How is Christmas celebrated in Germany? Noisy, joyful and cheerful, plunging headlong into the colorful whirlwind of Christmas fairs and concerts, singing hymns, meeting friends and acquaintances on the decorated streets and squares. Cozy and warm, gathering with a large family at the table in the parental home, where roast goose and sweet stollen are already waiting. Children look forward to the Christmas holiday with special impatience, delightedly unwrapping gifts from Santa Claus found under the elegant Christmas tree in the morning. Let's also feel the magical atmosphere of German Christmas…
The religious component of the holiday
On the night of December 24-25, Catholic Christians around the world celebrate Christmas. In Germany, this date, according to ancient tradition, is the culmination of a long period of preparation for the holiday, which begins in November.
Getting ready for Christmas the Germans are taken four weeks in advance. For Catholics, this period is called "advent". It includes the days of confession, repentance, communion (for comparison: for the Orthodox, Christmas is preceded by a forty-day fast).
Christmasmidnight in Catholic churches begins a solemn service. Two more divine services are performed in the morning, at dawn, and in the afternoon. They symbolize the Nativity of Christ in the bosom of God the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of every Christian.
The next morning, the whole family is supposed to gather at the festive table, rejoicing at the birth of the Savior.
Christmas in Germany: traditions and customs of preparing for the holiday
Waiting for the holiday, according to the people of Germany, is no less exciting and wonderful than Christmas itself. During the Advent period, the Germans decorate trees and houses with toys and luminous garlands. On the streets, in shop windows and in courtyards, colorful "nativity scenes" appear - models of the cave where the baby Jesus was born, with figures of the main characters of the Biblical legend. The doors of houses are decorated with wreaths of candles intertwined with bright ribbons, and wooden figurines are placed and hung on the windows and window sills, carefully passed down in families from generation to generation.
A prominent place in every home is a Christmas tree decorated with glass toys, balls and candles - without this tree with the Star of Bethlehem on top, it is hard to imagine Christmas in Germany. Traditions and customs also prescribe decorating the premises with miniature houses with lights, figurines and green trees.
In houses where there is a fireplace, special socks must be hung around it, in which Santa Claus will have to secretly putgifts. Also on Catholic Christmas in Germany, bright, colorful calendars with sweets or souvenirs for each of the days that remain before the holiday are very popular.
Christmas cucumber and carrot
Small glass Christmas decorations - cucumber and carrot - amusing symbols of Christmas in Germany, popular in some of its lands.
Adults hang a cucumber on a spruce tree in the very last turn, but not in sight, but, on the contrary, hiding it. On Christmas morning, children race to find him. The one who finds the toy is rewarded with an additional gift.
As for the carrot, this decoration is usually given to the bride and groom. Taking its place on the tree, the glass vegetable symbolizes fertility and prosperity in a young family.
Christmas markets
The Germans proudly call the season of the famous pre-Christmas sales "the fifth season". That's when they start celebrating Christmas in Germany. Date - the eleventh day of the eleventh month - is supplemented by mystical time - eleven hours and eleven minutes. At this moment, the famous Christmas markets solemnly open, the number of which Germany overtakes all other European countries.
Invariable attributes of German Christmas markets since the Middle Ages - carousels, various fun contests and attractions, as well as roasted chestnuts and fragrant mulled wine, chocolate and delicious honey gingerbread … These fairs sell mainly inexpensive, but original and skillfullycrafts made by local artisans dedicated to the holiday.
Everyone, from young to old, takes part in the festivities on the eve of Christmas. The Germans are also very happy with tourists at this time, so the best way to find out how Christmas is celebrated in Germany is to go there in November or December to see everything with your own eyes.
Christmas in different regions of Germany
The long historical period of fragmentation could not but affect how it is customary to celebrate Christmas in Germany. The traditions and customs of different regions of the country are not similar to each other, because they have ancient roots and developed separately.
So, in coastal German cities on Christmas morning, a ship with Santa Claus on board arrives at the port (in Germany his name is Weinakhtsman). Descending from the ladder, the Christmas grandfather congratulates the adults and children who meet him on the upcoming holiday and bestows gifts that he brought in abundance.
In the eastern part of Germany, a region of dense forests and the Ore Mountains, the tradition is different. The Christmas market sells figurines of smoking men, wooden candlesticks and original holiday pyramids. People are having fun on the city streets, many of whom are wearing national costumes.
In Thuringia, the birthplace of the first Christmas tree balls made of glass, fairs are full of various products and souvenirs made from this material.
In the southern part of Germany, the main symbol of Christmas is woodena manger commemorating the birth of the baby Jesus Christ.
Alpine choir sings at concerts in the cities of Bavaria. Brass bands play national music with trombone and alpine horn, traditional instruments that can be heard exactly when Christmas is celebrated in Germany.
The traditions and customs of the western regions of the country on this holiday are reminiscent of the fairy tales of the Grimm brothers, who were originally from here. The road of fairy tales passes through several cities, constantly reminding the traveler of famous stories.
Christmas table
On the eve of the holiday - Christmas Eve, or Holy Evening - the whole family gathers at a richly laid and decorated table. As usual, on this day, the best dishes and cutlery are put up on it, and the menu consists of at least seven dishes.
Before starting a festive meal, it is customary to break the wafers - thin unleavened cakes consecrated in temples during the Advent period. Breaking off pieces of hosts, the Germans wish each other a Merry Christmas and all the best.
In the center of the festive table, as usual, a stuffed goose (less often a turkey) flaunts, surrounded by various salads and snacks. Traditional food for Christmas in Germany is sauerkraut, seafood and bean soup, symbolizing prosperity. For dessert, it is customary to serve a Christmas stollen - a rich roll with raisins and nuts, covered with icing and powdered sugar.
Fortune cookies are symbols of Christmas in Germany
An interesting German traditionhousewives is baking on the eve of Christmas special cookies. It has the shape of a horseshoe, inside which is placed a strip of paper with a written prediction for the one who gets the delicacy. Predictions can be anything, both serious and comic, but most importantly - by all means good, to become another reason for joy for relatives and guests who visited the house these days.
