This time of year there are so many festive things to do – and last weekend my friends Jenny and Andrea piled into my car and we travelled to one such holiday event. We spent a brisk afternoon at the Christkindlmarkt at the Lancaster Liederkranz.
Christkindlmarkt means Christmas Market, and they originated in Germany hundreds of years ago. Traditionally, Christkindlmarkts are street markets that pop up in celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of advent. If you ever travel in Europe this time of year, you will likely encounter one. There is usually plenty of food, drink, and seasonal goods for sale in open-air stalls.
Pennsylvania is packed with German heritage, so naturally we have a few Christmas Markets of our own. Albeit, our markets aren’t quite as big or steeped in history as say a market in Dresden or Frankfurt, but they are still a good time… which brings me back to this past weekend.
Jenny, Andrea, and I travelled to the Lancaster Liederkranz’s version of a Christmas Market. It was charming, complete with lots of traditional German food and drink (translation: German beer) and an open-air market with local vendors selling seasonal wares (Moravian stars and nutcrackers, to name a few).
First, we got ourselves some nice warm soup and took a place on the hay bales around the bonfire. After our quick bite, we shook the hay off of our backsides and wandered into the tent for some piping hot glühwein served in these cutie little mugs. What is glühwein, you ask? It is hot mulled, spiced wine and it warmed us up ASAP. Of course there were traditional Pennsylvania Dutch goodies like whoopie pies, which were also delicious. I mean, we were in Lancaster County after all, the heart of PA Dutch country.
My favorite part of the event, apart from all of the food, was the traditional German dancers. I couldn’t help but bob along to the music as we strolled through the vendors. (Alas, I’m turning more and more into my mother each day.)
After sampling some pierogis, we piled back into my car and said auf wiedersehen to the Liederkranz.
I have a couple more holiday activities planned for myself and those I hold dear before December 25th arrives. What about you?
What are you up to this holiday season?
What traditions do you have for the holidays?