France’s oldest Christmas market closed due to energy crisis

STRASBOURG, France – In Strasbourg’s sprawling Christmas market, the noon bell had just rung, briefly drowning out the sound of Christmas carols from the loudspeakers, and Franck Bodein was enveloped in the fumes of a giant mushroom frying pan.

Steaming pots of mulled wine and frying pans filled with a sticky stew known as a tartiflette lined his stall, as they have during the two decades he worked at the market.

However, one key element has been conspicuous by its absence this year: thethe Christmas lights.

“They’re gone,” says Bodein, pointing with a wooden spoon at nearby banana trees, whose branches were festooned with garlands of lights.

“It’s a shame. They brought the vibe of tale“.

Strasbourg’s Christmas market – the Christkindelsmärik, or ‘Baby Jesus market’ in the local dialect – is the oldest and largest in France.

Of some herb stalls and gingerbread sellers near the cathedral in the sixteenth century, it has become a small town extravaganza offering everything from roasted chestnuts to jewelry.

The city has proclaimed itself the “Capital of Christmas”.

The market is an all-month-round excuse to socialize and shop amidst wooden chalets offering traditional food and drink.

But its main attraction, which almost attractsthe 2 million visitors Every year, it’s always been the Christmas lights.

But as Europe embarked on a massive energy-saving effort to get through a winter without Russian gas, the continent’s Christmas markets, which are energy-intensive and a seasonal feature across Europe, have been a priority target and have provoked difficult debates. how much seasonal glare cities can or should afford.

Lighting was reduced, ice rinks were cleared, and outdoor heaters were banned.

Across France, many cities scrambled to keep up the New Year’s holiday spirit as they grappled with rising energy prices.

Fear of blackouts has forced local authorities to call for cuts, with the risk of ruining the Christmas festivities that are usually meant to cheer up the people, especially after months of economic crisis marked by strikes and rising electricity prices throughout the life.

“The question is how to balance magic and responsibility“, said Guillaume Libsig, deputy mayor of Strasbourg in charge of city events.

Every December a dozen squares in the center of Strasbourg, a city of almost 300,000 inhabitants on the border with Germany, are invaded by more than 300 stalls, in a vibrant atmosphere where the pungent smell of sauerkraut mixes with the vanilla aroma of waffles . .

And also this year the market is not without seasonal cues.

Around 50 kilometers of illumination continues to spread across Strasbourg, with garlands and chandeliers bathing the streets in a pink, blue and gold glow.

Installations include glittering gingerbread men with candy canes and glittering angels hovering over a road leading to the city’s cathedral.

From the top of the religious building, at least for a few hours at night, Strasbourg shines like the sun on the sea.

“Amazing,” said Gabrielle Carl, a city resident, one night.

“Well,” he added, “it also consumes a lot of energy.”

Several years ago, the Strasbourg Christmas market switched to LED lights, which consume up to aa 90% less electricity compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.

But the lighting budget still runs into hundreds of thousands of euros, and Libsig acknowledged that the event was a long-neglected energy burden.

“We used to push the button, it was light and nobody wondered where it was coming from,” she said.

Therefore war came from Ukraine.

Faced with rising gas and electricity costs following the Russian invasion, France has launched a global “energy sobriety” plan to reduce energy consumption by 10% in two years, including reducing the heating of buildings and lighting.

Private companies and public administrations have been invited to join the effort.

In Strasbourg, the target was the Christkindelsmärik, long considered untouchable.

In the fall, local authorities announced they would reduce the city’s lighting by a fifth, turn off the lights an hour before nightfall, and end the light show a week early.

The goal was to reduce energy consumption by 10% compared to last year.

As a result, some areas, such as the one where Bodein cooked mushrooms, have remained without Christmas lights.

And people who leave restaurants after a late meal are immersed dark of some cobbled streets in Strasbourg.

But many who visited the market were pleased with the changes, noting that overall the festive spirit was maintained.

“A few cuts won’t hurt,” Leonor Lorents said.

He added that the restrictions would only have to go so far because “it’s important to keep these big events that bring people together.”

However, Lorents and others said the Christmas market was suffering from what they saw as the government’s inability to secure enough energy supplies to replace Russian gas.

The resentment was particularly strong among the vendors, who were no longer allowed to use space heaters for warmth in their open-air chalets.

On a recent sub-zero afternoon, they were bundled up in parkas and gloves, as if they were going skiing.

They jealously watched the sellers of mulled wine, who delighted in the fumes emanating from large copper pots.

“It’s a bit extreme.

Couldn’t we save somewhere else?” Jacqueline Jacquetton mumbles behind her stall, where she sells soaps and fabrics.

He confesses that he has a small stove hidden under the counter.

“I won’t endanger my health,” she said.

Alexis Chaun, who used to work at one of Bodein’s stalls, said the changes had improved the market “less cheerful”.

Several cities near Strasbourg have gone further in their cuts or have been more innovative in tackling rising energy costs.

Haguenau got rid of its ice rink, an energy-intensive attraction that environmentalists have criticized for years.

Colmar and Illkirch-Graffenstaden have installed solar panels to power the lighting and the Ferris wheel.

Pierre Muller, director of Eco-Manifestations Alsace, an organization that assesses the environmental footprint of events, praised Strasbourg’s efforts.

But he pointed out that most of the energy consumption in the market came from the visitors who went there.

Dim the lights, he said, “You only have one marginal impact”.

“One way,” he added, to really reduce the energy load would be to “reduce the number of visitors.”

This move may prove too radical for the prized and lucrative Strasbourg market.

Gwenn Bauer, director of Les Vitrines de Strasbourg, an organization representing the city’s retailers, said she did not want “a Sad Christmas”.

Fueled by the energy crisis, her organization tested solar-powered lamps in a narrow street.

But he has refrained from reducing the number of holiday lights he has installed this year, about 12 miles. “It has to continue to be magical,” Bauer said.

Libsig, the deputy mayor, seemed more willing to consider further efforts, especially as French cities try to be more climate-friendly in the face of rising temperatures and air pollution.

Referring to “grandparents’ Christmas”, when a family gathering by the fire was enough to be happy, he said that the market must “recover some authenticity” and stop being synonymous with “carelessness and the logic of excessive consumption”.

“Christmas DNA is fully compatible with this notion of responsibility and the end of abundance,” Libsig said.

“Indeed, Christmas can be an example of how to initiate change.”

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