這數年的聖誕前夕,筆者總喜歡到聖誕市場逛逛, 所以幾年下來,已經到過好幾個不同的市場。
聖誕市場源於德國,已有數百年歷史。由於歷史悠久,很多市場仍保留著不少傳統特色。在德國的大小城鎮,每年在十一月下旬便開始為那年的聖誕市場作準備。從大城市如慕尼黑至小鎮巴登巴登,都會利用舊城裡的市政府廣場之類的戶外地方用作聖誕廣場。在廣場一端定有一棵裝有無數燈飾的巨型聖誕樹,附近或會有舞台,好讓當地的合唱團唱聖詩或做關於聖誕故事的表現。每個市場建有不少美倫美奐小木屋,每間小木屋是一個攤檔,售賣的大多是傳統的當地手工藝品,例如手做的玻璃聖誕裝飾,木製的胡桃夾子、小火車之類的玩具等。較大的城市通常不只一個聖誕市場,例如古龍便有多達七個不同大小,各有特色的市場。大型的聖誕市場設有小型遊樂場,讓小孩子坐摩天輪或玩小型機動遊戲。有些還有溜冰場,好讓沒有興趣在市場血拼的人也可邊溜冰,邊感受一下聖誕氣氛。
任何聖誕市場都有大大小小售賣熟食和飲品的攤檔,在寒冷的聖誕前夕,這些攤檔都是十分受歡迎。德國人最愛吃香腸,不難找到各式各樣的香腸攤檔。德國人也愛吃糕點,聖誕時在市場裡隨處也有薑餅發售。由於地大物博,德國的不同區域也有當地的特色食品發售。例如在紐倫堡就有一種叫 lebkuchen 的聖誕餅乾,雖然和薑餅有點像,但是加了胡桃,杏仁,蜜糖等,據說是僧人在十三世紀時的發明。到現在為止,餅家都不會將食譜外傳,就算是住在德國其他地方的人也得到紐倫堡才能一嘗最傳統的lebkuchen 的滋味。而説到飲品,最受歡迎而又普遍非熱葡萄酒莫屬。熱葡萄酒當然不是把葡萄酒弄熱那麼簡單,而是在葡萄酒裡加上肉桂枝、肉豆蔻、丁香等香料,香橙或檸檬片和砂糖,用慢火煮熱而成的飲品。為了兒童或不喝酒的人士,也有用同樣方法製成的熱蘋果汁發售。
德國人環保意識頗高,一些聖誕市場的飲食商戶考慮到他們的攤檔因售賣外賣飲食而製造大量垃圾,數年前便棄用膠杯,而改用陶瓷製的杯子。為了增加特色,個別市場早在年中便設計那年聖誕市場將會用的杯子,在杯子上還會印有那個市場或市鎮的名稱和年份。買第一杯飲品時,顧客需付上按杯費 (大概是兩歐元左右),然後買第二杯飲品時只需付飲品的費用,而賣飲品的人會在添加飲品後確定杯子的物主。當要離開市場時,隨便把杯子還給任何飲品攤檔便可取回按杯費。一般人總會在聖誕市場逗留好幾小時,喝三四杯飲品不足為奇,這樣用陶瓷杯子真的省下不少不必要的垃圾。由於杯子是特別為個別聖誕市場而製,不少人也會拿回家做紀念,筆者家裡也有兩只。
在德國,筆者到現在為止只到過古龍,紐倫堡和巴登巴登 (那次還順道坐火車到法德邊境的斯特拉斯堡看看法國的市場)三處的聖誕市場。有一年本安排了用一個周末到斯圖加特逛逛那裡的聖誕市場,可是那年英國不斷下大雪以致倫敦的航空交通陷入癱瘓而令計劃泡湯。除了德國,現在歐洲各國的城市也有辦聖誕市場,筆者也曾到訪過愛沙尼亞首府塔林和只是一海港之隔的芬蘭首府赫爾辛基的聖誕市場。可能筆者個人喜歡傳統的東西,所以雖然到過其他國家的聖誕市場,還是最喜歡德國的舊式市場。今年太懶惰而沒有安排到德國,希望明年再訪,又找個不同的城鎮去看看。
聖誕快樂!
In the past few years, I have grown a habit of visiting Christmas markets before Christmas. Over several years I have already visited different Christmas markets in various cities.
Christmas markets originated in Germany, and the tradition goes back hundreds of years, with Dresden's Striezelmarkt claiming to be one of the oldest. At the end of November each year, towns and cities all over Germany (and Austria) begins to prepare for Christmas markets. From big cities like Munich to small towns like Baden-Baden, old town squares, church yards and parks are transformed into Christmas markets, with many little wooden chalets erected for the occasion. There is almost always a place for a giant Christmas tree decorated with lights and all, and somewhere in the market, a stage for Christmas carolling or other Christmas-themed performances. Each wooden chalet holds a market stall selling all sorts of goods, with majority of them selling traditional and local handicrafts, such as wooden toys, wind chimes, hand-blown glass baubles etc. Larger cities usually holds more than one Christmas markets, for example, in Cologne city centre, there are up to seven different Christmas markets in all. As each has a slightly different theme and sells different things, for those who like visiting markets, they are in for a treat. Bigger markets don't just have stalls, some even have playground for kids with mini ferris wheel and other rides, and some have ice-skating rinks. They appear to be fairly popular for those who don't want to shop all day.
