GeRmAn+HoLiDaYS

Throughout the year, Germans have many vacation days. They typically have more vacation time than Americans. Schools in Germany are closed for 13 weeks every year, and companies and goverments are on a 6 week leave. Also, expectant mothers can take a 6 week leave before the birth of the child.

Germans consider themselves weltmeisters (world champions) at taking over Christmas. Germans religious roots are becoming less obvious, but most people put up a Christmas tree, which in german is called weihnachtsbaum. They decorate the tress with glass balls and candles. The colors on Christmas trees are red and gold. Merry christmas in German is " Froehliche Weihnachten!!" At the end of the year Germans reflect on the past months and analyze their vices. One tradition is that the Christkind (Christchild) normanly sends the gift on Christmas Eve. Spicy cakes called lebkuchen are made on Christmas and used for decorations. On Chirstmas, Children place a shoe or a boot on the fire place. St. Nichols carries a book of sins, where he keeps a list of all the bad things the children have done. If the kids have been good, he fills the boot or shoe with holiday food, but if they have been naughty, he fills them with twigs.

Germans have all kind of different traditions that they have for different holidays. Germans celebrate New Years on December 31 with fireworks and parties, and in January, there is a public holiday. Easter is celebrated on Sundays with worship and on Monday they do family gatherings.

GeRmAn HoLiDaY TrAdItIoNs

For Christmas Germans consider themselves weltmasters at taking over Christmas. Schools in Germany are closed for 13 weeks every year and companies and goverments are on a 6 week leave. Also expectant mothers can take a 6 week leave before the birth of the child.Germans celebrate New Years on December 31 with fireworks and parties and on January there is a public holiday. Some sports they do on christmas is skiing and hiking.Easter is celebrated on Sundays with worship and on Monday they do family gatherings.

Germans religous roots are becoming less obvious most people put up a christmas tree which in german is called weihnachtsbaum they decorate the tress with glass balls and candles. The colors on Christmas for germans are red and gold. Merry christmas in German Froehliche Weihnachten. Children on christmas placa a shoe or a boot on the fire place. St Nichols carrys a book of sins to the misdeeds of the children are written. If the kids have been good he fills the boot or shoe with holiday edibles and if they have not been good he fills them with twigs. December 21st is supposed to be the shortest day( longest night) of the year.

At the end of the year Germans reflect on the past months and analyze their vices. One tradition is that the Christkind ( christchild) normanly sends the gift on Christmas Eve. Spicy cakes called lebkuchen are made on Christmas and used for decorations. One last thing is that Germans have all kind of ifferent traditions that they have for different holidays.

Notes




 * Germans consider themselves Weltmeisters (world champions) at taking holidays. Schools are closed for a total of 13 weeks every year, and company and government employees get six weeks of leave and several public holidays off during the year. Expectant mothers can take six weeks of maternal leave before the birth of their child and up to one year afterwards.
 * New Year's celebrations begin on Sylvester (31 Dec.) with midnight fireworks and parties, which are followed by a public holiday on 1 January. Sylvester is often celebrated abroad; popular destinations are Switzerland, Austria, and France. Germans like to go skiing and hiking in the snow during this season. Easter is celebrated with Sunday worship services and Monday family gatherings. Labor union parades mark May Day (1 May). Various religious holidays (Catholic and Protestant) are celebrated, such as Pentecost, Ascension, and All Saints' Day (1 Nov.). The German Unification Day is celebrated on 3 October. At Christmas, people exchange gifts on Christmas Eve (Heiliger Abend); the family relaxes on Christmas Day. Germans enjoy visiting on 26 December, also a legal holiday.
 * Although Christmas is widely celebrated in Germany, its religious roots are becoming less obvious. Most families put up a traditional Christmas tree (Weihnachtsbaum) in their homes. These are typically decorated with glass balls and candles. Traditional colors of red and gold are often used, but modern decorations are available in many colors. Older, more traditional Germans, usually visit a church on Christmas Eve (24 Dec.). It is said that the Christkind (Christ child) brings the gifts. On December 25 or 26, a goose (Weihnachstgans) is cooked or grilled. Sweet cookies, such as gingerbread or almond biscuits, often flavored with cinnamon, are a popular treat during the Christmas season. Young couples often find it difficult to choose which family they will spend Christmas with. They often compromise by commuting between both households. Once they have children, young couples tend to celebrate Christmas Eve in their own homes.
 * At the end of the year, people reflect on the past months and analyze their vices. They often express a desire to change their lives for the coming year. Some of the more common changes are to stop smoking, get more exercise, and drink less alcohol, all of which reflect a German trend towards a healthier lifestyle.
 * On Easter Sunday, parents hide little gifts around the house or outside in the yard for their children to find. The Easter Bunny is said to have left these gifts. Children search for the gifts and then show them to the adults once they have found them. Easter gifts are typically smaller than Christmas gifts and often include food, such as chocolate Easter bunnies.
 * Another important holiday in Germany is Fasching (Carnival), which is celebrated every year beginning in late January or early February and lasting until the end of February or the beginning of March, depending on when Easter falls. Celebrations begin at the 11th minute of the 11th hour and are meant to mark a farewell to winter and a welcoming of spring. Schools close for a week, and both children and adults dress up in costumes. Parades with music and dancing are common throughout the country.

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Merry Christmas in German is Froehliche Weihnachten

As in many other European countries, on the eve of Dec. 6th children place a shoe or boot by the fireplace. During the night, St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, hops from house to house carrying a book of sins in which all of the misdeeds of the children are written. If they have been good, he fills the shoe or boot with delicious holiday edibles. If they have not been good, their shoe is filled with twigs. December 21st, supposedly the shortest day (longest night) of the year, is dubbed St. Thomas Day. In parts of the Sauerland, whoever wakes up late or arrives late to work on that day is issued the title "Thomas Donkey." They are given a cardboard donkey and are the subject of numerous jokes throughout the day. But this gentle abuse ends deliciously with round, iced currant buns called "Thomasplitzchen."

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In Germany, Saint Nicholas visits children's homes on St. Nicholas Eve, December 5, and delivers candy and other sweets to be opened on December 6, St. Nicholas Day. According to one tradition, the Christkind (Christ child) sends the gifts on Christmas Eve. This tradition is most popular in the mainly Roman Catholic region of southern Germany. In the northern, mainly Protestant areas, parents usually say the Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man) brings the gifts. Most German families have a Christmas tree that they decorate with lights, tinsel, and ornaments. Spicy cakes called lebkuchen are made in various shapes and used as decorations.

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