A German Holiday Tradition in Mountain View

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In it’s second year, the German Holiday Market will once again take place at the Civic Hall Plaza in the heart of downtown Mountain View. This open-air Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) will herald in the holiday season with the authentic look, feel, and flavors of a traditional event held in a typical German village.

The German International School of Silicon Valley, a non-profit school that offers a bilingual English-German curriculum for pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, hosts the Market. Graduates of GISSV earn both a high school diploma and the German equivalent, the Abitur.

The GISSV held it’s initial Weihnachtsmarkt in 2013 as a fundraiser for the school. The holiday market was such a success with Mountain View and Silicon Valley residents that the 2014 village holiday market will be almost twice the size.

The Weihnachtsmarkt is a festive holiday street market that originated in the Late Middle Ages in the German-speaking areas of Europe. They take place during the four weeks of Advent and embody the warm and wonderful things we associate with winter and the holidays. Normally held in the town square, a variety of food, drink, and seasonal items are sold to shoppers. Entertainment including music and dancing are on-going throughout the event. Famous German Christmas markets are held in Dresden, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Nuremberg.

The Mountain View Holiday Market will offer an array of German beers, mulled wine, and hot cider along with authentic Bavarian foods including Stollen (holiday bread), Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Bretzln (pretzels), Wuste (sausages), and Schupfnudeln (savory and sweet dumplings).

During the live orchestral and choral performances of favorite holiday songs, the entire family can slip on ice skates and twirl around the ice rink, feed the goats, pigs, rabbits, and other animals at the petting zoo, and take part in a multitude of holiday activities and events.

German and Bay Area artisans will have their wares on display, offering up the perfect opportunity to purchase unique gifts with a traditional flair, including handcrafted ornaments from Germany.

The Holiday Market is open on Saturday, December 13th from 11am to 9pm. Held in the Civic Hall Plaza ‘Town Square’ at 500 Castro Street in Mountain View, the Market is free and open to the public, rain or shine.