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Krakow Christmas Market
The Krakow Christmas Market is an annual Christmas Market held in the 13th-century square in the center of the old town of Krakow, the Rynek Glowny, and it attracts millions of people each year

History
In Poland, Krakow has always been the largest trade venue, as people from all over the country would come to trade and sell goods. Because of this, Christmas markets have always taken place here. It always welcomes festive merchandise when December comes around, as it attracts more vendors.

The "rynek", one of the oldest squares of Krakow, from the 13th century, adds a lot of personality to this Christmas market, as it is full of traditional architecture and city designs. In the center of the Rynek stands the St. Mary's Basilica, which is a very important monument in Poland. You may even travel a few blocks to the historic castle of Krakow, the Wawel. This castle used to house the Kings and Queens of Poland and holds a lot of historical value.

Christmas in Poland
As Poland is one of the most Catholic countries in the world, Christmas is the most important holiday, which is definitely reflected in these celebrations. This massive market tends to start in the last week of November and lasts up until Christmas, or even up to January 6th, or Three Kings Day.

Christmas spirit is not only celebrated on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but it is celebrated the entirety of December. The streets are all decorated with colorful lamps, there are Christmas trees installed in the bigger city squares, and shops and restaurants put up their most festive decorations. Carols and Christmas songs are played on the radio. People in their homes prepare for Christmas as well, and Christmas trees are decorated in every Polish home. All of these things make the Christmas festivities that much better and allow for a much more festive experience.

Seeing just how much Christmas means to the Polish people, adds much more importance to the Krakow Christmas market. Instead of going to stores to purchase all of their Christmas gear and decorations, the people of Poland choose to go to the market to buy only the most authentic decorations for their festivities. This allows them to keep the tradition of the Krakow Christmas market alive and allows everyone to keep the spirit of Christmas alive.

Polish Christmas Traditions
The most popular Polish tradition is decorating Christmas trees with colorful baubles, garlands, and lamps. Many families start doing this on Christmas Eve, in order to prepare for Christmas Day, but many families also cannot wait to start their festivities that they even start to decorate their trees weeks before Christmas Day. A family's Christmas tree is one of the most important aspects of celebrating the holiday, as it is a place to gather and exchange gifts and show love to each other. On Christmas Eve families gather in their homes for a festive and delicious supper, with many traditional Polish foods, such as Whitefish, red borscht with mushroom dumplings, and even also crepes filled with sweet cheese. Christmas Eve is the most important day of Christmas as it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, and it is celebrated even more than Christmas Day in Polish traditions. Preparing festive foods which are only eaten at this time of the year, lies deeply in Polish culture. Traditional Christmas Eve supper consists of twelve main dishes. The supper begins with a breaking of the opłatek (Christmas wafer) and wishing one another a merry Christmas. The most popular food aten are pierogi and sauerkraut. Kutia, a mixture of nuts, seeds, and grains, and also combined with honey and some red wine is served as dessert, alongside with gingerbread and poppy seed cake. In Catholic families, bits of hay are spread beneath a tablecloth as a reminder that Christ was born in poverty. One additional plate setting is usually left at the table for a lonely wanderer, as during Christmas people should be selfless and helpful.

Traditional Christmas food is always sold at the Christmas Market. Delicious pierogi and sauerkraut are offered by many of the food vendors, as well as gingerbread. There are also many traditional Polish Christmas things that are commonly found at the market. One of them is to put hay underneath the tablecloth, as it represents how Jesus was born in poverty. Another is a Christmas candle, usually white or red, that is lit during Christmas Eve supper. It is also very popular to make homemade cards to exchange among friends and family. The Christmas Market also offers a wide selection of these Polish Christmas cards. Buying souvenirs in the Christmas Market is a great way to show your love and exchange gifts among your friends and family.

The thing that sets Christmas in Krakow apart from any other place is the Szopki, which is unknown in other parts of Poland. Szkopki are miniature models of the Nativity Scene of Jesus. They follow Krakow's architecture, where the historical buildings commonly involved in Szopki are made of colored paper and wood. These Szopki are sleek, tall towers, which are always very colorful and combine the Nativity scene with elements of the historical architecture of Krakow. Again, this is a local custom, dated back to the 19th century, which only has a presence in the Krakow area. What makes Szopki in Krakow so popular, is that every first Thursday of December, a competition is held on the main square, and people vote on the best Szopki. This is something that is extremely popular among the locals of Krakow, but it also attracts many other people from other parts of Poland and the World. All the Szopki are displayed in a special exhibit in the Krzysztofory Palace, a branch of the Historical Museum of Krakow.

Vendors and Attractions
Some things that are sold there are arts and crafts, hand-made jewelry, Polish pottery, woolen clothes, and hand-made Polish glass baubles. There is also a great deal of foods that are sold, including Oscypek, or Polish goat cheese.

There are folk dances that take place and carols singing, while Saint Nicholas sits and greets children. Anyone is welcome to join in the dancing and the singing, and even if you don't know the lyrics or the dances, the people celebrating are very welcoming and will help teach you. The point of Christmas is to bring people together to celebrate the Birth of Christ, so what better way to dance and sing with strangers?

There are Christmas decorations scouring the entire city, not just the main square, and there are horses carrying wooden carriages that can take you across the whole city. One of the biggest things that Poland is known for is their traditional Szopki, or nativity scenes, which is also one of the things that first started the Krakow Christmas market.

One of the biggest attractions in Krakow is the Galeria Krakowska or the largest mall in Krakow, which has many different stores you can shop at if you want a break from the Christmas festivities (even though there are even more festivities in the mall). It tends to snow a lot in Krakow as well, so it adds that extra Christmas-ness to the experience. If you are there with friends you can even have a snowball fight across the city.