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Wednesday 4 December 2013

EN: Swiss Christmas Market in Zurich-Enge

Susch no öppis? = Looking for anything else?

As I have already told you, I have joined our neighborhood association Quartiertreff Enge to learn to know our neighbours but also to experience Swiss traditions together with locals.

A brilliant example of this was Engemer Weihnachtsmarkt last Sunday. The competing Christmas market which, on the same day, takes place in Wollishofen – our neighbour district to the South - apparently attracts far more visitors. Ours here in Enge is neither the largest nor the most prestigious in Zurich, but so what? - It is ours! It is here and only here where we can coincidentally run into our children's classmates and their families or even recognize some of the people working in the stalls .

The sun was shining and there was hardly any snow on the ground but the atmosphere was still perfect for an Advent Sunday. In all honesty, I would have bought both mulled wine (Glühwein) and roasted chestnuts (heisse Marroni in Swiss German) even if the temperature had been five degrees higher – it is simply that time of the year!

A big share the profit gained at the Enge Christmas market is sent to local non-profit organizations, this year the Brunau-Stiftung - a foundation helping people with different kinds of difficulties to enter the ordinary labour market. So it was this noble cause my wife supported when she bought a large, beautiful candle wreath.

For my part, I again primarily contributed through physical work. At the Enge Christmas market we only have around twenty stalls, but they still need to be first erected and then dismantled. True, this task takes a few hours, but what am I not prepared to do to learn Swiss German in a natural way? ;)










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