Fanfare blasts, choral singing and – finally again – the appearance of the Christkind: After two years of the Corona compulsory break, the world-famous Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg began on Friday evening. From the gallery of the Frauenkirche on the main market, the Nuremberg Christkind Theresa Windschall opened the market in his costume with golden wings, crown and blond curly wig. Around 20,000 visitors were expected.
It is the second season for Theresa Windschall as Christkind, but due to the pandemic there were no major events last year, the few visits and encounters mainly took place outdoors. It should be different this year. “This year I’m hugging everyone who wants it. I don’t want to have to think about whether I can hug my grandmother with dementia or take a child by the hand,” said Windschall recently Nuremberg newspaper.
Together with the Dresden Striezelmarkt, the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt is one of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany. It was first mentioned in writing in 1628, but its roots probably go back even further. In 2020 and 2021, the city had to cancel the Christmas market due to the corona pandemic. The Christkindlesmarkt traditionally opens on the Friday before the first Advent and lasts until Christmas Eve. In 2019 it attracted around two million guests from all over the world. According to the city, a similar number of visitors could come this year.