The history of Christmas markets: from medieval tradition to Nazi propaganda tool and global phenomenon

When we think of “Christmas market”, the image that comes to mind is that of lights, sweets, various objects, wooden toys, bread, cheese and waffle stands, all mixed with a comforting aroma. These markets are a tourist attraction and an incentive to go out, even in the coldest season, and it all started about 700 years ago.

In that time, the Christmas markets have followed a path with ups and downs, a resurrection at the hands of the Nazis and the current emergence of world level.

Tradition. One of the first is the Dezembermarkt from Vienna, in Austria, which dates back to the end of the 13th century and was not at all “Christmas”, but rather practical. Little by little, these markets opened their doors, with products more focused on the festivity, but without losing their way: they had to sell strong products, such as meat. At the end of the 14th century, in Germany, you could already see the proto-Christmas markets that would lead to the current phenomenon.

War. Some of the most famous are those of Dresden and Nurembergfrom the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively, and in them there was already a very different atmosphere from the original Viennese one. Not much is known about the atmosphere of those markets, but they were a space for the rich, with the populace watching from the sidelines. In the 19th century, these markets exploded. The one of BerlinFor example, passed from 303 positions in 1805 to about 600 in just 35 years.

The rich, seeing that more and more people from all social classes were coming to these markets, moved away from them and there was a real civil war between the merchants of the department stores that appeared at the end of the 19th century in the big cities and the markets. .

1796 engraving of the Berlin Christmas market

flea market Nazis. With the arrival of the Nazi Party, the markets that had taken a backseat in Germany, They came back in style. When Hitler came to power, he turned Christmas into a party, and used these markets for propagandalike a celebration of German history. The Nazi mayors reopened the markets and began to decorate the stalls with lights or toys.

With the war, obviously, they took a very secondary place, but after the war, and with the rise of Christmas shopping, the markets once again became protagonists. They no longer had that original purpose: they had become a tourist attraction. And, of course, an attempt was made to erase the role of the Nazis in the rise of the street markets, because it was not the most appropriate image.

Distribution of gifts to the poor by the Nazis at Christmas 1935. It was still another form of propaganda

Business. In the 90s, German Christmas markets were the envy of everyone, so much so that other countries imported the formula. The United States did it, the United Kingdom of course and even Japan. As it could not be otherwise, Spain was not left behind. To the already traditional parades (with business sharks who rent balconies to follow them for 1,000 euros), Spain has been gradually adding a good offer of medieval markets.

Cities like Madrid, Zaragoza, Seville, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela, Barcelona, ​​Málaga, Bilbao or Alcalá de Henares they have their market. You don’t have to go to a big city, in smaller towns we also see dozens of booths in central areas. They all have the same products, many have skating rinks and some offer local crafts and cuisine. But the summary is that it is another opportunity to promote inland tourism.

A “you don’t have to go to Antwerp or Cologne to see a Christmas market. You have it at home.”

The Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg

and tradition. Of course, although the Christmas markets began in the German area, there are other markets that mutated over time to become a type of Christmas market. We have an example in Barcelona, ​​which since 1786 has celebrated the Santa Llúcia fair. It began as a holiday on December 13 in which artisans sold clay figures, images of saints, shepherds, animals and a series of objects related to the world of nativity scenes. There were also another series of merchants.

The fair grew and is still celebrated, but it maintains that spirit around the nativity scene, the mangers and the activities regional Christmas markets, further away from the more general trade that we can see in other Christmas markets.

war of lights. But all this stuff about markets has a reason: you have to attract tourists no matter what. With the cold it makes you want to go out less, but if you go to the square, see the lights while they serve you a mulled wine, some chestnuts and you eat some churros, you are already consuming and leaving the house. And there the war of the lights is becoming more and more important.

It is not in vain that there are cities -Vigo- that begin to talk about their lights in June. Many Spanish cities, large or small, have turned the lighting of Christmas lights into a spectacle with masses of people in the streets, waiting for the moment when the countdown shown on a giant screen comes to an end and the lights turn on. Before, suddenly one day you were walking down the street and it turned out that they were on. Now there are preambles.

Competition for the best Christmas. This “war of the lights” has been with us for years, but it is logical: it is a way, as we said, to activate tourism and move money in the town. The objective is to celebrate the best Christmas and Bruno García, mayor of Cádiz who took charge a few months ago, has already commented that these types of acts are not only an aesthetic issue, but also “of employment, excitement, commercial movement and families on the street.”

And the same thing is already happening with the Christmas markets. Have lists European markets in which the best markets are organized, among which, this yearis the one in Marbella. Also a multitude of lists in which European markets are no longer exclusively recommended, but rather national ones.

Suffocation. If you have been in a large city – Madrid, for example – during the Christmas season and have walked through Callao or Sol, you will have felt like a sardine in a can. Everyone goes somewhere, but the traffic jam is monumental because there are many locals and tourists who stop to see the lights or the decorated shop windows. There are Christmas markets where you already feel precisely that.

Here is a personal experience from a few days ago. I was in Zaragoza and on the night of Friday, December 6, walking through the Plaza del Pilar was suffocating. There was the Christmas market with its typical stalls selling miraculous stones, jewelry and food (delicious churros, honestly) to bursting, but also all the food establishments in the surrounding area that, without the presence of the market, may not have been this good. full.

Here, lifting the economy. All these people surely wouldn’t be on the street if the market wasn’t there. Me neither

Logical. In the end, Christmas markets have gone from being something that covered a practical need to becoming a cultural and tourist phenomenon that reflects how we have reinvented Christmas.

From the competition between cities to have the most spectacular lighting to the overcrowding in the squares, these markets are, more than ever, a reflection of our time: tradition, commerce and consumption. All wrapped with the warmth of the Christmas spirit.

Images | Xataka, Bundesarchiv, Bild, Roland Berger, LH DD/Dittrich

In Xataka | Without knowing it, we all honor Thor during Christmas thanks to a pagan ritual: the Christmas tree