Christmas in Backnang

Doubtless you have already heard a thing or two about Christmas time in Germany. Famous the world over, Christmas markets such as in Nuremberg or Stuttgart attract millions of visitors yearly.

But did you know that during one magical weekend in December your twin city of Backnang hosts its own Christmas market?  For forty years, Backnang has taken part in a tradition that originated in the 14^th century. Like summer produce markets, Christmas markets evolved as a means for town dwellers to access food stuffs which were not readily produced within city walls. At the end of the advent fast, butchers and bakers sold wares in the market square in preparation for the feast days to come. Through the centuries, the markets expanded to become the rhapsodic array of lights, music, decorations and scents that they are today.

In Backnang, the Christmas market represents a vital source of revenue for scores of volunteer-based clubs who set up shop downtown in festive wooden booths. The Chelmsford Twinning society proffers wares from the UK while other organizations offer quintessential German delicacies such as gingerbread, anis-spiced cookies, sizzling sausages and steaming mugs of mulled wine.

Backnang also draws on an array of local performers for entertainment. Brass bands, accordions and choirs fill the cold continental air with nostalgic melodies while puppeteers enchant audiences and artisans sell tightly wound wreathes to eager shoppers. The mayor settles down comfortably among small children to read a Christmas story, angels float by on shimmering wings, and with any luck, St. Nicholas himself will appear.

But of all these magical delights, the most gladdening is surely the sight of friends, neighbors, and colleagues, bundled up against the cold and gathered together in celebration of Christmas and community, in famous German fashion.