defestival1-10, Exercise 2: "Christmas markets are a medieval tradition"

Model answer (check the dates named):

1. Who says it? Tourist boards, guidebooks and market organisers, often in publicity, and many popular articles.
2. Earliest record? Winter fairs and markets are recorded in German-speaking towns from the late Middle Ages, with claimed dates such as Dresden 1434, Bautzen 1384 and Frankfurt 1393. Whether these were Christmas markets or ordinary winter trade fairs is the question.
3. When written? The records are medieval for the fairs, but the idea of a Christmas market with a focus on gifts and sweets is described in sources from the 1500s onward and became a national image in the 1800s and 1900s.
4. Definition? "Christmas market" could mean any market held in December, a market connected with Christmas shopping, or the modern festive event with Glühwein and crafts. The answer is different for each.
5. Who gains? Cities and organisers who market themselves as having the "oldest" market.
6. What would change my mind? A medieval source that clearly describes a market tied to Christmas, rather than a general winter fair.

Careful sentence: "Winter markets are recorded in German towns from the late Middle Ages, but the Christmas market as a festive event took shape mainly from the 1500s to the 1900s, and 'oldest' claims depend on the definition."