leave the following in my comments:

At 1:55 AM, Flipsycab said...
What the F is Christkindlmarkt? The name reminds me a lot of a certain German group, you may have heard of them, who had big plans for a master race or something. Anyway, I think I personally would steer clear of anything with Christ and too many k's in it. Just a simple rule I follow. Seems to be working for me

.

Well Flipsy, it is like this: The Christkindlmarkt is a tradition in Germany, Austria, and perhaps Switzerland. It is an outdoor market held during December where you can buy handmade products, like candles, ornaments, clothing, food (think toasted almonds with cinnamon, chocolate, sausages, hot potato salad, hot chocolate...)toys, and the most wonderful creation in the world, Glühwein.

Glühwein deserves its own paragraph. It is mulled wine, served warm. The spices used are orange, cinnamon, nutmeg... and other wonderful things unknown to me. You might know this heavenly concoction as "Glog".

The fact that "Christ" is in the name of this market is no coincidence. It is a market to celebrate and prepare for the coming of the christ child. (Christ Child Market is the literal translation).

So it's about christ, right? So what's a good Jewish girl doing there? Well, the markets are a lot of fun. I've lived in Germany and Austria, and I've been to a great number of these things. It is a lot of fun on a cold night to stand around a table drinking vats of Glühwein with friends and strangers. It is a great bonding experience. I love looking at all the toys and fun stuff... and although I don't eat the sausage, there are a lot of other yummy consumables to be savored.

The market in Chicago started about 9 years ago, is run by the German American Chamber of Commerce, does not pander to Nazis, and is the one thing about Christmas I can stand. Seriously, this whole holiday nonsense depresses the living shit out of me. Probably because of the good times of my youth in Europe, and the really muted character of the xmas theme, I actually enjoy it.

I went to the market today actually, with Alexis. We visited the bedazzling Lauren, who, while blogless, leads a fascinating life. She works for the German American Chamber of Commerce, and so will be spending a lot of time at this market. I should have taken the camera for some good visual aids for this entry, eh? Maybe next time.

Lauren got us some free mugs for the Glühwein, as well as free coupons for a mugfull, and some food. She couldn't hang with us very long, but she stayed long enough to get something to drink and show us around. Alexis and I drank our Glühwein while looking at sweaters and toys and stuff, and then we headed off for some cream of mushroom soup. Not being able to leave well enough alone, I had to go for the hot almonds. MMMM good. I didn't get any holiday shopping done, but I did manage to buy a beautiful amber bracelet for a friend's birthday, and buy a candle snuffer for myself.

I did notice that the market is attempting multiculturalism. In the booth where I bought the bracelet, there was a candelabra for sale that said "Kwanza" on it. Also on sale was "gelt" - chocolate coins that are traditionally given to children on Hanukkah. I don't know if Diwali was represented, but to tell you the truth, I wouldn't know what to look for.

And so that is the Christkindlmarkt. Thank you for asking.