The German Information Center <http://www.germany-info.org/> maintains
a well hidden list of German holidays
<http://schiller.dartmouth.edu/~gicnyc/tindex/holidyit.htm> with
information on their origins.
Date German Name English Name Observance Variable
Jan 1 Neujahr New Year
Jan 6 Heilige Drei Koenige Epiphany ``BW'',``BY'',``SN''
Feb 19 Rosenmontag no official holiday, but free day inmost parts of the Rhineland 7 weeks before Easter Monday
Apr 5 Karfreitag Good Friday Friday before Easter Monday
Apr 8 Ostermontag Easter Monday First Sunday after the first newmoon in spring
May 1 Tag der Arbeit Labour Day
May 16 Christi Himmelfahrt Ascension Day 11 days before Whitsuntide, a Thursday
May 27 Pfingstmontag Whitsuntide 7 weeks after Easter Monday
Jun 6 Fronleichnam Corpus Christi ``BW'',``HE'',``NW'',``RP'',``SL''.In ``SN'' and ``TH'' only towns and villageswhich are mostly Roman Catholic 10 days after Whitsuntide, a Thursday
Aug 15 Mariae Himmelfahrt in ``SN'', in``BY'' in towns and village which aremostly catholic
Oct 3 Tag der deutschen Einheit National holiday
Oct 31 Reformationstag Reformation Day ``BB'',``MV'',``SN'',``ST'',In ``TH'' only towns/villages with mostlyprotestant population
Nov 1 Allerheiligen All Saint's Day ``BW'',``BY'',``NW'',``RP'',``SL''.In ``TH'' only towns and villages which aremostly Roman Catholic
Dec 24 Heilig Abend Christmas Eve Half a holiday, after noon
Dec 25 Erster Weihnachtsfeiertag Christmas Day
Dec 26 Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag Boxing Day
Dec 31 Silvester New Year's Eve Half a holiday, after noon
German Holidays; dates are given for 1996.
Abbreviation Federal State
BY Bayern
NI Niedersachsen
BW Baden-Wuerttemberg
NW Nordrhein-Westfalen
BE Berlin
RP Rheinland-Pfalz
BB Brandenburg
SN Sachsen
HB Hansestadt Bremen
ST Sachsen-Anhalt
HE Hessen
SL Saarland
HH Hansestadt Hamburg
SH Schleswig-Holstein
MV Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
TH Thueringen
ISO 3166 Abbreviations for the Federal States
1996-02
Year Easter
1997 Mar/30
1998 Apr/12
1999 Apr/4
Some of the upcoming dates of variable holidays.
2.1.2. Carnival
In Germany the season of Carnival is referred to as Karneval or
Fastnacht or Fasching depending on the region. It's very different
from e.g. Brazilian or Venecian (Venice/Italy) Carnival. In general,
Carnival is a Catholic festival. In predominantly protestant areas
you'll find little Carnival activities. It is the period before Ash
Wednesday, before the Lent, the fasting-days, begin. People take it as
the last opportunity to drink, eat and frolic to their hearts content.
Until Easter things will be going to some extremes.
A common trait throughout Germany is people's liking for costumes and
disguises, may they be traditional (e.g. in Baden or in Venice/Italy)
or leaning towards the bizarre side as in the Rheinische Karneval,
(i.e. between Mainz and the Dutch border along the river Rhine)
Naturally, children like to dress up but adults do so, as well.
The Alemannische Fasnet, celebrated mainly in Southwestern Germany and
northern Switzerland, has its roots in pagan beliefs and is
preoccupied with chasing ghosts and demons by intimidating them with
very elaborate scary wooden masks, fire and the terrible noise of
pipes and drums. One of the most impressive displays of the
alemannische Fasnet can be watched in Basel, Switzerland at the
Narrensprung (run of the fools). For the Narrensprung, which starts
early in the morning between 4am and 5am, all the lights in the city
of Basel are turned off and men disguised in traditional costumes
parade through the streets, accompanied by marching bands playing
traditional songs.
