Kellemes Karácsonyt!

Merry Christmas!...well Happy Advent actually. Part of the Hungarian preparation is the Christmas markets that pop up all around the city at the end of November, the largest being right near fashion street and Vaci Út in Vörösmarty ter. The square is filled with rows of decorated wooden cabins selling handmade treats--ceramics, felted ornaments, knitted socks and mittens, jewelry, instruments, baskets, beeswax candles, gingerbread, tapestries, embroidered clothing, on and on.

Look at these lil guys! Lots of felted things like this.

The food! is another important aspect of these markets and the Hungarian Christmas traditions.  Massive pans of stuffed cabbage rolls, sausages, kebabs, and pompos (a type of soft bread from a wood fired oven served wtih sour cream and cheese and other usual healthy Hungarian toppings) are served all day. We chatted with a dude the other day who worked at a bank nearby and was just on lunch break eating at the market. 

No matter when you're shopping, you should probably have a mug of hot mulled wine to keep you warm. It's tasty stuff, but I think it might be a Hungarian excuse to drink while shopping midday. By now we have scoped out the various hot wine stands, and discovered the sweet one, the spiced one, and most importantly, the strong one. The hot chocolate is deeevine as well.

One of my favorite treats is this rolled dough stuff that is toasted over hot coals and dipped in whichever topping you choose--cinnamon sugar, crushed walnuts, vanilla sugar, or coconut. The walnut one is the best.

There is a lopsided XL Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the center, testifying to the imperfect, unpretentious nature of it all. Most of the goods are made from natural materials, full of individuality, and handmade. Its about eating seasonal Hungarian food and exploring the goods and drinking da WIIINE.

This is a bit difficult to see in this photo, but at advent the famous Gerbeaud Cafe transforms 24 of its windows into a giant advent calendar. Every day at 5pm a window is opened as trumpeters play, revealing a work of art by a different modern Hungarian artist. It's a pretty neat tradition to publicly celebrate advent in this way. There is often live music performances on the weekends, too. It's a party, one of my favorite things right now.