When it comes to traditional images of Christmas in Europe, Germany's Bavaria is the heartland. One can savor classic holiday themes: glittering trees, old time carols, and colorful Christmas markets. These markets, called Christkindle Markets, enliven squares throughout Germany. The most famous is in Nurnberg. It's a festive swirl of the heart-warming sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. Bakeries crank out old fashioned gingerbread — the Lebkuchen Nurnberg — using the original 17th century recipe.
Long a center of toy making in Germany, a woody and traditional ambiance prevails. Nutcrackers are characters of authority - uniformed, strong-jawed and able to crack the tough nuts. And hovering above it all is the golden rausch angel — an icon of Christmas in Nurnberg. Rausch is the sound of wind blowing through its wings. It's a favorite for capping family Christmas trees.
Germany's grandest Christmas market, in Nuremberg, comes complete with an angelic Christkind ("Christ child") dressed in gold, played by a real-life teenage girl. How does a female Christkind fit in the Christmas story? Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther - the church reformer who hailed from Germany - wanted to shift the focus from St. Nicholas back to the Christ child. But as Germans had a hard time getting their mind around baby Jesus giving gifts, the Christmas gift-giver gradually morphed into a sweet girl who was still called the Christ child.
