New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- Against the shimmering white facade of Vienna's Rathaus (town hall) with its neo-Gothic architecture, pretty yellow lights flicker and dance. Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, who hold sway in this city of music, take a back seat for about six weeks as Christmas tunes fill the air.

Standing on the periphery of Wiener Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz, the city's oldest, largest and most spectacular Christmas market, the overriding sensory perception is that of smell as flavours waft from a profusion of stalls. In one corner, chestnuts slow-roasting on a large skillet give off a nutty aroma, enticing me to buy a packet. They are hot, crunchy, soft and entirely addictive.

As I push inside the market, other aromas make th...