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 Holley tells of Christmas in Germany The holidays in Germany are quite different - from decorations, traditions, and to the day in which it is celebrated. The holidays begin here with Advent. Everyone has an advent calendar, homemade or store bought. Every day there's a door to open with a present inside. And each Sunday, a big dinner with the family. On the sixth of December, Santa Claus visits every kid, filling a shoe with gifts. On December 24, Christmas morning, most of the families go and pick out a tree, and then decorate it with candles. In the afternoon many families go to church together and then enjoy dinner and open up the presents. The 25th and 26th are celebration days, which means that everything is closed and the time is spent together with the family. Afternoons having tea or coffee and then hiking, evenings dinner together. New Year's is also quite different. Naturally there's the parties, but at twelve o'clock there's fireworks going off like crazy. And the first of January is also a celebration day, and there's a New Year's pretzel for breakfast, It's about one foot long and one foot wide! January 6 is another celebration day, the Three Kings Day. This is when the three kings arrived to visit the Baby Jesus. In France, there is a special cake made only for this day. It's an almond pastry cake, with the figure of a king hidden in the batter and on top is a paper crown. The person to receive the king gets to make a wish. Something that was really different in December was the Christmas market. It's a market throughout the city, with stands selling Christmas goods or Christmas foods. One of the specialties was a warm wine, that had a very distinct taste. There was music played on every corner of the market and Christmas Spirit was in the air. Homes and stores weren't as decorated as in America. The Christmas market was the one time I realized it really was Christmas. top of page Copyright © 1998 |
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