North Carolina Is Home To One Of The Merriest Christmas Markets In The U.S.

When you think of Christmas Markets, what comes to mind? Maybe charming shops with beautiful Christmas lights and quaint decorations. Taking a stroll with hot cocoa in hand from shop to shop. North Carolina is home to one of the merriest Christmas Markets in the U.S.

A true Christmas Market is steeped in history and tradition.  According to Veranda.com, this is how it all got started. The website says Christmas markets actually began way  back in medieval Germany. About 3,000 Christmas markets pop up there every year. Lucky for us, we don't have to go all the way to Europe. North Carolina is home to one of the best Christmas markets in the U.S.

Veranda scoured the country and found 12 of the Merriest Christmas Markets in the U.S. One of them can be found in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Scandinavian Christmas Fair in Raleigh is a one day event at the state fairgrounds. This fair highlights the Christmas traditions in Scandinavia. Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland make up that area.

Here are some things you can find at the Scandinavian Christmas Fair in Raleigh. According to our source, Veranda, "The Saint Lucia procession features young girls dressed in white with lighted wreaths on their heads and boys dressed in white pajama-like costumes singing traditional songs to celebrate the season of light". Check out gifts and foods from the Nordic countries. And oh the food and drink! Sample the glogg. Not familiar with that beverage? I wasn't either. It sounds delicious though and for adults only. It is made with hot spiced wine and liquor.

To learn more about the 12 Merriest Christmas Markets in the United States, get details here. The Scandinavian Christmas Fair is open on December 2 at Kerr Scott Building.