Archive for 'Traditions'
Lüften: Germany’s Airing Obsession & Covid-19 Posted by Constanze on Mar 17, 2021
Guten Tag! In a recent post on things you can expect to find in a German home, I talked about how die Heizung (the heating) and die Lüftung (the airing/ventilation) systems in German homes are different to those in US homes, meaning the Germans have to open their windows more often to prevent mould &…
Untranslatable German Words: Mahlzeit Posted by Sten on Feb 25, 2021
Welcome to another dip in the toe of the deep pond of untranslatable German words. We’ve discussed plenty already, and you probably won’t hear many of them on a daily basis, unfortunately. The word that we look at today, however, is different. Here’s the story of how an innocent word became a word that many…
7 German Home Traditions Posted by Constanze on Feb 17, 2021
Guten Tag! Last time on the blog, we looked at some of the features of a German home. Today, continuing on the theme of ‘Wir bleiben zuhause’ (‘We’re staying at home’), we’ll look at some German home traditions. German Home Traditions: Housewarming A tradition surrounding die Hauseinweihung (housewarming) in Germany is to give bread and…
Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Devise Posted by Sten on Feb 4, 2021
In this series, we look at words that exist in both English and German, but really don’t mean what you might expect them to, so-called false friends. We also look at words that sound or look deceivingly similar. Today, we look at a rather rare one, but you may have come across it. A word…
Bleigießen – Will this German Tradition Tell Your Future? Posted by Sten on Jan 11, 2021
Happy new year, everyone! Some days ago, we looked at some German NYE traditions. Today, I want to talk about a tradition that came to an end, but we could still do this year – Bleigießen (“lead pouring”). What is it, how do you do it and where did it come from? Drop it like it’s…
Chalking The Doors: A German New Year’s Tradition Posted by Constanze on Dec 30, 2020
Guten Tag und FROHES NEUES JAHR (HAPPY NEW YEAR)! Today’s post is all about a German New Year’s tradition that takes place on January 6th. January 6th in Germany is known as das Dreikönigsfest (‘the three kings festival’), otherwise known as Epiphany, and is celebrated primarily in southern Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. There…
4 Questions On German Räuchermännchen Posted by Sten on Dec 24, 2020
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. German Christmas! The Kamin (fireplace) is crackling joyfully and the warm and sweet Glühwein (mulled wine) relaxes the soul and the Räuchermännchen disperse their wonderful Christmas scent. Perhaps I lost you on that last one. What are Räuchermännchen? Little smoke men? Actually, kind of! 1. What is a…