Print   Close

Christmas in Austria

By Karin Roberts, Old World Crafts

Have you ever experienced the magic of an Austrian Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market)? The smell of gingerbread, cotton-candy, roasted chestnuts, sugar apples and bratwurst, combined with the sight of sparkling lights in the trees and treasures displayed in endless rows of stalls, is a memory no child can forget.

Early in December these Christmas markets open up in small villages and cities all over Austria.  They contain rows of wooden stalls selling Christmas ornaments handcrafted from glass or wood, hand-carved toys, home-baked gingerbread and Christmas cookies, hand-made beeswax candles and many other interesting, unique items.

In the center of the market, erected by the community, typically stands a tall Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree), decorated with countless strings of electric lights. Children wander completely enchanted through this wonderland, guided by the hands of their parents, oblivious to the night's chilly temperatures. It is truly a treat to explore all of the wonderful toys on display while nibbling on roasted chestnuts or biting into a sugarcoated red apple. This is usually when a child will make his final decisions as to what his Christmas wish to Christkindl (The Christ Child) might be. 

In Austria it is customary that the Christkindl brings every child a present, and not Santa as in America. These Christmas wishes are written down on a slip of paper and placed on a windowsill for the Christkindl to collect. With much anticipation children wait to see if the slips are gone by next morning, which means that it is a good chance that the wishes will be fulfilled.

It is always a very exciting moment for children to see whether Christkindl really did come for their Christmas wishes. For children in postwar period of the 1950's, this was not something that was taken for granted, due to the economic conditions at that time. It was always considered a blessing when a child's modest dreams were fulfilled on Christmas Eve.

From the time that the lists are gathered at the beginning of December until the 24^th, when Christkindl will hopefully fulfill the Christmas wishes, it is an almost unbearable wait for an eager child. Fortunately, the days seem to go a little faster with the help of the Adventkalender (Advent Calendar). Beginning on December 1, children are allowed to open one little door on the calendar every morning, with the last (and biggest!) door left closed until Dec 24^th. Behind every door is a drawing or picture that has something to do with the Christmas season. In earlier times, the pictures were very simple: a Christmas star, a candle, or perhaps a sheep from the manger of the Christ Child.

Today, there is typically a small piece of chocolate that goes along with the picture.  It is the anticipation of what is behind these little doors that makes looking forward to the next morning very exciting for the children. After all of the doors have been opened one-by-one, it is then the traditional time for the big Christmas Celebration on the evening of Dec 24. Families gather around the lovingly decorated Christmas tree, the long awaited gifts from the Christkindl are eagerly opened, and the most wonderful Christmas carol is sung together:  Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night).  In many other countries this carol is played during weeks before Christmas, but the tradition in Austria is that "Stille Nacht" is sung only on Christmas Eve, since it holds a very special place in the heart of all Austrians.

The musician and schoolteacher Franz Gruber composed this 185-year-old carol and the young priest Franz Mohr wrote the words for the small St. Nicolas Church of Oberndorf, Austria on Christmas Eve 1818.  It is unknown why the young priest wanted a new carol for the traditional Midnight Mass, but some speculate that a mouse had gotten into the church organ and made it unusable, necessitating the need for a simple carol that could be accompanied by the guitar. 

"The Song Heard 'Round the World" has been since translated into hundreds of languages and is now sung by millions every December, a fact all Austrians are very proud of. Whenever you hear or sing Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, think about this humble, little chapel in the vicinity of Salzburg where the most famous Christmas carol ever was born of the Austrian Christmas tradition, and how its powerful message of peace has since then conquered the hearts of people around the world.