It should come as no surprise that there are plenty of traditional German Christmas foods that you’ll come across over the holiday season. Nikolaus or the Weihnachtsmann at one of their special Deutsche Post locations across Germany, you’ll get a reply! Christmas food in Germanyīut Christmas in Germany isn’t just about presents. If you send a letter to the Christkind, St. Whoever you’re expecting, make sure you write up a wish list ( der Wunschzettel) and post it in good time. In traditionally Protestant areas in the north and east of the country, it’s der Weihnachtsmann who delivers the presents - Germany’s answer to Santa Claus. Just as a quick side note… Beware: the English word “gift” means “poison” in German - so make sure not to confuse the two! Yuletide visitorsīut who’s delivering all these presents? Well, that depends on who you’re asking, because - apart from Nikolaus - there are two other main gift givers in Germany: The Christkind and the Weihnachtsmann.Īlthough das Christkind was created as a Protestant alternative to Nikolaus, due to Martin Luther’s aversion to the Catholic idolisation of saints, nowadays - ironically - it’s predominantly children in Catholic areas of the country that look out for the Christkind’s arrival come Christmas Eve. The fact that there’s a word - die Bescherung - to describe this act of exchanging presents at Christmas proves just how serious Germany is about Christmas traditions - and how ultra-specific its vocabulary can be. What goes under a Christmas tree? Presents ( die Geschenke), of course! In Germany, the main present-giving takes place on Christmas Eve ( der Heiligabend). Some families also go to midnight mass at church, where there will traditionally be a nativity scene ( die Weihnachtskrippe).
While they open their presents, they might sing Christmas carols ( die Weihnachtslieder). When the tree is ready, the parents ring a little bell and the children come running in. Presents are put under the tree and plates of tasty festive treats are put out. Traditionally, the children are sent from the room while the parents decorate the tree with baubles ( die Christbaumkugeln or Kugeln), fairy lights ( die Lichterketten), candles ( die Christbaumkerzen) and tinsel ( das Lametta). The Christmas tree ( der Weihnachtsbaum / Tannenbaum) is typically only put up on December 23 or 24 in Germany (although some people are starting to do it much earlier). If they’ve been bad, they will only receive a piece of wood ( die Rute). If they’ve been good, their shoe will be filled with sweets, chocolates and other edible treats in the morning. Then, on the eve of December 5, German children (and maybe even some adults!) get polishing their shoes and boots, ready to leave out for St Nicholas ( St. In normal years, this is also the time when Christmas markets ( die Weihnachtsmärkte) begin to open, dishing out artisan products ( die Kunsthandwerke), along with lashings of mulled wine ( der Glühwein), eggnog ( der Eierpunsch) and Stollen. On the first day of December, you might also open the first door of your Advent calendar ( der Adventskalender). One of these candles is lit each Sunday before Christmas, counting down the weeks until the holidays. On this day, families traditionally set up their Advent wreath ( der Adventskranz), an arrangement of leaves, flowers, decorations and four candles. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The time leading up to Christmas is known as Advent time ( die Adventszeit) in Germany. Frohes Fest / Schöne Festtage - Happy holidays.Besinnliche Feiertage / Erholsame Feiertage - Have a peaceful holiday season.Fröhliche Weihnachten / Frohe Weihnachten - Merry Christmas.Here are some of the most common Christmas greetings used in Germany, so you can spread Christmas cheer far and wide: The essential German Christmas wordsīut if you’re serious about learning German, you need to get serious about Christmas too! Here are the greetings, words and phrases that will get you through the festive season. As well as their umpteen ways of celebrating this most beloved of holidays, they have a whole plethora of words and phrases for talking about it as well! From basic festive greetings to ultra-specific Christmas vocabulary, it’s a lot for the unwitting expat to deal with. It’s no secret that Germany takes Christmas seriously.
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