Today is the start of Advent, the day Germany’s Christmas Markets traditionally start up, and run through Christmas Eve. They are long-standing traditions in many German cities, as well as in neighboring countries.
The markets, which have become huge tourist attractions in recent years, have gotten an early start in some cities, as early as last Thursday, when Dusseldorf’s opened; Berlin started on the 21st, and Stuttgart’s, the largest in Europe, opened yesterday.
In many cities, the booths that sell crafts and gifts are kept company by carnival rides and children’s events. One market, though, is definitely not for children: on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, notorious as the center of the city’s red-light district, a Christmas Market is selling festive dildos and other sex toys.
