- Christmas Village, Philadelphia
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Christmas Village, Philadelphia 
Location Dilworth Plaza, City Hall Philadelphia Address 1400 JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Website http://www.philachristmas.com Opening Thanksgiving Day Closing Christmas Eve Hours 11am through 7pm daily Attractions - 40 vendor booths
- Kathe Wohlfahrt tent
- Daily Performances at central stage
- City of Philadelphia Christmas Tree
- Santa's House
- European Food Specialties (bratwursts, crepes, lebkuchen, stollen, glühwein, ...)
Christmas Village in Philadelphia is an annual outdoor holiday market event held at Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. It is one of Philadelphia's main holiday attractions besides The Nutcracker Ballet, the light shows at Wanamaker's (now Macy's) and at the Comcast Center- all within around three blocks from each other.
Vendors in wooden booths and a vendor tent sell international seasonal holiday gifts, ornaments and arts and crafts, along with European food, sweets and hot beverages.
Note: Philadelphia's Christmas Village 2011 has been moved to Love Park (JFK Plaza)on Arch Street between 15th and 16th streets. The village opens Nov. 24 through Christmas Eve. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Contents
About
Note: Christmas Village 2011 has been moved to Love Park (JFK Plaza) on Arch Street between 15th and 16th Streets, according to philly.com. The village opens Nov. 24 through Christmas Eve. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (http://articles.philly.com/2011-10-21/news/30305547_1_christmas-village-moves-archways)
Christmas Village in Philadelphia is modeled on the style of traditional German Christmas Markets. Christmas Market events such as the famous Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, which dates back to the 16th century, are part of a long tradition of farmers' markets in Germany's inner cities.[1]Several wooden outdoor booths and a gastronomic tent sell food specialties such as German bratwursts with sauerkraut, soups and pretzels. A wide assortment of traditional sweet Christmas-food items like lebkuchen (gingerbread cookies), stollen, spekulatius, frosted nuts, cotton candy, chocolate covered fruit, waffles and crepes are offered. In addition to hot drinks such as hot chocolate, coffee and tea, Christmas Village offers Gluhwine (mulled wine).[2][3]
Besides local vendors and artists there are German vendors selling genuine Erzgebirge Christmas decorations, pewter ornaments, candles, nativity sets, glass ornaments, toys, woollens, wooden ornaments, lace, spices and jewelry.[4] The booths' assortment is related to the winter season and the upcoming holidays.
Highlights of the event include live demonstrations in glass blowing, glass ornaments painting and wood carving, a Holiday tree vendor selling real trees, and arts and crafts products. For children there are Santa's house and special themed events including a lantern parade; for adults there are daily live performances from local artists such as string- and brass bands, solo singers and school choirs at a central stage, and specially themed events including an opening ceremony with the original Christkind from Christkindlesmarkt Nuremberg, the City of Philadelphia's Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and a German American weekend. Santa's house and the official municipal Christmas tree, including its tree lighting ceremony, are integrated in the event setting.[5]
Name controversy
In 2010 Christmas Village in Philadelphia was subject to a major controversy about its name. After City Officials proposed to change its name and its portal signs to “Holiday Village”, the controversy became a national news topic. Jay Leno scoffed: “The annual ‘Christmas Village’ in Philadelphia has been renamed the ‘Holiday Village.’ In fact, they’re not Santa’s reindeer anymore . . . They’re now ‘nondenominational venison.’” After three days of controversy Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael A. Nutter intervened and the name and signs were restored.[6][7]
See also
References
- ^ Bakst, Alex: "A Visit to Germany's Christmas Markets", Spiegel Online, 7 December 2006.
- ^ Marder, Diana: "Christmas village camps out at City Hall", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 December 2008.
- ^ Rupp, Jacqueline: "Only a Scrooge Would Say Bah Humbug to this X-mas Village", NBC Philadelphia, 22 December 2008.
- ^ Strauss, Robert: "Holiday dazzle at City Hall", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 3 December 2010.
- ^ City of Philadelphia: "Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting Spectacular", City of Philadelphia, 2009.
- ^ Keenly, Steve: "'Christmas' Village Restored In Philly", Fox 29 Philadelphia, 2 December 2010.
- ^ Bloomquist, Sarah: ""Christmas" returns to Philly's Christmas Village", 6ABC Philadelphia, 2 December 2010.
External links
Further reading
- German Missions in the United States: "German-Style Christmas Markets in the United States".
- GermanFoods.org: "Christmas Markets in North America".
- Himmelreich, Laura: "Germany's Christmas Markets Generate Billions in Revenues", Spiegel Online, 10 December 2009.
[[Category:Amusement parks in {{{location2}}}]]
Categories:- Culture of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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