Dresden celebrated its world-famous Christmas delicacy with a parade and a real Christmas stollen weighing almost two tons. Tens of thousands of onlookers lined the streets as the 2.80 meter long and 1.40 meter wide traditional pastry was pulled through the old town on a float - for the first time with a parade of Stollen Girls. At the Altmarkt, the Striezel - an old term for the Dresden Christmas stollen - was assembled from numerous slabs and sold for charity; according to the organizers, the 3,300 pieces were gone in less than two hours.
The annual spectacle has been held since 1994 and is based on a legendary festival held by Saxony's famous Elector Augustus the Strong in the 18th century: the "Zeithainer Lust". As a highlight, a giant stollen was baked there in a specially constructed oven, pulled into the camp in a ceremonial procession and cut with a stollen knife specially made for this purpose.
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