Every Christmas market has stalls selling hot food and drinks. In the cold days leading up to Christmas, these stalls are especially popular. Germans love to eat sausages (wursts), and one cannot miss a big stall or two or more selling all sorts of wursts. Germans also seem to love their sweets, in Christmas markets it is not difficult to find stalls selling gingerbread and other sweet treats. Each region has their own specialty, for instance, a gingerbread-type biscuit called lebkuchen is very popular over there. Although it is sold all over Germany, but as it is originated in Nuremberg, one can only get the original Nuremberger lebkuchen in Nuremberg, as bakers fiercely guard their trade secret. As for drinks, without a doubt, gluhwein (mulled wine) is the drink of choice. It is hot red wine mulled with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, with orange or lemon peels added. For kids and those who don't drink alcohol, there's usually a mulled apple juice made with the same recipe.
Many Germans care about the environment and reducing waste is high on their agenda. As a result, some years ago some market stall holders decided they needed to do something to reduce the amount of plastic cups being thrown away. So they came up with the idea of using ceramic mugs instead. Nowadays this idea has spread and many Christmas markets design their own mugs months ahead and have thousands made. When one orders a drink at a stall, one needs to pay an extra fee of roughly two Euros as a deposit for the mug. The mugs are all standard sized which holds 200ml. For all subsequent drinks, one hands over the mug and only needs to pay for the drink. At the end of the visit, the mug can be returned at any drinks stall and the deposit is refunded. Some of these Christmas market mugs are so nice that people keep them as souvenirs. At home I have kept two of these mugs too.
So far I have visited Christmas markets in three German towns and cities - Nuremberg, Cologne and Baden-Baden (in that trip I also managed to visit Strasbourg's one at the French-German border). One year I had planned to visit Stuttgart, but heavy snow in London wreaked havoc at airports and my whole trip went down the drain. As Christmas markets are becoming forever more popular in Europe, many cities in other countries also have their own. One year I visited the one in Tallinn in Estonia, then hopped onto a ferry to visit the one in Helsinki in Finland as well in the same weekend. However I must say I do prefer the German ones, as I find the others try to be a little German-like but they're not quite there. Anyway, after all these years I am still not sick of Christmas markets yet, and although I didn't go to one this year, I am aiming to go to see another next year.
Merry Christmas!
Christmas markets originated in Germany, and the tradition goes back hundreds of years, with Dresden's Striezelmarkt claiming to be one of the oldest. At the end of November each year, towns and cities all over Germany (and Austria) begins to prepare for Christmas markets. From big cities like Munich to small towns like Baden-Baden, old town squares, church yards and parks are transformed into Christmas markets, with many little wooden chalets erected for the occasion. There is almost always a place for a giant Christmas tree decorated with lights and all, and somewhere in the market, a stage for Christmas carolling or other Christmas-themed performances. Each wooden chalet holds a market stall selling all sorts of goods, with majority of them selling traditional and local handicrafts, such as wooden toys, wind chimes, hand-blown glass baubles etc. Larger cities usually holds more than one Christmas markets, for example, in Cologne city centre, there are up to seven different Christmas markets in all. As each has a slightly different theme and sells different things, for those who like visiting markets, they are in for a treat. Bigger markets don't just have stalls, some even have playground for kids with mini ferris wheel and other rides, and some have ice-skating rinks. They appear to be fairly popular for those who don't want to shop all day.
Every Christmas market has stalls selling hot food and drinks. In the cold days leading up to Christmas, these stalls are especially popular. Germans love to eat sausages (wursts), and one cannot miss a big stall or two or more selling all sorts of wursts. Germans also seem to love their sweets, in Christmas markets it is not difficult to find stalls selling gingerbread and other sweet treats. Each region has their own specialty, for instance, a gingerbread-type biscuit called lebkuchen is very popular over there. Although it is sold all over Germany, but as it is originated in Nuremberg, one can only get the original Nuremberger lebkuchen in Nuremberg, as bakers fiercely guard their trade secret. As for drinks, without a doubt, gluhwein (mulled wine) is the drink of choice. It is hot red wine mulled with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, with orange or lemon peels added. For kids and those who don't drink alcohol, there's usually a mulled apple juice made with the same recipe.
Many Germans care about the environment and reducing waste is high on their agenda. As a result, some years ago some market stall holders decided they needed to do something to reduce the amount of plastic cups being thrown away. So they came up with the idea of using ceramic mugs instead. Nowadays this idea has spread and many Christmas markets design their own mugs months ahead and have thousands made. When one orders a drink at a stall, one needs to pay an extra fee of roughly two Euros as a deposit for the mug. The mugs are all standard sized which holds 200ml. For all subsequent drinks, one hands over the mug and only needs to pay for the drink. At the end of the visit, the mug can be returned at any drinks stall and the deposit is refunded. Some of these Christmas market mugs are so nice that people keep them as souvenirs. At home I have kept two of these mugs too.
So far I have visited Christmas markets in three German towns and cities - Nuremberg, Cologne and Baden-Baden (in that trip I also managed to visit Strasbourg's one at the French-German border). One year I had planned to visit Stuttgart, but heavy snow in London wreaked havoc at airports and my whole trip went down the drain. As Christmas markets are becoming forever more popular in Europe, many cities in other countries also have their own. One year I visited the one in Tallinn in Estonia, then hopped onto a ferry to visit the one in Helsinki in Finland as well in the same weekend. However I must say I do prefer the German ones, as I find the others try to be a little German-like but they're not quite there. Anyway, after all these years I am still not sick of Christmas markets yet, and although I didn't go to one this year, I am aiming to go to see another next year.
Merry Christmas!