http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/
http://www.vistawide.com/german/christmas/german_christmas_traditions.htm
http://german.about.com/library/blbraeuche.htm
Monday, November 4, 2013
Some of the most popular German holidays are New years, May day, Easter Monday, Ascension day, Reformation day, All Saints day, and Christmas. New years in German is just like New Years in the USA. May day is the celebration of the coming of the spring weather. Easter Monday follows Easter Sunday and is about the resurrection of Jesus. This is like the USA Easter but instead of having it be two days it is just the one Sunday in the US. Ascension day is a day to mark of Jesus going to heaven. All Saints day is a day to honor the Catholic saints. The German holiday of Christmas is one of the most important in Germany. In German it isn't celebrated quiet like the US's version. In Germany it is not as much of a commercial holiday but more family oriented. Germans are the ones who started the Christmas tree and they also decorate the tree. This is very much like what my family does for Christmas. The German market place is filled with less mass produced products but more crafted objects. It gives the market more of a homely feel.
http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/
http://www.vistawide.com/german/christmas/german_christmas_traditions.htm
http://german.about.com/library/blbraeuche.htm
http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/
http://www.vistawide.com/german/christmas/german_christmas_traditions.htm
http://german.about.com/library/blbraeuche.htm
German Holidays
Some of the many popular holidays that Germany celebrates include: Easter, May Day, Mothers day, and German Unification day. Just like the United States, Germany celebrates Easter as well. Many churches in Germany usually hold bonfires for the town to come and celebrate the evening with a lot of food and fun activities. Germany also celebrates Mothers day just like the U.S. This usually involves buying flowers or a small gift for your mother and celebrate that day with her. May Day is also known as "International Workers Day". Back in the 19th century it was not uncommon for a person to work a 11-13 hour work day with no benefits. For many years people fought to make May first a day off for all workers. A Law was eventually passed that declared May first a day off for all workers in Europe. Many Germans take this day to go out and do fun activities with their family. German Unification day (October 3rd), according to the article "German Holidays" by Hanna Irabi,"...is the only federally mandated public holiday. It marks the reunification of East and West Germany".
Work Cited
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984
Work Cited
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984
German Holidays
Germany has about ten important holidays. They include Easter, May Day, Mothers Day, Ascension Day, German Unification Day, All Saints Day, Christmas, St. Martin's Day, and New Years. Easter is celebrated with small traditions but are not quite the same as in the US. They have a bonfire ritual where they burn a straw mannequin of Judas. They also have a very low number of people that fast. May Day started out as a day for workers rights but then turned into a day for Germany. It was later turned back into a day for workers rights and is still sometimes celebrated with union strikes. Mothers Day is pretty much the same as the US. It was created to celebrate the social and political role of women. Ascension Day is a little different in Germany. Men of all ages put on their walking shoes and tour the pubs and restaurants in the area. German Unification Day is the only federally mandated public holiday. It has close ties to World War II and the Berlin Wall. All Saints Day is a holiday that is not celebrated all over Germany but only by the Catholic concentrated areas. Of course there is Christmas. They celebrate very similarly to the United States with presents and trees with ornaments on them. They also celebrate New Years. St. Martin's Day is like Thanksgiving because it is celebrated at the end of the harvest season. They have children process in with candles and lanterns on this holiday.
The Christmas holiday is similar to the one in the US. It still is linked with Jesus' birth and nativity scenes. They have Christmas trees that are decorated with ornaments. They also have advent wreaths that they lay out. They exchange gifts with family and friends. They also have Christmas markets which look very cool. Some traditions that may have come from Germany could be the Christmas trees and the ornaments associated with it.
Works Cited
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984
http://www.msichicago.org/scrapbook/scrapbook_exhibits/catw2004/traditions/countries/germany.html
The Christmas holiday is similar to the one in the US. It still is linked with Jesus' birth and nativity scenes. They have Christmas trees that are decorated with ornaments. They also have advent wreaths that they lay out. They exchange gifts with family and friends. They also have Christmas markets which look very cool. Some traditions that may have come from Germany could be the Christmas trees and the ornaments associated with it.
Works Cited
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984
http://www.msichicago.org/scrapbook/scrapbook_exhibits/catw2004/traditions/countries/germany.html
Feiertage
Many holidays in Germany share similarities with the United States, and the World for that matter, in when and how they are observed. However, some holidays in Germany are celebrated differently and in some cases there are holidays that are unique to Germany. For instance, there are some holiday's in Germany that are only celebrated in certain regions within Germany.
