Tallinn Christmas Market facts for kids
The Tallinn Christmas Market (called Tallinna Jõuluturg in Estonian) is a super fun Christmas market held every year in Tallinn, Estonia. It started in 1997. The market opens on Christmas Day and stays open until Epiphany. Epiphany is a holiday that marks the end of the Christmas season. This market brings many visitors from all over the world to Tallinn.
It is usually held in the old Town Hall Square. The most important Christmas tree in Estonia stands in the middle. Around it are many small Christmas cabins or stands. They sell cool handmade items, warm drinks like hot wine, and souvenirs. About 200,000 people visit the market every year!
A Long History
Tallinn is a very old capital city in Northern Europe. It has one of the best-preserved medieval town centers in the world. This means its old town looks much like it did hundreds of years ago!
The very first Christmas tree at Tallinn's Town Hall Square was put up in 1441. This was done by a group called the Brotherhood of Blackheads. This makes it one of the earliest times a decorated tree was used for the Christmas season. It was actually the first Christmas tree ever shown in public in Europe!
The Brotherhood of the Blackheads was a group for merchants who were not yet married. They first put the tree in their own brotherhood house for the holidays. On the last night of their celebrations, the tree was moved to the Town Hall Square. Members of the brotherhood would dance around it. Then, as part of their tradition, they would light the tree as a celebration.
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