Tag Archives: traditions
13 German Superstitions Posted by Constanze on Jun 20, 2018
Guten Tag! Today I thought it’d be fun to look at some superstitions – or Aberglauben – you may come across in Germany. Knowing what these are might help explain any ‘unusual’ behaviour you see in Germany, and help you to avoid making an embarrassing faux-pas yourself! Feel free to add any more German superstitions…
An Extraordinary Tradition – Das Bloch Posted by Sten on Jan 26, 2018
Yesterday, a new film premiered. The documentary shows a more than 200 years old tradition in the Appenzellerland, a region in Switzerland. It is quite useless – a Bloch (Swiss word for “log”, a tree trunk) is hauled from one place through the villages, and finally back to the starting place. So it did not really go…
The Swiss Silvesterklaus Posted by Constanze on Jan 3, 2018
Guten Tag und Prosit Neujahr! Hope you’ve all had a good rest and had a fantastic start to 2018! In my last post I talked about the origins of the German word for New Year’s Eve: Silvester. I also mentioned the Swiss character known as Silvesterklaus. Today I’d like to tell you a little more…
Why do Germans call New Year’s Eve ‘Silvester’? Posted by Constanze on Dec 29, 2017
Guten Tag! I hope you all had Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas), that you got to spend time with your Familie (family) and open lots of wonderful Geschenke (presents)! Now there are only a few days left until New Year’s Eve and 2018. If you want to learn about German Christmas and New Year’s customs then…
Heiligabend – Christmas Eve in Germany Posted by Sten on Dec 25, 2017
It is Christmas morning! Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)! Today is the day that Jesus Christ was born. And it means waking up to presents, because Santa was there, too! But not so in Germany. Kids and adults wake up on December 25 without presents to unwrap. Do they not receive and give presents during Christmas? Oh…
A Strange Tradition: Soester Wippen Posted by Sten on Dec 14, 2017
Every country has its traditions, whether that is Krampus, Oktoberfest, Richtfest, or Maibäume. Some regions also have their very own traditions. And one of these, I want to discuss today: The Soester Wippen. Rocking stairs of punishment The Soester Wippe is a rocker with stair steps in the city of Soest. It was used as a means of humiliating punishment from the 14th up…
Breakfast The Bavarian Way Posted by Constanze on Nov 8, 2017
Guten Tag! The topic of today is Frühstück (breakfast), but with a twist. I’d like to share some information about the traditional Bavarian breakfast with you. A traditional Bavarian breakfast consists of the following: Die Weißwurst Literally ‘white sausage’, this is a sausage made from minced veal and pork bacon, seasoned with parsley, ginger, onions…