Mulled wine and chalets: the Christmas atmosphere reigns well before Advent
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The first winter stall opened particularly early this year. Some passersby shake their heads in disappointment, others raise their glasses. The owner, for his part, stands by his decision.
Those annoyed by the Christmas decorations already up at Migros would be wise to avoid Thun (BE) train station these days. Since mid-October, several "Advent-themed" stalls have been set up there. Among them, one chalet fully embraces the Christmas market theme, complete with "Christmas tree under the snow" decorations and vats of mulled wine. Even its name leaves no room for doubt: Nikolaus, meaning Saint Nicholas.
It doesn't matter what the bottle looks like...Yet, the weather forecast predicts bright sunshine this Thursday and even temperatures up to 17 degrees Celsius this Friday. With these conditions, the Christmas spirit seems a little distant. "Wrong! It's never too early for a first mulled wine," laughs Sven, 28, whom we met there. His friend Alisha, 21, agrees: "I think it's cool that Saint Nicholas's chalet is already open." The sentiment is echoed by most of the customers seated at tables in the middle of the afternoon. "If it were a spring bar, we'd be drinking a Spritz instead, but really, it doesn't matter," smiles Barbara, a sprightly woman in her fifties.
"Mid-October is simply too early," grimaces one reader. "Soon we'll have six months of Christmas and six months of Easter..." Like her, several passers-by shake their heads at the sight of this early "winter market".
This hasn't deterred Johan Stolzenberg, the cabin's owner. This year, he opened earlier than usual "at the request of his most loyal customers," he explains. The Bern native sees his refreshment stand as a winter hotspot in the broadest sense, not a traditional Christmas market. "Only the name is associated with Christmas," he clarifies, admitting he considered changing it. "But we've been running this concept here under this name since 2018 and have many regulars..." The cabin will close on December 31st.
"Real" festivities launched in mid-November
In Thun, the official Christmas market will open on December 5th, featuring donkey rides, a visit from Santa Claus, and candle-making workshops. This aligns more closely with the traditional schedule. In French-speaking Switzerland, the major Christmas markets almost all begin on November 20th. This is the case in Lausanne, Montreux, Geneva, and Fribourg. In Neuchâtel, the chalets will open on December 5th, and in Sion, it will be the following day.
(frb)
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