Advent in Vienna

This article was kindly supplied by the Vienna Tourist Board

No sooner has November drawn a thick curtain of drizzle and fog across the heavens and the days become steadily shorter, then some places sink into a deep melancholy. But not Vienna. Here the weeks leading up to Christmas are romantic and idyllic. The city shimmers in a mild glow of candles while the sweet aromas of gingerbread, mulled wine and Christmas baking pervade the air. The streets and shops are festively decorated and Christmas markets enchant young and old alike. Year in, year out.

Advent brings out the romantic side of Vienna in an air of expectant anticipation of Christmas. Downtown, garlands of glistening lights span the sky above Kärntner Strasse, Graben and Kohlmarkt. Thousands of tiny lights make up the imaginative Christmas illuminations that transform the main shopping thoroughfares Mariahilfer Strasse and Landstrasser Hauptstrasse into a festive sea of light. Many shop fronts are decorated with pine branches and colorful silk ribbons while gentle Christmas music wafts through the shopping arcades and sweet fragrances tempt passers-by to the numerous stands selling hot punch.

In Viennese homes the candles atop Advent garlands are gradually lit: one candle for each of the last four Sundays leading up to Christmas. The long evenings are spent recounting tales to one another, singing carols and making straw Christmas stars. Dark fruit bread is a favorite for those who like to nibble, as are plates decked with mandarins, nuts and dried figs.

 
Krampus, St. Nicholas and Advent Calendars

Advent is also the season for a custom that actually has nothing to do with Christmas at all — St. Nicholas (Nikolaus) Day on December 6, which is celebrated the evening before i.e. on December 5. The good bishop and his evil companion Krampus go from house to house, rewarding the good children and punishing the bad. Krampus, in his furry black garb, armed with a rod and a jangling chain, is a terrifying fellow. By contrast St. Nicholas appears in magnificent gold-embroidered robes complete with miter and crook. In a resounding voice he asks the children “Have you all been good?” When they answer “Yes” he gives them sweets, nuts, red apples and dates from his big sack.

For kids Advent is a great test of patience. The time leading up to Christmas Eve passes all too slowly, even when each day they are allowed to open one of the 24 windows on their Advent calendar to discover little pictures or gifts. Still, they can hardly wait till Christmas to see if their letters to the Christ Child (Christkind) have been answered: “Dear Christ Child, I drink my cocoa every morning and don’t pull the cat’s tail. Please bring me a railway set.”

The Magic of Advent in Vienna and Heavenly Choirs

Children who listen carefully might even hear the wings of a busy Christmas angel here or there, maybe at one of Vienna’s Christmas markets. These markets enchant young and old alike, bringing a sparkle to their eyes and a healthy red glow to their cheeks, whisking them off into a world of cinnamon aromas, shiny glass baubles, wooden rocking horses and the soft tinkling of bells.

The Magic of Advent transforms the park in front of City Hall into a festive fairy tale world. Vienna’s largest Christmas market has dozens of stands laden with beautiful gifts and mouthwatering delicacies. There are also delightful Christmas markets in the Biedermeier Spittelberg district, as well as in front of the Schönbrunn Palace, the Belvedere Palace, and on Maria-Theresien-Platz between the Museum of Fine Arts and the Natural History Museum.

Music is of special importance during Advent. There are choirs singing Christmas carols, concerts in abundance and family music. Apart from hinting at the joys to come it leaves a warming resonance. There is international carol singing at City Hall, afternoon choral concerts and brass ensemble performances on Freyung square every afternoon, and the daily Advent concerts in front of Schönbrunn Palace.The Christ Child himself only knows these artistic pleasures from hearsay. The closer Christmas Eve draws, the more stressed he gets, and he cannot spare a single moment. There is the mail to be taken care of — letters like “Dear Christ Child, Please don’t give me a railway set, I’d rather have a talking teddy bear” that require new arrangements. Finally, there is the cooking and baking for the Christmas celebrations. And there is still no Christmas tree, either!

Unwrapping Gifts beneath the Christmas Tree

Eventually the big day arrives. Christmas Eve has come, dusk is falling, Dad and the kids are in the park, and the Christ Child has all the time in the world to decorate the tree, with shining, colorful glitter balls, tinsel, sweets wrapped in colored tissue paper, and candles. He puts beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree, and then he is off to the next family.

As soon as Dad and the kids are back there is a mysterious rustle, a bell softly tinkles, the doors to the living room open and the children run to stand in front of the glittering tree. Together the family sings a Christmas song, usually Silent Night before opening their presents. What excitement – a railway set and a talking teddy bear! Thank you, Christ Child!

Christmas Goose and Stollen Fruit Loaf

When it comes to Christmas dinner, the Viennese fall into two groups. One half swears by Christmas carp, the other by Christmas goose. But everyone agrees on what makes up a classic plate of Christmas cookies: vanilla crescents, aniseed biscuits, meringue, cinnamon stars and Stollen fruit loaf are all essentials.

Late in the evening, sometimes as late as midnight, the faithful go to church to attend a candle-lit mass celebrating the birth of Jesus. This is the time when many churches set up nativity scenes, their tiny figures depicting the birth in the Bethlehem stable with the infant Jesus, Joseph and Mary, the donkey, cow and the three kings. Nativity scenes have a long tradition in Austria, also a forbidden one: Emperor Josef II banned them in churches, but then their presence increased in homes. The imperial ban has now been forgotten and many churches have lovingly crafted scenes on show. The most beautiful ones can be seen in the crypt of St. Peter’s in the city center.

Christmas Eve is followed by two public holidays, Christmas Day, when families usually remain among themselves and enjoy a festive meal, and Stefanitag (Boxing Day), which is traditionally reserved for visits to relatives. This is followed by a couple of work or rest days before Vienna springs to life again just before the coming of the New Year. New Year’s Eve sees thousands on a celebratory pilgrimage through the streets to the chiming of the Pummerin, the sonorous grand old bell in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. As the revelers ring in the New Year, their thoughts are already turning to the pleasures of the next Advent…

For all those who want to enjoy a little Viennese Christmas atmosphere at home, here is one of the many recipes for vanilla crescents:

Take 180g of butter, 70g of shelled and ground almonds, 50g of sugar, 2 egg yolks and 210g of plain flour. Quickly mix all the ingredients to a short-crust dough and leave it in a cool place for one hour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1 cm before cutting into small pieces and forming crescent-shaped cookies. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking tray and bake at a moderate temperature (200°C) for around ten minutes or until they turn a light brown color. Mix icing sugar and vanilla sugar together, then toss the hot cookies in the mix. Store the cookies in a sealed tin for several days for them to become crumbly. But make sure they’re well hidden so nobody gets at them in advance.

For more information visit the Vienna tourist board
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