To begin, some of the most important and widely observed holidays in Germany are religious in nature. These include Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, All Saints Day, and of course, Christmas. Easter is celebrated in a similar fashion as in the United States, usually with fun Easter egg hunts and egg coloring events in order to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also, a small number of people partake in Lent, and will abstain from eating meat and sweets. Similarly, Ascension Day celebrates the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, All Saints Day celebrates all of the deceased saints and the Pentecost observes the giving of hope to Jesus' disciples 50 days after his ascension. These are all mostly observed with prayer and rest.
Some of the other major German holiday's are more nationalistic or economic. For example, May Day is the recognition of the end of terrible working conditions and is celebrated with giving all German people a day off of work or school. In addition, one of the newest, most important, and only federally mandated holiday is German Unification Day. It is held on October 3 and celebrates the anniversary of the joining of East and West Germany after the fall of the Soviet Union and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall.
Many of these share similarities with the holiday's that my family and I celebrate. For instance, my family has historically enjoyed Easter by doing Easter egg hunts and coloring eggs. One striking thing I also notice is the similarity of May Day to Labor Day. While Labor Day is celebrated over the weekend, it seems as if people in Germany and the United States share many similar feelings about each one. But of all of these holiday's, Christmas is the most important and widely observed both in Germany and in the United States.
In Germany, Christmas lasts from the 24th of December to the 26th of December and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It usually starts with Christmas mass at their churches as well as other religious traditions, much like in the United States. However, one uniquely German tradition is that after religious mass, the people set up Christmas markets where they buy and sell traditional German foods like sausages as well as ornaments and gifts. Then they will all wait for Santa Claus, (a German name I might add) Here is an example above:
My family and I claim German heritage, so we celebrate Christmas very similarly to how it is celebrated in Germany. We usually will spend the majority of the time at one of my relatives houses on Christmas Eve then relax back at our house on Christmas Day opening gifts. One of our traditions that has come from Germany is the classic "pickle in the tree". It's an old German tradition that the parents will hide a "pickle" ,we just use an ornament, inside the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, whoever finds the "pickle" first gets to open the first gift.
Overall, many German holidays are similar to those celebrated in the United States and other European nations. After all, the majority of the U.S population claims European ancestry. But there seems to be more of an emphasis on religious holiday's in Germany, especially those associated with the Catholic Church since many Germans are Catholic. In the end, Germans place a special importance on their holiday's and
celebrations.
Works Cited:
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984
http://www.holidays-info.com/Holidays-Germany/2013/holidays_2013.html
To begin, some of the most important and widely observed holidays in Germany are religious in nature. These include Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, All Saints Day, and of course, Christmas. Easter is celebrated in a similar fashion as in the United States, usually with fun Easter egg hunts and egg coloring events in order to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also, a small number of people partake in Lent, and will abstain from eating meat and sweets. Similarly, Ascension Day celebrates the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, All Saints Day celebrates all of the deceased saints and the Pentecost observes the giving of hope to Jesus' disciples 50 days after his ascension. These are all mostly observed with prayer and rest.
Some of the other major German holiday's are more nationalistic or economic. For example, May Day is the recognition of the end of terrible working conditions and is celebrated with giving all German people a day off of work or school. In addition, one of the newest, most important, and only federally mandated holiday is German Unification Day. It is held on October 3 and celebrates the anniversary of the joining of East and West Germany after the fall of the Soviet Union and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall.
Many of these share similarities with the holiday's that my family and I celebrate. For instance, my family has historically enjoyed Easter by doing Easter egg hunts and coloring eggs. One striking thing I also notice is the similarity of May Day to Labor Day. While Labor Day is celebrated over the weekend, it seems as if people in Germany and the United States share many similar feelings about each one. But of all of these holiday's, Christmas is the most important and widely observed both in Germany and in the United States.
My family and I claim German heritage, so we celebrate Christmas very similarly to how it is celebrated in Germany. We usually will spend the majority of the time at one of my relatives houses on Christmas Eve then relax back at our house on Christmas Day opening gifts. One of our traditions that has come from Germany is the classic "pickle in the tree". It's an old German tradition that the parents will hide a "pickle" ,we just use an ornament, inside the Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, whoever finds the "pickle" first gets to open the first gift.
