German Tradition

Germany is a multicultural country and, of course, there is no homogenous "German way of life" throughout our country. Today, many different German folkloric traditions are still practised. Also, lots of foreigners are living here and part of their customs and traditions is adopted in Germany as well.

Despite this, we tried to figure out some typical German traditions for you.

Carnival
Carnival is an ancient tradition celebrated all over Germany. Different terms like "Fasching", "Fasnacht" or "Karneval" are used. Mainz, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn are the strongholds of carnival fun. Many people there are true carnival-fanatics. Due to its high importance, carnival is even called the "fifth season" besides spring, summer, autumn and winter. It starts at 11.11 a.m. on November 11th and ends on Ash Wednesday. Carnival will reach its climax this year between January 31st and February 5th. During this time, you can hardly see anything else on TV. There are major street processions on Monday of that week with people dressed up in humorous costumes or in traditional dresses and masks. The tradition goes back to the ancient custom of driving out winter.

Fairs
		Lots of fairs and festivals are celebrated throughout Germany during the summer season. Held on traditional festival grounds or in the city centres themselves, some last for a weekend while others last for a whole week. Entertainment includes a range of fairground stalls, carousels, rollercoasters, Ferris wheels and ghost trains. Food stalls offer snacks and sweet treats. Often there is live music on open-air stages or in marquees. The Kirchweih or Kirmes is a town fair of religious origin: People used to celebrate the consecration of a Christian church. In rural areas the Kirchweih is still an important village institution.

Oktoberfest
Germany's biggest and best-known festival is the "Oktoberfest". More than six million people visit the Munich place "Theresienwiese" every year to drink beer from large litre tankards and eat pork sausages and pretzels. The enormous fairground site also has carousels, rollercoasters and other spectacular fairground attractions. The festival programme includes a grand parade of landlords and breweries, the traditional costume parade and a concert featuring all the brass bands performing at the festival. Many of the locals wear traditional costumes when they visit the Oktoberfest. For more information on the Munich Beer Festival, visit www.oktoberfest.de

Wine festivals
		Wine festivals are held in many of Germany's wine-growing regions between May and November. Wine-growers cooperatives and representatives of wine-growing estates set up their stalls in public spaces and sell their wines by the glass. Local specialities are also served. The festivals usually also involve live music and, in many places, the crowning of the Wine Queen. This takes place particularly along the Rhine and the Moselle, in Baden, Palatinate and along the river Main. During one of the most famous wine festivals at the Moselle, you can eat and drink at a nicely decorated table of 400 metres length in the historic city centre (open air).

Christmas
Christmas markets are held in cities from the end of November to Christmas. Their ambience is guaranteed to put visitors in the festive spirit: There are stands where christmas decorations, candles, jewellery, toys and other Christmas gifts are sold as well as food stands selling typical specialities such as mulled wine, spiced bread, gingerbread, hot chestnuts and roasted almonds. Four weeks before Christmas Eve, German families prepare the so called Advent Wreath. It is a simple pine wreath holding four, generally red, candles. The first Sunday of the month only one candle is lit, on the second, two until on the last Sunday before Christmas Eve all four are lit. This tradition symbolizes the coming of the most important evening in the Christian year, the Christmas Eve.

Hunting for Easter Eggs
		Hard boiled eggs, chocolate eggs and pastry eggs are hidden in backyards or in the woods on Easter Sunday. Children go hunting them. People also hang blown out and painted hen's eggs on cherry branches. The children are told the story of the Easter Bunny who paints eggs and then hides these for them to find.

Waluburg's Night and the May-tree
On the 1st of May, many towns set up the local May-tree: a very tall tree with a trunk stripped of branches, often painted blue and white and decorated with streamers and shields representing the town's craftsmanship corporations. Waluburg's Night is celebrated on the eve of April 30: Young men from different towns try and steal the May-trees from their neighbouring towns. The owners have to 'buy back' their tree, paying in barrels of beer. Usually, large amounts of beer have to be paid for the may tree. During Waluburg’s Night, people also tend to terrorize the neighbourhood with their mischief; unhinging and carting off doors and gates and wrapping cars in toilet paper; people have been known to find carts and even a cow on the roof of haylofts, on the next day.