Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten!
Christmas in Vienna
by Luboslava
Artwork: Luboslava
Member Since
Dec 2022
- Joined Dec 2022
- Published Books 1
Published Books
1
Copyright © 2022
Book Content
1.Christmas Lights
2.Ice skating and alternative “MARKETS”
3.Local traditions
4.Food and drink
5.Shopping tips
6.Christmas Recipes
2
Christmas in Vienna
Shake the snow from your boots, put a log on the fire and share a hot beverage with me as we discover the sights, sounds, tastes and traditions of a Christmas trip to Vienna.
3
Our first stop is the Christmas markets. These attract numerous visitors for one good reason: they’re simply lovely.
Breathe in the aroma of fried sausages, melted cheese, and goulash soup, the tang of roasted almonds and toffee apples, and the sweet fragrance of countless scented soaps and candles. Wreathe yourself in wisps of steam from a mug of hot Christmas punch and fill your eyes with the dazzling displays of artists, craftspeople, cooks, and shopkeepers.
Then eat, drink, and generally be as merry as a reindeer in a carrot field who’s just heard she’s been picked by Santa for sleigh duty.
The main markets already opened mid-November and will continue until late December.
4
Christmas lights
All the main shopping streets put on a Christmas display and, of course, many large stores and hotels do so, too.
In terms of colours, Vienna tends not to do gaudy and garish. So expect plenty of classic whites, reds and greens, often with a touch of “alternative” thrown in.
The lights usually go on sometime in the second half of November without too much advance notice on the specific date. The 2022 start date was November 18th for most of the displays; total hours of operation will reduce for energy-saving reasons to between 3pm and 10pm.
6
Ice skating and alternative “MARKETS”
If you wish to twirl and glide through the crisp Viennese air, then the Vienna Ice Skating Association is the place. They have a large outdoor ice rink that opens from early morning.
The Christkindlmarkt offers up a rather romantic ice skating trail (see photo above) through the adjacent park; it acts as a kind of warm up for the much-larger Ice World event.
And if you’re too cool for Christmas (or just want a break from the norm), the MuseumsQuartier holds a winter event that offers an alternative counterpoint to the traditional Advent market.
Notable attractions of this Winter im MQ include decorative art projections and installations, curling, and music of the more modern kind.
8
Local traditions
As Vienna becomes more multicultural and multifaith, it’s tricky to talk about pervasive Christmas traditions. But the big moment of family celebration definitely remains Christmas Eve (Heiligenabend) and not Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag) as in, for example, the UK.
Sometime in the afternoon of December 24th, a handy relative or friend (grandparents are particularly useful here) distracts the kids while the parent(s) decorate the Christmas tree.
When all is ready, someone rings a tinkly bell which announces that the Christkind has been.
The Christkind is the traditional gift bringer: a manifestation of Jesus as a child or an angel, often represented with golden locks and the obligatory wings. When the bell rings, the kids enter the room and marvel at the magical transformation.
10
Or just make a beeline for the presents.
Inevitably, commercial interests have pecked away at the influence of the retailer-unfriendly Christkind, and pushed for more sleighs and Santa.
A growing tendency is also to put the tree up earlier. Especially since modern kids are less easily convinced by tales of Christmas magic.
Late afternoon or early evening on the 24th then sees the family gather for the Christmas festivities, including carol singing, a hearty meal and the exchange of gifts and well wishes.
Many people then use Christmas Day itself to visit other parts of the family, recover from overeating or, if you live in an Anglo-Austrian household celebrate Christmas all over again the UK way.
11
Food and drink
The historical Christmas meal in Vienna was carp, often fried in breadcrumbs. This stemmed from the earlier Christian idea of the advent period being a time of fasting (hard to believe these days).
In the absence of meat, fish represented the culinary highlight, especially for such an important mealtime as Heiligenabend.
Very few people eat carp now, and fish has long lost its appeal as the Christmas dish: roast poultry and pork have become common alternatives: the turkey tradition enjoys growing popularity through Anglo-American cultural influences.
The advent period also offers an excuse to break out the rolling pin and get baking, with certain baked foods only appearing for the Christmas period.
13
Among the more popular seasonal treats:
- Lebkuchen – similar to gingerbread, sold in various shapes, sizes and flavours for eating or as hard-baked decorative shapes that look like they could probably survive a nuclear incident. A mainstay of the markets, too
- Stollen – a seasonal cross between fruit bread and fruit cake. A little dry, but lots of people seem to like it
- Weihnachtskekse – Christmas biscuits, of which an unending variety magically appear in December. Impossible to avoid if visiting an Austrian family during Advent
- Spekulatius – a spiced biscuit with, frankly, nothing particularly recommending it. But, you know, tradition…
As you wander the streets of Vienna in winter, you also find the little Maronistand booths selling roast chestnuts. These add to the old-fashioned flair of Christmas markets, together with the many stands selling Christmas punch.
15
Shopping tips
The 25th and 26th of December are public holidays, so nearly all stores close on those days. Even those that normally open on Sundays and holidays may be closed.
The 24th is not a public holiday, but many (most) shops close early to give staff a chance to get away for Heiligenabend preparations and travel.
The supermarkets tend to unlock their doors early on the 24th and typically close between 1pm and 4pm. So you can buy the cranberry sauce you forgot (or in case you’re worried 25kg of chocolate is still not enough to keep the teenage hordes happy).
