Every winter, with the onset of cold weather and the first snowfalls, traditional Christmas markets are set up all over France. From small villages to large cities, many municipalities perpetuate this ancestral tradition that has been present in Europe for centuries.
Indeed, as National Geographic reports, Christmas markets were born in the Middle Ages, when the Germanic Roman Empire still occupied a large part of European territory. Some of them, which are still held today in Germany, thus date from the 15th and 16th centuries.
For example, the still famous Dresden market was first held on Christmas Eve in the year 1434. However, historians are still unsure of the significance of these markets. Indeed, if it is possible that they were indeed held with the aim of celebrating the feast of the Nativity, the hypothesis according to which they were organized on this date by pure chance is not excluded. In any case, this is what Dirk Spennemann, professor of cultural heritage management at Charles Sturt University, Australia, and co-author of studies on the cultural heritage of Christmas markets, reveals to our colleagues. .
By visiting a market from this period, one could thus discover the products of the artisans of the regions such as pottery. And, like today, it was also all kinds of meats, baked foods and even sweets that it was possible to get.
This tradition has thus crossed the centuries and survived until our time. Across French regions, there are a multitude of Christmas markets, each rooted in local culture. Here is the list of the most beautiful in the country.