This year, most Berlin markets opened on the 24th of November. That’s why they’re often considered ‘winter’ markets instead of ‘Christmas’ markets. Germans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, though, so they do start their Christmas season a little sooner. Already the trains are full of people bringing home balsam boughs and holly to decorate their homes, I see it everyday when I come home from work.
Here in Berlin, it doesn’t become light until almost 8am and gets dark as early as 3pm. In other words, the night is very long, and this can really drain energy. Christmas markets bring light to these dark nights.
The Christmas trees you see everywhere are also a way of fighting this darkness. In fact, the tradition of Christmas trees originated from Germany, where you can see forests of fir and other evergreen trees growing beside the road! Originally, Germans would burn the tree in honor of Jesus, but as the tradition spread, it evolved into the tinsel and ornaments we see today (ornaments also originated in Germany)! How’s that for cultural plant exchange? You may have a little German plant heritage in your houses every year!