17
Here some tips for seasonal purchases:
- The treats mentioned earlier make nice little gifts. Lebkuchen tends to survive travel better than biscuits and Stollen. For lovely gift-wrapped edible delights, try the Viennese Konditoreien, too
- More and more Christmas markets serve their punch in a collectable mug (for which you pay a deposit). If you don’t mind losing your deposit, you can keep the mug; they make quite unique souvenirs
- The markets are a treasure trove of gift ideas. Candles are everywhere, as well as hats, bags, scarves and other fashion accessories, glass, wood, leather and pottery items, jams, honey, wine, schnapps (lots of schnapps), various forms of art, and numerous undefinable things you’ll have trouble finding elsewhere
- If you just want to stock up on basic, mass-produced traditional Austrian-style decorations, then most department stores have a Christmas section selling “standard” decorations for much, much less than, for example, at any market
18
Useful German phrases
- “Frohe Weihnachten” (Merry Christmas)
- “Alles Gute im neuen Jahr” or “guten Rutsch” (Happy New Year)
- “Mein Bauch wird gleich platzen wenn ich noch ein Weihnachtskeks esse” (if I eat another Christmas biscuit, my stomach will explode)
19
3 Austrian Christmas Foods You Must Try
Austria’s snowy Alps and romantic Christmas markets make it the perfect place for a winter holiday. And given the cold temperatures during the festive season, it isn’t surprising that the Austrian people have come up with a myriad of recipes that are sure to warm up your belly and your heart.
And don’t you worry. Even if you can’t make it to Austria this year, you can bring the delicacies of this country right into your home. Whether you decide to try out one of Austria’s delicious Christmas cookie recipes or go for something simpler like mulled wine, baked chestnuts, or the all-famous Christmas goose, the following must-try dishes will transport your taste buds right into the holiday season.
20
1. Weihnachtspunsch (Christmas Punch)
Recipe for a delicious hot punch just like the ones served at Austrian punch stalls in winter. This fruity punch is called ‘Orangenpunsch’ in German, which translates to ‘orange punch’. It celebrates the season with a blend of tea, orange juice, spices, a bit of sugar, and rum if you are up for it.
This spiced orange punch is similar to a hot tea toddy, a hot tea punch or a hot fruit punch. The differences are actually quite blurry.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (720 ml) water
- 3 teabags blood orange tea (alternatively: hibiscus or black tea)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1.5 cups (360 ml) orange juice, best if freshly squeezed from 4-5 large oranges
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) white or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) dark rum (38 %)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Cointreau
- For serving:
- orange slices, star anise
21
Instructions
-
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add tea bags, cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Turn off stove, cover, and let steep 10 minutes.
-
Discard tea bags. Add orange juice and sugar and bring back to a simmer.
-
Add rum and Cointreau. Carefully reheat but do not simmer since alcohol starts evaporating significantly at 172 °F (78 °C).
-
Taste and add more sugar if needed. If you would like to keep the beverage hot over a few hours, remove the spices since they can make the punch taste too intense or even turn it bitter when steeped for to long.
-
Serve hot with orange slices and a star anise. Enjoy!
22
2. Zimtsterne (Cinammon Stars)
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tsp lemon juice, plus zest 1 lemon
- 200g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 250g ground almond
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
1.Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller) with baking parchment. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk until foamy. Add the lemon juice and whisk again until they hold soft peaks.
2. Slowly mix in the icing sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff. Remove about a quarter of the meringue mixture and set aside to use for the topping. Put the almonds, cinnamon, ginger and lemon zest in the bowl with the meringue and mix to form a stiff, slightly sticky dough.
24
3. To form the stars, put the dough on a piece of baking parchment lightly dusted with icing sugar and dust the top of the dough with sugar, too. Place a second sheet of parchment on top of the dough and roll out to about 0.5cm thick (the dough is a little sticky, so the parchment makes it easier to roll). Peel off the top sheet of parchment and use a 5cm star-shaped cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Place them on your prepared baking tray.
4.Using the reserved meringue mixture, spread a small amount onto the top of each cookie, covering the entire top – you may need to add a few drops of water to make the meringue a little easier to spread. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 12-15 mins until meringue is set but not browned. Allow to cool fully before storing in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
25
3. Nussecken (Nut-Corners)
Ingedients
- Hazelnuts
- Butter – unsalted butter.
- Flour – plain flour or all purpose flour.
- Apricot jam – commonly used in German baking, it has a milder taste and colour than other jams. You can use smooth jam or chunky jam, whichever you prefer.
- Chocolate – use a 70% chocolate, and the best quality chocolate that you can.
27
Instructions
- Mix butter and sugar.
- Add egg and vanilla.
- Mix flour with baking powder.
- Add flour to butter-egg mixture.
- Stir to combine.
- Form into soft and smooth dough.
- Line tin.
- Roll out dough.
- Use finger to squash the dough into the tin.
- Prick the dough with a fork.
- Top with apricot jam.
- Melt butter, sugar, water and vanilla.
- Don’t let boil.
- Add ground hazelnuts/hazelnut meal and chopped hazelnuts.
- Stir to combine.
- Spread out over shortbread base and apricot jam.
- Bake.
- Cut into squares and then cut each square in to triangles.
28
30
Published: Dec 14, 2022
Latest Revision: Dec 14, 2022
Ourboox Unique Identifier: OB-1396473
Copyright © 2022
Ad Remove Ads [X]
0
