| Christmas Markets | ||||
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... | Christmas
Markets In the mid 16th century, Christmas markets were set up in German
towns, to provide everything from gifts, food and more practical things
such as a knife grinder to sharpen the knife to carve the Christmas Goose!
At these fairs, bakers made shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments for people
to buy as souvenirs of the fair, and take home to hang on their Christmas
Trees. The best record we have is that of a visitor to Strasbourg in 1601. He records a tree decorated with "wafers and golden sugar-twists (Barleysugar) and paper flowers of all colours". The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise Tree in the Garden of Eden. The many food items were symbols of Plenty, the flowers, originally only red (for Knowledge) and White (for Innocence). |
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| . Tuesday, December 9, 2003 3:36 PM |
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