Overall, many German holidays are similar to those celebrated in the United States and other European nations. After all, the majority of the U.S population claims European ancestry. But there seems to be more of an emphasis on religious holiday's in Germany, especially those associated with the Catholic Church since many Germans are Catholic. In the end, Germans place a special importance on their holiday's and
celebrations.
Works Cited:
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel/--16984
http://www.holidays-info.com/Holidays-Germany/2013/holidays_2013.html
German Holidays
Some of the most popular german holidays are Christmas which is december 25th, All Saints day which is celebrated november 1st, New years celebrated January 1st.
Christmas (dec 25).
Christmas in Germany is very traditional. The preparation for this feast begins with the advent season. Lots of people have advent calendars (with 24 small doors to open and some chocolate or pictures or other goodies behind). The holiday starts on the 24th, families eat dinner or go to church and sing christmas songs. Some families open presents on the 24th some wait till the 25th, The 26th is also a holiday so there are 3 days for families to eat drink and talk together. Christmas in United States is very similar though it may be a little less traditional over all it depends on the family. My family has a big dinner on the 24th and we go home and spend christmas day together and then have another nice dinner.
Germans have christmas markets are typically the 4 weeks of advent, the market sells food, drink, and seasonal items from open-air stalls, accompanied by traditional singing and dancing. There are handmade toys, candy and seasonal items.
New Years (Jan 1.)
In Germany, parties are common on New Year's Eve with fireworks. Every year berlin hosts one of the largest new years parties in Europe with more then a million people attending.Since 1972, each New Year's Eve, several German television stations broadcast a short comedy play in English called a Dinner for One. One new years eve tradition is telling fortunes by the shapes made by molten lead dropped into cold water. Some touch a chimney sweep or have him rub some ash on your forehead for good luck and health. Jam-filled doughnuts with and without liquor fillings are eaten. In the U.S. it is similar, widespread parties and celebration, lots of new years resolutions are made and the first kiss of the year.
I spend the night with my family or my girlfriend and enjoy the new year.Sources
google images
wikipedia
http://www.germany.travel/en/specials/christmas/christmas.html
http://www.come2germany.net/german-christmas.php
Weihnachten
One of the most popular holidays in Germany is Weihnachten, or Christmas. It is very similar in America. The main difference is that in the United States the holiday is more centered around consumption. The time leading up to Weihnachten is more centered around traditions and customs. They celebrate the four weeks leading up to Advent, which is also similar to what me and my family do. It is strange to see how much similarities we have with the Germans in the holidays. They also have Christmas markets which are very important throughout the country. The townsquare is lit up and people gather together to listen to music, drink and just overall have fun.They also sell ornaments decorations and food to everyone, so they can buy gifts for each other. Each market has a different regional mark, and one of the most famous of the markets is the Christkindlestmarkt. It is known for its cookies and gold tinfoil angels. It is also one of the oldest markets, as it is three hundred and seventy five years. They also have Saint Nicholas Day, which is known in the United States, but it is not as widely celebrated. According to tradition Santa Claus is a direct descendant of St. Nicholas.
Vacation in Germany is much different from the United States. On average, German work 400 hours less than we do. "They put us Americans at 1,841 “average” hours a year and the Germans at 1,473 hours in 2000" While not all this time is spent vacationing, Germans do have a significantly larger amount of time. German and American vacations not only differ by amount, but also by where we vacation.
Germany has the luxury of being smack dab in the middle of western Europe. With not a larger amount of effort Germans can travel through several countries. Germans have so many different vacation spots to choose from. The Colosseum in Rome, the Louvre and Eifle Tower in Paris, the many wonders that Germany itself owns, and countless other wonders wait to be fond throughout Europe. This is quite different from here in the U.S. Travel is not cheap by any standards and we have much less vacation time to do that traveling. German vacation time comes in at 24 paid vacation days and 10 holiday days. Americans have on average ten paid vacation days. Rome is one of Germans favorite holidays.
Germany has the luxury of being smack dab in the middle of western Europe. With not a larger amount of effort Germans can travel through several countries. Germans have so many different vacation spots to choose from. The Colosseum in Rome, the Louvre and Eifle Tower in Paris, the many wonders that Germany itself owns, and countless other wonders wait to be fond throughout Europe. This is quite different from here in the U.S. Travel is not cheap by any standards and we have much less vacation time to do that traveling. German vacation time comes in at 24 paid vacation days and 10 holiday days. Americans have on average ten paid vacation days. Rome is one of Germans favorite holidays.
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