Germany’s Christmas Markets
聖誕市集在德國！
As far back as 1296, Vienna held the Dezembermarkt (or December Market in English). Shopkeepers in the city organized an outdoor market for a couple of days at the beginning of winter. It offered people the chance to stock up on supplies needed to get through the cold months ahead. This was cause for celebration, and it gave the people in town the chance to buy food to enjoy over the holidays. The custom caught on and winter markets started appearing all around Europe.
早在 1296 年，維也納就舉辦了 Dezembermarkt（英文則是十二月市集）。在冬天的開端，城市裡的店主們規劃了一個為期好幾天的戶外市集。它提供人們儲備度過接下來幾個月寒冬所需糧食的機會。這成了後來慶祝的由來，而這也給城裡的人們機會去買在假期間供享用的食物。這個習俗後來蔚為流行，而冬季市集開始在歐洲各地出現。
生活必備字詞：
outdoor a. 戶外的
stock up on... 囤積∕儲存……
supplies n. 補給品；必需品（恆用複數）
本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，完整內容請見十二月號。
