Hallo! As my favourite season is upon is (Herbst – autumn) I decided there would be nothing better than a little post on all things Herbst in German.

Herbstblätter – Autumn leaves. Photo by sigusr0 on flickr.com under a CC license (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Herbstwetter (autumn weather) is beautiful. It’s kühl (cool) outside, often windig (windy) but nevertheless nice and sonnig (sunny). At times it can be rather regnerisch (rainy), too. However, you can sum all of this up by saying the weather is ‘herbstlich’ – autumnal!

In Herbst (autumn) we go from wearing Sommerkleider (summer clothes) to Herbstkleider (autumn clothes). So instead of wearing a Kleid (dress) and Sandalen (sandals) we wear a Pullover (jumper) and Stiefeln (boots)!

A lot of people like Herbst because it gives them a chance to wear their Mütze (hat), Schaal (scarf) and Handschuhe (gloves) again.

In Herbst people like to drink Heiße Schokolade (hot chocolate) or Pumpkin Spice Latte (yep, it exists in Germany and under the same name).

In Herbst, Blätter (leaves) are a variety of beautiful colours: rot (red), gelb (yellow), grün (green), orange (orange) and braun (brown). A favourite thing for some people is: Die Blätter knirschen unter den Füßen – ‘The leaves crunch underfoot’!

I hope this has painted a nice picture of Herbst for you. So what happens in Herbst in Germany? There are a number of public holidays and events that take place in autumn in Germany, including:

• Oktoberfest: The famous beer festival in Munich. Held every September.
• Tag der Deutschen Einheit: Day of German unity, celebrating the reunification of East and West Germany. Held on 03 October.
• Erntedankfest: This translates to ‘Thanksgiving Harvest Festival’ and is a religious festival held every October.
• Hallowe’en: Read this post and this post to find out what Hallowe’en is like in Germany!
• Mushroom picking: An odd one to finish on, but autumn is THE season for mushroom picking in Germany, and in some parts it’s practically part of their culture!

Herbstlich! – autumnal! Photo by gruenewiese on flickr.com under a CC license (CC BY-ND 2.0)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Herbst-themed post! If you’re interested in learning about the other seasons in German, here are some posts about:

Winter (Winter): Snow vocab

Summer (Sommer): How to stay safe during a Hitzewelle (heatwave)

Reading comprehension: Summer weather

Spring (Frühling):  Springtime

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