Feiertag

   Although Germany is far from being a religious country, most of the main holidays celebrated in Germany have religious backgrounds.  It is evident that most people in Germany, as in our own land, celebrate these holidays out of tradition rather than with sincerity.  But either way, the holidays are a great time for all.
   As in America, the major German holidays are celbrated by a day of off work.  During the major religious holidays such as Easter, Ascencion day, and Pentecost, the religious few attend church to commemorate the specific event.  However, everyone takes the day off to spend it with family and friends.
   German Unification Day is e more recent holiday and is the only one that is Government mandated. It celebrated the union of east and west Germany in 1949 and like many US holidays is now jsut an excuse to party in the streets.
   Christmas is by far the most popular holiday in Germany.  Christmas around the world is a time to spend with family and friends. It is supposed to commemorate the birth of Jesus but it is mostly a hugely commercial holiday. This is true in Germany as well.  The German christmas markets are second to none.  They are like gieant street fairs in which every thing Chrstmas can be found, from gifts to food, to worthless little trinkets.  If anything has carries over from German traditions into our own it is definately the marketability of Christmas.

https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_market