The first weekend of Advent is the beginning of the Christmas season in Bavaria. In our country, Bayerisch Eisenstein, deep in the Bavarian Forest on the border with the Czech Republic, that's how the season goes. This weekend the decorations begin to appear on and in people's homes. Colored lights are almost unknown here, but white lights are fairly common - strings of white lights draped around the balconies or crash like icicles and draped around the trees outside. The FallDecorations in green, pine cones and candles are covered. On Saturday there is a Christmas market in Waidlerhuette, our local 'village hall', selling decorations, gifts, cakes and biscuits homemade grappa. The ladies of the village to cook massive quantities for each event and would most markets in the shadows WI. even make their own cookbook produced.
The first weekend of Advent, when the big day go off the Christmas markets in cities - Nuremberg,Monaco, Regensburg and Passau, all good markets nearby - 2 years ago we have them all scanned to ensure that we recommend it to visitors (especially the mulled wine!) Even if it is presented on the big Christmas markets you can buy the main function of Most of the Christmas markets, and especially the smaller ones, is social - groups of friends and families gather to chat and enjoy mulled wine and various specialties in wooden huts offered by local clubs and societies,Farms and small producers. Markets in transition, as it is dark and continue until mid-evening. In December, the small towns and villages have their Christmas market only for a weekend or even a single day.
December 6 is the feast of St. Nicholas. But "Santa Claus" is actually the evening of December 5, with his partner, a devil called "Krampus". Nicholas brings small gifts, nuts, oranges and apples to the houses of the village children.Sometimes the children recite a poem or play a song for him. Nicholas then lists the good and bad things that have made the children during the year, often in the form of a rhyme. Krampus punish them, if they are particularly bad this year! An old tradition in Bayerisch Eisenstein "Nigeln". Children or adults go to the streets on the evening of December 5, dressed as Krampus to tease others and then they hunted. The kids like it, as they seek to haveto escape.
In mid-December before Christmas has started the season, our country had a big Christmas party for the whole village in the village hall. From kindergarten children singing "Weihnachtsbaeckerei 'for men sing songs Regenhuette local forest - Women once again, and various musical and singing groups in the village to provide entertainment for the oven.
The Christmas party really got going in Bayerisch Eisenstein, December 21 with a concert atbeautiful Catholic Church of St. John of Nepomuk. A brass ensemble played music obsession, interspersed with harp music and songs.
On 23 December, more than 1,000 people - attended the first International Christmas Market in Bayerisch Eisenstein - inhabitants of the village and the surrounding area and holiday guests. The international theme was chosen for the location of the village in the heart of Europe, right on the border with the czech Republic, celebrate the barbed wire above the groundThread of the "Iron Curtain", which finally died in December 21, when Czech Republic joined the Schengen area. And the Bohemian specialties from across the border, visitors enjoyed Bavarian specialties, including English meat pies (from the organizers of the British market, Margaret Leach and Martin Holborow), Belgian waffles, soup, Thai, Hawaiian Fruit Punch, crepes French and many others, all of the inhabitants of the village and the nearby town of Ruda Zelezna provided. The music wasprovided by musicians from the village.
Christmas services held in churches, Protestant and Catholic, December 24 and all the restaurants closed early to enable their employees to spend at least part of the evening with their families. (! 25 of them) Sterr British guests in the house sitting on an early Christmas dinner at a restaurant in the village - now an annual event.
On Christmas Day, December 25 were restaurants, all open for business again, and skiing on the ArberBerg was in full swing.
Boxing Day, December 26th is the traditional time for the evening 'home village' - with displays of traditional dancing by adults and children, traditional music and the highlight, the Schuhplattler.
The singing group led by the local Bavarian and international songs, 27 of mulled wine and wafer 29 and the accompanying Saturday was the day for large, noisy group of Bayerisch Eisenstein Apres Ski, which was a sell signal.
The new year was welcomedCzech Bavarian Waltz, polkas and marches, mixed with the reading by Mayor Thomas Müller: as usual with a huge fireworks display across the country and the season has been completed from the same village, New Year concert.
