Open-air Christmas market in downtown Holland, Michigan makes a great holiday tradition. The Kerstmarkt, which means “Christmas market” in the Dutch language, opens up in downtown Holland, Michigan during the Christmas season. Holland’s Kerstmarkt replicates the open-air Christmas markets found in Europe that typically sell food, drinks and holiday specific items from wooden stalls. The vendor stalls are four-walled wooden booths arranged in rows in front of the Holland Civic Center at the Eight Street Market Place. The market opens for the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are no entrance fees and visitors will find ample free parking throughout the downtown region. Sinterklaas, the Dutch Saint Nicholas, makes an appearance at the market to signal the start of the Advent season. Traditionally, St. Nicholas was viewed as a gift-giver that traveled through towns and offered gifts to well behaved children. Children would place shoes near front doors or chimneys on St. Nicholas's Eve and would wake in the morning to find either treats (if good) or “switches” [twigs] (if bad) in their shoes. Sinterklaas is very similar to the American Santa Claus, but Sinterklaas arrives on St. Nicholas Eve, December 5th, not the 24th. In the Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas arrives via boat, greets the children of the town before mounting his white horse. Sinterklaas rides his horse throughout the country visiting all the children, elderly and infirmed during the Christmas and Advent season. Visitors to the Holland Kerstmarkt may experience the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition, as he arrives at the Market to greet shoppers on St. Nicholas's Eve. Sinterklaas leads a procession through downtown Holland that visitors can join with the opportunity for children to meet Sinterklaas at the Civic Center after the parade.
The 2015 market featured seventeen vendors from Michigan that sold a variety of items, such as Christmas trees, ornaments, hand-made gifts and baked goods. Many of the shops, restaurants and breweries in Holland are open as well. If you would like more information please visit these sites:
Holland Kerstmarkt Website Holland Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Website
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