Christkindlmarket displayed international holiday traditions

Every year approximately one million visitors come to Chicago to shop at the Christkindlmarket during the holiday season, making it the largest of its kind in the United States.

Although inspired by a German tradition, it has evolved into an international spectacle. Inspired by the nearly 400-year-old Christmas Market in Nuremberg in Germany, Christkindlmarket first came to Chicago in 1996 and was held in the Daley Plaza starting in 1997. This year, the Christkindlmarket was opened seven days a week from November 23 until Christmas Eve.

With around 30 nonfood and 13 food vendors from more than a dozen countries, it offers a unique chance to explore Christmas traditions not just from Germany and the United States, but also from unique places as Nepal and Ukraine.

The most popular items in the market are arguable the large assortment of savory and sweet foods, as well as drinks and candied treats. One popular drink, the Gluehwein, is a traditional German hot spiced wine served in a in a souvenir cup shaped like a boot, ensured to warm up visitors even in the harshest weather.

Some vendors have participated in the Christkindlmarket since its start in Chicago.

Arts Business Center Inc., run by Olga Romanova and her mother, sells traditional Christmas decorations from Ukraine and Russia. The shelves inside the small shop are filled with hand carved wooden angels and matryoshka dolls. Potential shoppers stand in line to have a peak at the assortment of items.

When asked how she became a Christkindlmarket vendor, Romanova started to laugh.

"I am Ukrainian, born and raised," she said. "But I now live in the Cayman Islands. And how did I end up in Chicago? Go figure."

For Romanova from Arts Business Center, the Christkindlmarket is more than just a German tradition.

"Yes, the Germans are the biggest here, but with so many different countries represented, it's hard to deny we have become a multinational event," she said returning to one of her customers.

On the other side of the plaza stands a small vendor shop run by Hubert Kamptner. Like Romanova, he has come a long way before arriving in Chicago. An Austrian by birth, he now lives in California, where he runs his business selling handmade Austrian souvenirs.

"It's funny because I used to work in the banking industry," Kamptner said. "But it became tiring and consumed a lot of my time. So I retired, and decided to follow my true dream."

Among the vendors, many are young people looking to earn some extra money.

Felix Fromhage, a 20-something from Germany, sells cuckoo clocks at the Fehrenbach vendor from the Black Forest region in southwestern Germany. He now lives in Chicago and volunteers full-time at a soup kitchen. He has helped at the Christkindlmarket since 2007.

"It's great staying in touch with your culture," Fromhage said, "I made many friends here and met so many nice people."