The Rheinische Karneval has its roots in the French occupation of the
Rhineland following Napoleaon in the early 1800s, mocking the
occupiers. Traditional Karneval costumes are modeled on the military
uniforms of that time. The season begins on 11/11 at 11:11 a.m. at
which time people on market places of every major Rhineland town
celebrate Hoppeditz Erwachen (The awaking of Hoppeditz, a figure in
the Carnival). Typical music is played, disguised people drink beer,
wine, champagne... and Hoppeditz rises from his bed (or grave). This
beginning mark is not really a big event, however, very quickly normal
day-to-day life takes over again; Christmas passes..., Silvester
passes... but eventually Carnival gets going! Some Sitzungen start
being held here and there; people commence at halls for a show that
starts precisely at 7:11 (or 8:11) p.m. On the stage a panel of eleven
(the Elferrat) presides the Sitzung and some artists (who can be
ordinary people) come on stage. Music groups perform and dance groups
and especially Buettenredner -- men and women who make mocking
speeches about everyday life, politics (local, national,
international) and so on. The most important of the evening are,
however, the Prince and Princess of Carnival. Every town has their own
royal couple. The Prince and Princess' guards bear wooden rifles and
wear uniforms resembling those of Napoleons armies which occupied the
Rhineland from about 1800 to 1815. Their manner of conducting serves
to ridicule military in general.
The hot phase of Karneval starts on 11:11am of the Thursday before Ash
Wednesday, the so-called Weiberfastnacht (Carnival of women), the day
women take control. (Wearers of ties beware! Women might carry
scissors to trim your manly accessories -- and you won't even be
allowed to complain!-) 1997-01
From Saturday to Tuesday parades take place in many towns; the most
important ones are on Rosenmontag ... starting at (you guess!)
11:11am. The three big ones are in Duesseldorf, Cologne and Mainz. In
the parades you see some brass bands, a lot of disguised people, a few
guests from abroad (US brass bands, Brazilian groups; only in the big
parades) and many Motivwagen. Those are tractors with a trailor
displaying a motive, some paper dolls representing celebraties or
politicians to mock about... other Wagen carry the Prince and
Princess, or their guards or the children prince and princess. All
parading groups throw sweets or other goodies into the watching crowd.
Spectators along the way shout Helau or Alaaf (depending on the area.)
There are different traditions to end up Carnival. On Ash Wednesday
0:00, Carnival is over. The Hoppeditz goes back to his grave, or the
nubbel has to be burnt...
2.1.3. St. Martin
According to legend, St. Martin was a knight in Roman times who
charitably cut his cloak into two with his sword and shared it with a
beggar who was about to freeze to death. This memorable event is
celebrated to this day in November, mainly in Southern and Western
Germany. St. Martinstag is the 11th of November. The celebrations
involve little kids walking around town at dusk on November 10th,
carrying home-made lanterns. The lanterns used to be made from
hollowed out beets with a face carved in, similar to what Americans do
to pumpkins around Halloween. The kids parade threw town singing
traditional songs, sometimes accompanied by a St. Martin on a horse.
In some regions the kids also go gripschen (grabbing) by singing songs
in front of houses, and being rewarded with candies, apples and nuts.
After the parade, kids traditionally get a Weckmann and a cup of hot
chocolate, while the adults devour a Martinsgans (goose). The Weckmann
is a sweet breadroll, 25-30 cm long, in the shape of a man with
raisins for the eyes and often a white clay pipe in his mouth.
2.1.4. Advent, St. Nicholas and Christmas
Of course, the usual disclaimer applies: regional variations are to be
expected!
2.1.4.1. Advent
Advent is very similar to the way it is celebrated in the US, except
for the wreath displayed with four candles on a table instead of being
hung on the door. The Adventszeit are the four weeks (each concluded
with an Adventssonntag) before Christmas. It is customary to light
only the number of candles on the wreath that correspond with the
count of the Advent Sundays having passed. Consider the old nursery
rhyme:
Advent, Advent,
ein Lichtlein brennt.
Erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier --
und dann steht das Christkind vor der Tuer.
Instead of the last line, you may find the rather sarcastic variation:
und wenn das fuenfte Lichtlein brennt,
dann hast du Weihnachten verpennt.
2.1.4.2. St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas is based on a bishop of Myra (in what is today Turkey)
who lived in the 4th century AD. He is said to have provided
charities to people, in particular children. He is usually portrayed
in a bishop's habit with a Mitra and a red coat.
In the catholic tradition, on the eve before December 6th St.
Nicholaus comes to the children's houses, accompanied by his servant,
Knecht Ruprecht (sometimes called Krampus). He reads out of the golden
book all good and bad attributes of the kids and the generaly well-
behaved children will get small presents (traditionally fruit, nuts,
and cookies) But the bad ones receive a birching from Krampus...and
the really bad apples are taken away in Krampus's big sack.
In protestant regions, children will put a pair of shoes, well
cleaned, or a dish in front of the house's front door for Nikolaus to
fill small presents in, on the evening of December 5th. The next
morning, they find some chocolate, oranges, nuts or similar there.
