Christmas market in Leipzig

The Pre-Christmas period is always a special time of the year. The lights and the christmas decoration around puts me into a festive mood. I love to stroll around the christmas markets then. To have a look here and there, taste some waffles and mulled wine and watch the people around.

Last year and this year again I was at the christmas market in Leipzig with my boyfriend Klaus. We had a great time there although it was a saturday and the market was very crowded. We arrived at Leipzig early in the morning and took the chance to take some photos of the market before it was too crowded.

The christmas market takes place at several locations around downtown Leipzig. For me the most beautiful part is the historic market. You find some craftmen there, like a blacksmith or potter. The food is delicious, amongst other things they serve a speciality which is called "Heurekaner". It's kind of a small rye bread stuffed with cheese and ham. It's so yummy!!!! On one stall we even saw a whole piglet frizzeling on a spit.

What is food without a drink? ;) On several stalls you can buy Glühwein (mulled wine) or Feuerzangenbowle which is a traditional german alcoholic drink. The name translates literally as "fire-tongs punch". Feuerzangenbowle is prepared in a bowl which usually is suspended over a burner. The bowl is filled with heated dry red wine spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peel, similar to mulled wine. Feuerzange, originally indeed tongs, nowadays is a special kind of grater to hold the sugar loaf, a conical lump of sugar around seven inches long, mounted on top of the bowl. The sugar is soaked with rum and set alight, melting and caramelizing. The rum should have at least 54% alcohol per volume in order to burn properly. More rum is poured with a ladle until all the sugar has melted and mixed with the wine. The resulting punch is served in mugs while the burner keeps the bowl warm. I love Feuerzangenbowle but it must be very cold outside when you drink it otherwise you're drunk from 1 mug ;) Of course you have non alcoholic drinks, too ;)

You can buy nearly every kind of christmas decoration at the markets and the prices variegate from cheap to very expensive. Traditional wooden decoration from Thuringia handmade in the city of Seiffen (which is very famous) is one of the expensive stuff. I love to look at the stuff and here and then I buy a small piece but all the things I like are too expensive :( ;)