112 - Keep Festive and Carry On

Welcome to This Week in Germany. This week has been particularly tough for the entire country after 24-year-old Annis Amri drove a truck into a Christmas market in the centre of Berlin. killing 12 people and injuring many others. Of course, the attack came as a shock. Many described it as the first ever Islamist terrorist attack to happen on German soil.

But there is something positive which can be gleaned out of this tragedy. And that was the resolve that Berliners showed shortly after the attack. They came out in greater numbers than before to the Christmas markets, showing that they were unafraid, that they wanted to continue Christmas as normal. Now despite... Some newspaper headlines in Germany pretending as if everything had changed and nothing would ever be the same again because of this one incident. That's not what the average...

German felt. They didn't feel scared. They felt at some part of themselves that it was inevitable that it was going to happen sooner or later. but that it's exactly because of that that they should just continue as before. And that's especially so now that this particular case is closed. Annis Amri was shot dead by police in Italy. But mistakes were made, and there are questions which have to be answered. However, for now, for this Christmas season...

Germans just want to carry on as normal. Spending Christmas time with their families. Going out to Christmas markets. In fact, I asked you on Twitter whether you're afraid now. And 74% of you said, no, people want to just carry on as normal. Not letting the actions of one man bring down the mood of the country. at this festive season. And that's what we're doing here, too, on This Week in Germany. We're going to carry on as normal. We're going to bring you our Christmas episode, and...

For the moment, for this Christmas period, all will be well with the world. We can't promise that, but it sounds good, doesn't it?

So, we wanted to take a look at alternative, different Christmas markets in this episode, and so Olkenhiller visited a few to gauge the mood, find out why they go to these particular markets, and so we focused on two in Berlin. And here's what he found out. Christmas markets. Here in Germany, they pop up everywhere. And to some, they're like the German cultural equivalent to Marmite.

Some people love them. One of the best time in the year. Other people hate them. For me this whole, with the feeling and atmosphere, it's just not for me. Personally, I'm on the fence. A lot of the markets here in Berlin... They're just too commercial, with giant Coca-Cola signs and loud pop music and just way too many people. But having said that, there are two here in Berlin that I do like.

So I decided to visit them and give you guys a taste of Christmas markets that even the biggest market hater can enjoy. First up, Altrichstof Christmas Market. Alt-Rigsdorf began as a community founded in 1737 by Bohemian refugees. It's now part of the district of Neukölln in Berlin, but still captures some of that feeling from all those years ago.

Many of the historic buildings have been preserved, giving the area a very unique feel in the otherwise urban landscape that is Berlin. And it's something that people notice right away. I love it. I walked down the street and it looked like a little village because there are lots of small little houses, which I didn't even know. I'm from Berlin. I didn't even know the village exists.

It's more like a village in a city and that makes it so special. So, we're off to a good start. A Christmas market in the middle of a district in Berlin from the 1700s, but the market itself is also unique. Standing in the middle of Richardplatz, the main square in the area, people had this to say.

It's a lot of social or non-profit organizations doing stuff or trying to collect some money and to spend it for their... projects and stuff and yeah so that's the reason why I like it and especially it's not so There are a lot of self-made things and not so like from China or something, you know, like a market where it's about to make money and to get drunk and stuff.

It looks organic at the same time, and it's not commercial in terms of those plasticky toys and a lot of carousels and entertainment, but more like a... Yeah, like a weekend market, but with a Christmas touch to it. We're from Amnesty International, and our group has been doing this for around 30 years, so from the very start of this Christmas market, actually. It's really nice, a lot of handmade stuff, a lot of natural.

candles and natural handmade decorations. It's nice. I think it's very nice. Now I'm gonna look for some food with my friends when I find them. Along with that, the market in the evening is something special. Instead of electric lights, every stand is given old-fashioned gas lamps, which hang over the homemade arts and crafts and food. The trees which run down the middle of the square are covered in lights, giving the entire market a magical atmosphere.

But with the market only being open on the second advent weekend of every year, and with it being this special, it gets crowded fast. There's a... break even point where it becomes just awkward because it's too crowded and yeah. So maybe I'm not really helping right now. No, not really. Not really.

All the same, this market is special and I still come back every year. Next, we take a trip up north to Prenzlauerburg to Lucia, a Scandinavian Christmas market. I'd never been there before and I was interested to find out what makes a Christmas market Scandinavian. Actually, I have no clue. I don't know if it's Scandinavian. Maybe it's just the Scandinavian. They like us to give the impression that it's Scandinavian. I have no idea. I think the different kind of foods and the flax.

Actually, I don't know. Yes, I noticed that there are some other products which they offer. And they're obviously Scandinavian. So that's the only thing I can say. But actually, I recognize that there are a lot of products from Scandinavian countries. I didn't recognize that it's Scandinavian, but I don't think that's very...

different from ordinary or from our Christmas market. So they got Glühwein, they got Grock. That's the most important I think. The Lycia Christmas market is named after the Nordic goddess of light. and is set up in a former brewery from the 19th century. The buildings from the brewery wall off the wooden stalls and give the market a special charm.

While many of the people I spoke to didn't really know as much about the Scandinavian aspect of the market, others, once I thought about it more, noticed it more. Yeah, you get the vibe still. And I think just because of the kind of temperature it is and everyone wrapped up, it's kind of just a lovely atmosphere and the smells.

I think it's quite nice because it's narrow. It's between the big buildings and it's not so wide as other markets. And in this way, yeah, I think it's quite nice and it's a good atmosphere. But in the moment, I think it's not as crowded as it is. will be later. I think when it's too crowded, it's a bit too much in a certain way. Elk stuff is unusual, I guess. The rides are a little bit more extreme. I think it's a little bit less kitschy.

Normally they are more like glitter and like this Christmas child and so on. I think the Scandinavians are not much in this religion's touch of. Christmas market, so I think that's the biggest difference. Here you have that absinthe booth over there, and those people over there selling the Törringer and stuff, and so you have a really mishmash of different, I don't know, regional...

So there you have it. While a Scandinavian Christmas market may not seem that different at first, you start to notice things the longer you look around. I really enjoyed it, with the wooden stalls and the occasional weird but interesting smells you don't usually associate with Christmas markets. So now I have two Christmas markets alike, but it still doesn't match up to my favorite market, Alt-Richstorf Christmas Market. But let's keep that one to ourselves.

Olkenhiller reporting for us there. I'd like to remind you at this season of giving that you can donate to This Week in Germany for just the price of a single glass of beer every month. you can help keep this podcast going. Just go to thisweekingermany.de slash beer money. And you can donate less than €4 a month. That helps pay for all of the important stuff that we need to keep this podcast going. And I'd like to remind you as well, this is...

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This Week in Germany is produced and presented by me, Daniel Winter, with production support and reporting by Olken Hiller. If you want regular updates on German news between episodes, then just search for This Week in Germany on Facebook and Twitter. The more posts you like, the more posts you share and retweet, the more we can spread the word about this week.

in Germany. Thanks for listening. We'll be back in a few weeks with another episode of This Week in Germany. Until then, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.