😍 Strasbourg, capital of Alsace, has a historical and architectural heritage that makes it the richest city in Alsace. Its city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, the city's museums are particularly rich and interesting. Strasbourg is obviously a must not only for its monuments but also, to capture the different faces of Alsace and Alsatians.
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For four centuries now, Strasbourg Christmas Market- Christkindelsmärik has been working its magic in the European capital. There are over 300 wooden chalets, spread around different squares in the city.
The Christkindelsmärik in Strasbourg is one of the oldest Christmas markets, which were specific to the Germanic world. The most famous was that of Nuremberg, but those of Frankfurt, Dresden and Berlin were also very famous. In the Middle Ages, a market was organized in Strasbourg in anticipation of the feast of Saint Nicolas on December 6. It is indeed to this saint, bishop of Myra in Turkey in the fourth century, that the role of giver of gifts to children was attributed. To allow parents to obtain sweets and toys, a market, called in Alsatian “Klausemärik”, was then set up a few days before this date.
The Protestant Reformation was adopted by the city of Strasbourg in 1525 and, in 1570, in the cathedral then assigned to Protestant worship, the pastor Johannes Flinner rose in the pulpit against the practice of giving gifts to children on the day of Saint - Nicholas. This practice, deemed “papist”, gave a saint the rewarding role of donor. Pastor Flinner advocated symbolically entrusting this mission to Christ, in the form of the child Jesus. Impressed by this sermon, the Council of the XXI of Strasbourg decided on December 4, 1570 to suppress Saint-Nicolas, but to authorize traders to hold their market three days before this date. There were sellers of dolls and other toys, candle makers (or sellers of candles and wax candles), sellers of gingerbread and sweets, but this market was also a veritable annual fair, which attracted Strasbourg merchants from afar.
The Saint-Nicolas market has therefore been replaced by that of the child Jesus, called “Christkindel” in the Alsatian dialect, and the delivery of gifts has also changed dates to take place on Christmas Eve. It was therefore the Protestant influence that launched this new Strasbourg use of a market before Christmas.
