The Christmas market on Old Town Square - a beautiful tradition
It's Sunday at Prague's Old Town Square - the holiday season is well underway. A magnificent thirty metre tall evergreen, dubbed Charles the Great, this year's official Christmas tree, stands in front of the Tyn cathedral. It's biting weather but tourists warm themselves with grog and Turkish honey, as they wander among the Christmas market stalls. And, of course, the pony rides are back for the children, a coral with a llama, a donkey, and miniature goats eating straw, while the band plays Dixieland jazz.
Your eyes wander you see the tourists photographing, eating home-made sausages, drinking coffee. Close by a smith bangs on a piece of metal, someone tries on a pair of gauntlets. The salesman laughs and tells me customers in the past have walked off in full knight's regalia. Not this day, though, it's a little too cold for that.
Now the sky turns gray - will it snow? It would certainly be fitting. Visitors look to the sky, softly a choir begins to sing...
I see that you're here listening to this children's choir, and, you've brought your daughter, she's sitting on your shoulders...
"My daughter is two-and-a-half years old. It's the first time she will be able to appreciate Christmas in all its splendor. We drove to see that magnificent tree. The expression in her eyes, that's what makes it worth it. The tree, presents, the atmosphere."
"Uh-huh. We're fans of the big tree because its from Velke Karlovice, where we go on holiday almost every summer."
"My name is Nazumi Takizawa - I'm from Japan."
Is this the first time that you've come to the Czech Republic?
"Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"
"My name is Huong and I come from Hong Kong, and this is the first time that I've come here."
"Last night was very great, all the lights shining."
"Well, for me, it's fun actually, I like the atmosphere, I especially like this choir. Every Sunday I am going to work here and I enjoy it very much."
So, the Christmas market. Perhaps there are those who will lament the stalls not being attractive enough or too commercial - some will see a mangy pony where kids see the black stallion, and perhaps the nativity scene below the Christmas tree didn't have to be out of chipboard. Do we really want to complain? After all, this is the most famous of Prague squares, surrounded by Gothic and Baroque cathedrals, the imposing town hall itself, and now, a towering tree. At worst if you're not satisfied during the day, come at night, to see the tree lit up by glowing golden chains - there are few things as romantic. In the cold, in the dark, you might even hear a voice whisper in your ear:
"Kiss me, fool... it's Christmas."
