Berlin: Traditional Christmas markets are opening across Germany on Monday, drawing revellers to their wooden stands with mulled wine, grilled sausages, potato pancakes or caramelised apples.
Security has been stepped up, with memories of two deadly attacks on Christmas markets still fresh for many Germans. In Berlin, the famous market at the city’s Gedachtniskirche church opened with a public service on Monday morning. Other openings included the Christmas markets at the Rotes Rathaus city hall, Gendarmenmarkt and Charlottenburg Palace.
Vendors sell not only snacks and drinks but also handmade candles, wool hats, gloves and shiny Christmas stars in all colours and shapes. Children enjoy rides on chain carousels, Ferris wheels and skating on ice rinks. Christmas markets are an annual tradition that Germans have cherished since the Middle Ages — and successfully exported to much of the Western world.