It's all about the cup

For some people, it’s just a cup. But for others, it’s a collector’s item. Every year, new Glühwein cups are introduced at Christmas markets throughout Germany. What might seem like an ancient tradition is only 20 years in the making. 

Glühweintassen in Herzform, Foto: Rothe/DAAD

The Christmas market season in Germany begins in the last week of November and ends shortly before Christmas Eve. At almost any German Christmas market on any single day, you are sure to meet “Birgit” or “Julia” – or both at the same time. These nice German girls are actually cups. And what’s more, according to the manufacturers, they are the most popular Glühwein cups in all of Germany.

For many Germans, a Glühwein cup is not just an ordinary object like a spoon or plate. But during the first days of the Christmas market season, these cups are the topic on everyone’s lips – because there’s a new design every year. Sometimes they come in the form of boots or snowmen, or in 2011, red hearts. They also feature each town’s famous landmark. In Dortmund, for example, it’s the Reinholdikirche together with the world’s largest Christmas tree which stands 45 metres high on the Hansaplatz.

For environmental reasons

The Glühwein cup tradition started just 20 years ago. At the beginning of the 1990s, Germans increasingly became environmentally conscious. “Consumers preferred reusable ceramic cups over the disposable ones,” explains the mulled wine vendor Michael Burghard. The Glühwein stands started offering ceramic and glass cups. And the visitors loved them. From year to year, more and more effort was put into designing them. They featured new colours, pictures and forms. 

The Glühwein stands in most cities use the same cups. The advantage is that you can buy mulled wine at one stand and return your cup for the deposit at a different Glühwein stand at the same market. Most stands charge customers a deposit of one to two euros per cup.

“Birgit” and “Julia” are the most popular

Glühweinstand, Foto: Rothe/DAAD

The logistics of this service are quite complex. Arwin Kleuser from the Christmas market in Dortmund explains, “all the Glühwein vendors meet in February to discuss the new cups.”  The graphic designers from the production company present their newest designs. The cups are manufactured in China or other Asian countries, but they are printed or laminated in Germany – like “Birgit” and “Julia”.

The vendors have to place their orders for the upcoming Christmas season by March at the latest. But Alwin Kleuser can’t say how many cups have to be ordered each year. Vendor Michael Burghard estimates he needs about 1,000 to 2,000 cups each season, because “even on normal days, 20 or 30 cups end up getting broken.”

A collector’s item

Christel Bock mit Enkel Sebastian, Foto: Rothe/DAAD

Christl Bock has about 20 different cups at home in her cupboard – all of them in pristine condition because she hardly uses them. She’s been collecting Glühwein cups since 1998. “I started by collecting water glasses which we had brought back from our vacations as mementos,” the 75-year-old says. But eventually her husband had enough glasses. So she looked for something else to collect. She especially treasures her Millennium Cup from 2000 with its shimmering blue-silver patina.  

Christl Bock’s grandson Sebastian Rogler also ensures that her collection keeps growing. The law student has worked at a Glühwein stand for the past five Christmas seasons. He enjoys the festive mood and talking to the people who come to his stand. “Sometimes they don’t even want to drink Glühwein – they simply want the cup,” he says. Nonetheless, he predicts he’ll be selling lots of Glühwein this season for its proven hand- and heart-warming effects.

Useful Links:

List of Christmas Markets in Germany
Dortmunder Christmas Market
Nuremberg Christkindles-Markt