2.1.4.3. Christmas
Christmas is celebrated on the evening of December 24th -- the
Heiligabend. As a child, you will be told to remain in your room from
late afternoon on, because the christ-child (das Christkind) will come
tonight. Without you knowing (or something like that), your parents
prepare the Christmas tree (Weihnachtsbaum). Choice of ornaments
varies dramatically from household to household, ranging from all-
natural and home-made with wax candles to the plastic tree with
flickering electric lights. 1997-01
After sunset (maybe 6pm) you are asked to join your parents. This is
typically done with a special little Gloeckchen that serves only this
one moment in the year. After the Bescherung (when the gifts are
unwrapped) the special Christmas dinner is served. 1997-01
In a varition, dinner may be served before the Bescherung in the room
different from where the Weihnachtsbaum is. When the family has
almost finished dinner one of the parents will sneak out and ring the
little bell. The other parent exclaims: "Oh, das Christkind was just
here!" which is your cue to open the door and for the first time you
see the Weihnachtsbaum -- and all the presents underneath. Then
everyone wishes everybody else a "Froehliche Weihnachten"; you open
your presents and play until you fall asleep under the tree. This is
the one night in a year, when you do not have to go to bed early.
1996-03
2.2. Walpurgis Night
On April 30th, in the Harz Mountains, near Hahnenklee and Bad Grund
some odd things happen. At Blocksberg and Brocken you will see some of
the few last real witches leaping over camp fires...and (if you are
really lucky) taking off on their broom stick into the air for their
annual journey to where no one knows... 1996-04
2.3. Wedding Traditions?
Of course, there is no single accepted tradition. You'll find lots of
peculiar behavior surrounding this event...some of them:
I remember being surprised at seeing in Idar Oberstein,
Rheinland Pfalz, people carrying dishes out to the street
and smashing them, and a young couple, turned out bride and
groom (to be?) trying to keep them swept up. Apparently the
custom is that all old dishes should be broken before the
wedding, and the marriage will be excellent if the couple
can keep up with the sweeping.
During the reception the bride is kidnapped by the wedding witnesses
(best man etc.) to a local bar or restaurant, the groom has to go
rescue her and pay the bill at the local bar.
German receptions last very long into the night - at midnight the
bride's veil comes off and is given to the next girl/woman who is
going to get married.
The first dance is danced by the bride and the groom, it is
traditionally a waltz! The next dance is only for bride with father
and groom with mother, while bride's mother dances with groom's
father. The day/night before the wedding there is the tradition of the
Polterabend, where everybody who knows of this wedding is coming to
the bride's house and brings old dishes (ceramics - NO glass - bad
luck) and breaks them in the front yard (drive way), this is done for
good luck! And the bride's parents generally provide refreshments -
beer (very German). The bride and the groom have to clean up
everything that same evening with a broom, and they have to do it each
time somebody breaks something. This is to demonstrate that the bride
and groom will cooperate in good as in bad times.
Germans wear wedding rings on the right hand! And the groom and bride
have identical rings (wedding bands - no diamonds).
In Northern Germany they like to play a trick on the wedded couple,
while they are in church, getting married. As they come back they
will find all their furniture on the roof of the house where they are
going to live, and all the doors locked, i.e. barricaded, no way to
get in the normal way. The first obstacle for the couple to take then
is to somehow get into the house and the furniture off the roof, beds,
chest drawers and everything, usually through a hole in the roof. No
outside help, but everybody will be watching ... 1996-04
What I thought was quite romantic about their weddings was
how they decorate the hood of the bride/grooms wedding car
with lots of flowers (compared to the junk they put on and
tie to Americans cars) They form a procession after the wed-
ding and drive through town honking their horns. Friendly
Germans always honk back wishing the couple "Good Luck".
I've witnessed this in a few parts of Germany, and think it
is a nice tradition! 1996-04
2.4.
Card games -- Skat and Doppelkopf
The card games homepage <http://www.pagat.com/> has a list of the most
popular German card games
<http://www.pagat.com/national.html#germany>.
Skat is the German cardgame, it is played everywhere, from bars to
after Christmas dinner at home, recreationally with a case of beer
next to the table, with small or large money stakes, and competitively
at official Skat tournaments. If you see people play cards in Germany,
chances are they are playing Skat.
Unfortunately, the rules are somewhat complicated to learn, but it is
well worth the effort. A very rough description of the rules can be
found here <skat.html>. The International Skat Homepage
<http://jwsell.wooster.edu/Skat/Skatdflt.html> is dedicated to Skat.
It contains an extensive explanation of the rules
<http://jwsell.wooster.edu/Skat/Skatdflt.html>, and some links to
proprietary Skat software
<http://jwsell.wooster.edu/skat/Skatdflt1.html#Software> and Skat
