Holidays and Festivals in Germany

Germany has one of the highest numbers of public statutory holidays among the European countries. The holidays are a mix of Christian holy days, relics of pagan festivals and national events. Besides, there are some which are celebrated only in certain, mainly Catholic, provinces. No matter what time of year you visit the country, there is certain to be a celebration going on. Here are some of the holidays and festivals that are widely popular in Germany.

New Years Day

Germany ushers in the New Year, known as Silvester here, in festive style with dancing, drinking toasts and fireworks at midnight. Church bells ring out and the celebrations acquire a distinct flavor with the telling of fortunes and exchanging of good luck charms or special chocolate or marzipan treats. However the truly unique German way of celebrating the New Year has to be a screening of “Dinner for One”. Every year around New Year's Eve) German television broadcasts the classic, black-and-white English-language version filmed back in 1963 in Hamburg. All across Germany, from the 31st of December to January 1st, Germans know it's the beginning of a new year when they watch this annual event.

Epiphany

This festival celebrates the visit to the Christ Child by the three Magi. It also marks the last twelve days of Christmas. On the day of Epiphany children and teenage boys dress up as the kings and go from door to door collecting for charity. In some homes, the letters CMB are chalked on the doorway – on one hand these stand for the names of the three Magi, Casper, Melchior and Balthazar while on the other they also represent the Latin inscription meaning, “May Christ Bless this House”.

Carnival

Known as Karneval throughout Germany and as Fasching in Bavaria, this marks the last burst of revelry and indulgence before the forty days of Lent begin. In fact preparations for this February event often start weeks before and in Carnival time, parties are also held in schools and offices besides homes and neighborhoods.

Nearly every German city celebrates the Karneval with parties, pageants and parades and some of the most spectacular displays are from places like Munich, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Aachen. Participants come out in fancy dress costumes and everyone is steeped in the spirit of revelry. The main parade is held on Rosennotag or Rose Monday which is celebrated two days before the beginning of Lent. On this day, a carnival king and queen are crowned and they lead the biggest parade of the Carnival. Then again on Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fastnacht, there is a grand feast before the fasting of Lent begins.
 
The popularity of the Karneval probably owes to the fact that this is one time when even the normally staid Germans give in to the impulse for spontaneity and indulgence so much so that insubordination and disorder are often taken for granted during this time. For instance on the occasion of Weiberfastnacht, ladies have license to cut the ties of any men they meet.

Easter

Good Friday and Easter are usually observed in March or April. Good Friday marks the crucifixion of Christ and is thus a solemn day for both Protestants and Catholics in Germany as a result of which churches are stripped bare of all decorations. Just two days later though, they are ablaze in color as the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

In the weeks leading up to Easter, chocolate bunnies and eggs can be seen and bought in shops everywhere. People exchange chocolate Easter bunnies or painted hardboiled eggs and often decorate their houses with flowers. Part of the tradition is to hide the eggs away for the children to find. The Osterhase or Easter bunny is actually a tradition that dates back to the pre-Christian spring festival.

Spring festivals

Easter is followed by a whole lot of minor festivals in Germany which though linked to religious events originally celebrated the arrival of spring and in fact continues to do so. One of these is the Christi Himmelfart or Ascension Day and it is on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter. Since the late 19th century, this has been a traditional day for men to go on outings with clubs or groups that they belong to. And because it is celebrated as the day that Jesus returned to his father in Heaven, it is also celebrated as Vatertag (Father's day) in Germany. Still another festival, Pfingsten (Pentecost or also called Whitsun) falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and is widely celebrated in Bavaria, a predominantly Catholic area of Germany, where the children have a two-week vacation from school for the Pentecost. In other regions of Germany, there might be shorter vacations or just the holiday itself. Pentecost is the celebration of the ascent of the Holy Spirit onto the Apostles after Jesus ascension to Heaven 10 days before. It is also seen as the real day of the foundation of the Christian Church.

Fronleichnam or Corpus Christi Day is again one of the other festivals in Germany, observed on the Thursday after Pentecost. It is to celebrate the Christian sacrament of the Holy Communion.

May Day

Like in many other parts of the world, 1st May is celebrated Labor Day in Germany too in commemoration of the importance of workers' rights. On this day, most public offices and businesses are closed. People often spend this day organizing or attending marches for rights. On another level, May Day is also used to celebrate the beginning of spring which is why this is also the day of the Maibaum when Maypoles are decorated and May fires are burnt with villages partying and feasting around them.

Oktoberfest

However the German festival that is most famous all over the world is the Oktoberfest. Originally a harvest festival, this is a sixteen-day festival during which a great deal of beer and wine are drunk and vast quantities of special foods like sausages are consumed.

Oktoberfest begins during the last two weeks of September and lasts until the first Sunday in October. The main hub of celebrations is the city of Munich where the festivities open with a parade filled with horse-drawn carriages, waitresses on floats and beer tent bands. The event attracts visitors from across the world who descend upon the country during this time for a fortnight-long party. Other wine-growing districts, mostly those along the Rhine, also have their own versions of harvest festivals at this time.

The day of the German Unity

October 3 is celebrated in Germany as Tag des deutschen Einheit or the Day of the German Unity.  This day is to commemorate the re-unification of East and West Germany to become again one country in 1990. It is the most recent holiday celebrated in Germany and is a public holiday.

Advent

Advent marks the beginning of preparations for Christmas. On this day, children are given an Advent calendar and they open one of its small windows each day to display a Christmas-themed picture. Another German custom associated with this festival is the Adventskranz, a wreath with four red candles, one of which is lit on each Sunday before Christmas. In anticipation of Christmas, many towns during the Advent period put up picturesque markets, selling gingerbread, mulled wine, spicy Christmas cakes and colorful decorations.

St Nicholas’ Day

December 5 is celebrated as St Nicholas’ Day with children leaving out their shoes when they go to bed in the hope that St Nicholas, known as Sant Niklaus in Germany, will reward them for good behavior by filling them with sweets.

Christmas

All the preparation and anticipation is brought to a head on Christmas Eve. On this evening, businesses close early and people hurry home to exchange presents around the Christmas tree.  German traditions associated with Christmas have certain regional variations too. In the northern parts of the country, families receive a visit from the Weihnachstmann – a Santa Claus-like figure. In southern parts though, it is usually to celebrate the occasion with the Christkind or the Christ Child. Many families attend special church services held at midnight.

Christmas Day is largely a family affair – there is an elaborate family meal of which the highlight is usually a goose accompanied by red cabbage and dumplings. Later people go out to visit friends and relatives or simply enjoy themselves in the outdoors.