The Marché de Noel is a German tradition that originated in Vienna in 1296, when the Duke of Vienna permitted 14-day fairs during December, though the association with Christmas came in other German cities around the 1430s. It then spread to the German-speaking parts of other countries including Italy, Switzerland, and France (interestingly similar to other Christmas traditions such as setting up a tree). From there it was regulated and then de-regulated based on the culture at the time, until it became what it is today.
Which is where our Marché de Noel steps in. Ours comes from Strasbourg, France, where our very own Madame Faga studied abroad in the ‘90s. It’s one of the largest Marché de Noel’s in the world and runs from November 24th to Christmas Eve, bringing in more than 2 million people throughout that time. While she spent time abroad as Mademoiselle Faga, she fell in love with the whirring rides, the charming traditional food, and, most of all, the Strasbourg Cathedral (pictured below), which was lit up with radiant Christmas lights and solidified Madame as head over heels for the Marché de Noel.
The Strasbourg Cathedral during the 2019 Marché de Noel
It started in our school in 2019 when a door decoration competition inspired Madame Faga to make hers into a replica of the Cathedral, giving her the idea of hosting a Marché. She suggested this to the Foreign Language department so as to increase it in scale, and so far, it’s been a hit each year. Though it had to be put on pause due to COVID, it was back in action the year after and has only been getting better since. This year’s Marché might have been our finest yet.
Coming upon the crowded Foreign Language hallway without any context, you’d have thought a very festive concert was going on a little too early in the morning, and you wouldn’t have been entirely wrong. On either end of the long walkway, there were French and Spanish carols being sung right outside Madame Faga’s room and Señora Thomas’ room respectively, which enveloped the Marché with a deafening gusto. Right next to the carolers was delicious hot chocolate being served by fellow students who volunteered, which, unfortunately for burnt tongues, tasted just like sleeping in on a snow day. From there, there were tables serving croissants, baguettes, and rows upon rows of cups of apple juice and cranberry juice, not to mention the temporary tattoo station which, as the name implies, gave a variety of animal tattoos to students who wanted them. The final attraction was a Haitian Art Table, which showed off a limited selection of Haitian art currently being sold in a display case at the front of the school, also a yearly tradition at LSM. After that, there’s not much more in the crowded hallway to do, though that didn’t end your Marché de Noel experience. You could of course join in on the French and Spanish caroling, even if those aren’t the languages you’re taking. The French caroling had lyric sheets that anyone could take, and the Spanish caroling could be picked up within a few minutes of listening. You could’ve also looked at the gorgeous décor of the area, put up by the National Foreign Language Honor Society, and soaked in the holiday cheer, despite perhaps the jostling you would have received by simply standing in that area.
Overall, this year’s Marché de Noel was a huge success. It certainly gave our school more festivity, something much appreciated due to the glaring lack of snow on schoolgrounds and the temperatures that always seem just above freezing. With that said, we at the Spartan Scroll wish you all Happy Holidays and Joyeuse Fêtes, and hope to see you next year.