Christmas in Germany

'Tis the season to be jolly, and also the time to share and remember the way things are and were done around this time of year, so I will tell you a little about Christmas in Germany.  As everywhere, Christmas traditions may vary from family to family, from east to west, from north to south, as well as depending on how religious a family is within a secular society like Germany, but there are still some traditions that can be called typical.

First of all, Germans enjoy two and a half days off around Christmas.  From Christmas Eve midday onwards, stores are closed and people are off work (with the usual exceptions of police, hospital staff and the like, of course) and don't go back until December 27th in the morning, as both Dec 25th and Dec 26th are national holidays.  This makes Christmas - like Easter - a prime time for visiting family.

The weeks before Christmas, Dec 1st until Dec 24th, are commonly called Advent and are celebrated by lighting a candle on each of the four Sundays that lead up to Dec 24th - occasionally, the first Sunday of Advent falls into the last days of November. Many families have Advent wreaths that decorate their living room tables that have four candles on them - the more candles burn, the closer Christmas has come.  In December, many people - children and adults alike - have Advent calendars on which they open one "door" every day.  Such calendars are popular both with religious and non-religious people, and they can contain sweets or texts or anything really - self-made advent calendars have been a specail joy during my childhood.  Many Christmas markets - more about those later - have Advent calendars too the doors of which they open as a daily event.

In Germany, everyone opens their presents on Christmas Eve after dark.  Christmas tree candles are lit, and families gather under their tree to exchange presents, eat simple meals - the big feast is reserved for December 25th at noon - and talk about the old days.  Those inclined to go to church either go to midnight services or to very festive services on the 25th in the morning.

When it comes to the feast on Christmas Day, people eat all kinds of things, depending on family roots and traditions.  Goose is still very popular, and those who once lived east of Eastern Germany will still go with white sausages, which some of them even serve on Christmas Eve already.  Despite elaborate meals around noontime - dumplings, a heavy sauce and red cabbage might accompany the roasted bird, followed by baked stuffed apples for desert - coffee time around 4pm is still a must, with Christmas cookies, Stollen and any number of festively decorated cakes the family might like.  And don't you think that was the last meal of the day - there's still dinner to eat!  Christmas comes with a lot of food in German families ;)

The second day of Christmas, December 26th, is visiting day for many people.  Especially if they have children, they often stay home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and go visiting grandparents or aunts and uncles on the second day of Christmas.  Eating is again a major event, even though the visitors usually only stay for coffee-and-cake, and dinner.  People exchange some more presents and enjoy getting together.  If the weather permits it, many also enjoy going for family walks in the neighborhood or nearby parks - if only to digest all the good food!

As for traditional children's myths surrounding Christmas, Santa Claus, or "Knecht Ruprecht", is not delivering anything on Christmas Eve, not for German kids.  Santa's day is December 6th in Germany when he brings sweets in the night to the 6th, and children like to walk through their neighborhood on Dec 6th after sunset to sing Christmas carols or say little Christmas poems in front of neighbors' doors, in exchange for candy.  But on Christmas day, it is the "Christkind", or Christmas child, that brings the presents.  This has undergone some change in the last 50 years with the ever present Coca-Cola Santa Claus presenting a different idea, but the old traditions are still very much alive in traditional Christmas music and poetry. 

Even in a secular country like Germany, churches are full on Christmas Day.  People love the almost romantic atmosphere of Christmas services and to sing the old hymns like "Silent Night".  For the children, the Christmas story is acted out in some churches in afternoon services, and many churches put a lot of time and effort into their (indoors) nativity scenes.  Nativity scenes can also be found in many living rooms still - living rooms alone though, not on porches (hardly any German home has such a thing), nor in front of churches, nor in public squares.  Christmas decoration, on the other hand, is very popular, usually in the form of twinkle light in trees or illuminated stars in windows.  The traditional Christmas bows, some of them very elaborate, can also be found in many homes to this day.

Let me also mention the famous Christmas markets.  Every little town has one, every bigger town has a big one, and some of them are world famous, like the Christkindl Markt in Nuermberg.  These markets are ideal places to pick up little presents, drink hot punch with or without spirits, and eat some Christmas sweets.  Some markets include merry-go-rounds or ice skating areas for children, others stage little concerts, a daily opening of the Advent calenday (24 doors to be opened), and other events to draw visitors.

Over all, Christmas is a festive time in Germany - this should not come as a surprise.  And even if society as a whole is distinctly secular, people are not ashamed to wish each other "Froehliche Weichnachten" or "Gesegnete Festtage" when they meet in the streets or send postcards to friends and acquaintances.  

In diesem Sinne:  Merry Christmas :)