Bunnies, Baubles, and Eggs! Easter Market in St Wendel

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A fine old historic town!

New Beginnings

Beauty from simple things

The famous Easter Crown

Making Pottery the old fashioned way

Spring is almost here.  How do I know, without even a wayward glance at the calendar?  The St Wendel Easter Market, of course.

Which spurs questions by the truckload, the first being who was Saint Wendel?  That’s Sankt Wendel in German. Hard to tell for sure who he was or when he lived.  Not much is known, other than he seems to have been the son of a Scottish King.  Wendelin means wanderer or pilgrim in old German.  Wendel wandered around 600 A.D., give or take.  When he died, he was buried in the cell he had inhabited for years.  Not sure anybody knows where that is.  They’re still wandering….The town grew up nearby and when in 1320 a pestilence threatened the local livestock, it was said that St Wendel interceded to save them.

When you first enter the St Wendel market, the first thing you notice is a huge crown of pine bows, adorned with strings of eggs.  To be exact, there are some 2000 hand-painted eggs.

Stalls, selling everything from blankets to cheeses line every street.  And the day we were there, the streets were packed.

You find street performers, pens with rabbits of every description, a whole tent dedicated to intricately arranged bunny tableaus, and best of all, lots of glühwein, wurst, and beer.  Also, the best churros I’ve eaten outside of Spain.

On to the questions.  What do rabbits and eggs have to do with celebrating the day that Jesus Christ arose from the tomb?

In pre-Christian Germany (which wasn’t even Germany back then), people worshiped many gods and goddesses, including Eostra, the goddess of both spring and fertility. Her symbol was the rabbit because of the animal’s high reproduction rate.  Eggs also symbolize new life and new beginnings.  Somewhere in the 17^th Century, a story popped up featuring eggs and rabbits, or so I’m told.

As pre-Christian Germany converted to Roman Catholicism, many of the pagan traditions and celebrations were cleverly folded into the new religion.  After all, believing is one thing, but giving up holidays and feast days is quite another.  To complete the chain, when German immigrants came to America, they brought their traditions with them, presenting a glorious marketing opportunity for candy factories and greeting card makers.  Egg producers were quick to chime in, along with egg hiders and nest makers.  Heck, you already started with bunnies and eggs, so why not add a little more.

I really don’t give a damn, as long as I get my beer and wurst.  As I said, who wants to give up a feast day?

St Wendel is one heck of a small town, with restaurants and cafes galore.  If you don’t get to the Easter Market this year, mark-it (I love puns) on your list for next year.  Friendly crowds and a lovely celebration.

Have some tea!

Baumbrot - a Romanian tradition