How does germans celebrate christmas

Nicholas on the 6th of December. He is big horned monster clothed in rags and carries chains. He is meant to punish the children who have been bad! He is usually the one who scares the little children. In other parts of Germany, St. Black Peter also accompanies St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas in The Netherlands.

In northwest Germany Santa is joined by Belsnickel, a man dressed all in fur. Another tradition is the Sternsinger or star singers who go from house to house, sing a song and collect money for charity this is a predominantly Catholic tradition.

The singers are normally four children, three who dress up like the Wise men and one carries a star on a stick as a symbol for the Star of Bethlehem.

It is considered to be bad luck to wash the sign away — it has to fade by itself. It has usually faded by the 6th of January Epiphany. The Sternsingers visit houses between December 27th and January 6th. After all, there's a reason why they call it the most wonderful time of the year! As you already know, decorating your house with Advent wreaths, tinsel and Christmas baubles are all German Christmas traditions , but there is so much more to a German Christmas than that!

Most families in Germany start decorating their homes in early December, usually around Nikolaus on December 6, with evergreen branches, paper stars in the windows and strings of fairy lights. While some families have begun to follow the Western custom of putting up their Christmas tree early on, traditionally the Tannenbaum is not put up until Christmas Eve. The nativity scene Weihnachtskrippe is also popular among more religious families. Finally, on December 24, the family comes together to select a Christmas tree and decorate it with ornaments, tinsel and lights before opening their gifts together.

A quick warning - if a German family invites you to spend Christmas with them, be sure to show up on December 24, as if you come over on 25 then you are already a day late. In Southern Bavaria, locals celebrate St.

Muscular men in demonic costumes, devilish masks and furry coats march from house to house — this is the fearsome Krampus with his devilish mates. They bang on doors, and, when invited in by expecting parents, attempt to frighten children into good behavior. Occasionally, a recalcitrant teenage male may be dragged by hands and feet outside into the open.

There he is dunked in the deep snow several times, much to the delight of his younger siblings. Afterwards, the Krampus and his fellow devils may be found at the local pub celebrating devilishly long into the night. Holiday lights and decorations captivate locals and tourists alike, and entice them to stroll among the vendors of local arts and crafts and also plenty of food! The Christmas market tradition dates back to the 15th century. Today there are over 2, Christmas markets across Germany that invite visitors to enter the festive mood.

Markets commonly feature a nativity scene, and vendors offer a wide variety of gifts, including many that are still handcrafted. For dessert there is an unending variety of specialty sweets, confections and baked goods. Thankfully more and more North American cities have adopted this wonderful German tradition! Find a Christmas market near you. You can then either return the mug once finished to get your deposit back or keep it as a nice souvenir.

While the designs vary, the mugs usually depict either the respective historic city centers or the Christmas market. However, if you prefer, you can purchase the ready-made beverage in a gourmet food store near you. It involves hot mulled wine, high alcohol-percentage rum and open flames. The movie has achieved cult status and has created a new tradition among fans. These fans invite friends over for a mug of Feuerzangenbowle and a screening of the iconic film.

It begins in a bar in Germany where the middle-aged Pfeiffer and his friends gather around a big pot of Feuerzangenbowle. Pfeiffer, having had a bit too much of this potent drink, decides to dress up as a high school student and return to school.

As the son of a prominent well-to-do family he had been privately tutored and missed out on that formative experience. Christmas in Germany: On Christmas Eve, often only little food is eaten during the day as this is a fast day. The festive Christmas celebrations start already in the afternoon, when many families with children attend a festive children's mass at their local church. After mass, families celebrate at home, lighting the candles or lights on their Christmas tree for the first time.

According to tradition, the ' Christkind ' Christ child or Baby Jesus will place the wrapped gifts and parcels under the Christmas tree whilst young children usually are not allowed to enter the living room before the celebrations in the evening.

So the little ones are usually very excited when they finally are called to come into the living room where they then can admire the shiningly decorated Christmas tree lit and the gifts under the tree. Families usually read the Christmas story together and sing Christmas carols on that evening and later enjoy a meal and eating traditional 'Christmas Stollen ', a traditional German Christmas cake with raisins.

Families with older children often decorate the tree together during the day and after the Christmas celebrations, they visit midnight mass at their church. On the 6th of January, children and teenagers, dressed as the 'Three Wise Men', will go from house to house to sing carols, pray and 'bless' the houses and to collect money for a good cause.

Usually this group of singers ' Sternsinger ' in German meaning 'singers or followers of the star' is organised by the local Catholic church communities. Image Sources for Christmas in Germany: Shutterstock. Back to Christmas Around the World.

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Christmas in Germany Christmas in Germany is celebrated with many traditions that are unique to Germany.