Christmas Shopping - People strolling around the Christmas market in the center of the town - Gengenbach, Germany - stock photo

Crowd strolling around the traditional Christmas market in Gengenbach Town Hall square, Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. A Christmas market (also known as Christkindlmarkt, Marché de Noël, Christkindlesmarkt, Christkindlmarket, and Weihnachtsmarkt) is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many other countries, all along Europe and beyond. The history of Christmas markets goes back to the Late Middle Ages in the German-speaking part of Europe and in many parts of the former Holy Roman Empire that includes many eastern regions of France and Switzerland.