Now, here\u2019s a photo of a German advent calendar. Notice anything odd?<\/p>\n
![\"IMG_0197\"](\"https:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2292\/2089857840_15f71ede73.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by fruetel on flickr.com under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n
Yes, that\u2019s right \u2013 there are only 24 doors on a German Adventskalender.<\/strong> In Germany, Christmas is celebrated on December 24th<\/sup>, not December 25th<\/sup>. That\u2019s because December 24th<\/sup> marks the last day of Advent. This is not unique to Germany, however: Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Denmark and Estonia are just some countries that have the same tradition.<\/p>\n Der Adventskalender: The Advent calendar Drawing chalk markings on doors Adventskerze – Advent candle. Photo by comedynose on flickr.com under Public Domain<\/p><\/div>\n A German called Gerhard Lang<\/strong> is credited with printing the first Advent calendar for sale, even though the tradition had been around for a long time beforehand.<\/p>\n This Advent calendar consisted of little, religious pictures which were to be attached to a piece of cardboard \u2013 one for each day. Later on they developed to have the T\u00fcren<\/strong> (doors) and Schokolade <\/strong>(chocolate) we are familiar with today.<\/p>\n So what happens on December 24th<\/sup> and 25th<\/sup> in Germany?<\/strong><\/p>\n Christmas Eve is called Heiliger Abend<\/strong> or Heilige Nacht<\/strong> (\u2018Holy Evening\u2019 or \u2018Holy Night\u2019) in German. Most businesses, including banks, post offices etc. close early on Heiliger Abend<\/strong>, to allow Germans to start their celebrations and travel to their family homes.<\/p>\n Food<\/strong> A variety of German Christmas Kekse, including Lebkuchen, Vanillekipferl, and Zimtsterne. Photo by jseidl2011 on flickr.com under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n Dickbauch<\/strong> Presents<\/strong> Time for Church, family, and resting Unlike in England, where December 24th<\/sup> is a normal, working day for most people, December 25th<\/sup> is Christmas Day and December 26th<\/sup> involves a mad rush to the Boxing Day sales, Germany treats these three days as a holiday. In other words, hardly anything is open at this time. For that reason, it is wise to stock up on food on or before 23rd<\/sup>, because most supermarkets in Germany are closed on 24th<\/sup>, 25th<\/sup> AND 26th<\/sup> December!<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n This\u2019ll probably be my last post before Christmas, so I\u2019d like to say thank you to everyone who\u2019s been reading and commenting on my posts for the past half year. It\u2019s been a pleasure writing for you all, and I hope you\u2019ve enjoyed my posts and learnt something from them!<\/p>\n Ich w\u00fcnsche euch alle Fr\u00f6hliche Weihnachten! Viel Spa\u00df! Bis zum n\u00e4chsten mal,<\/strong><\/p>\n Constanze x<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Servus! Only 4 more days ’til Christmas, so here’s another German Christmas post! Did you know that the Advent calendar chocolate you\u2019re happily chomping away on is a German invention? Yes, along with the Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree), the Adventskalender is something else you can thank the Germans for. As the big day draws nearer, today…<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Advent calendars date back to the 1800s, when German Protestants used various methods to count down from the start of Advent to Christmas. Techniques used included:<\/p>\n
\nLighting candles (one for each day)
\nAttaching religious pictures onto walls
\nBurning an Advent candle that lasts 24 days<\/p>\n![\"Project](\"https:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2686\/4193714394_af081949f4.jpg\")
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\nGermans usually eat a huge Christmas meal on both December 24th<\/sup> and December 25th<\/sup> \u2013 though some families make one feast bigger than the other. A traditional German Christmas meal might include the following: Weihnachtskarpfen<\/strong> (\u2018Christmas carp\u2019), Kartoffelsalat<\/strong> (potato salad), Gurkensalat <\/strong>(cucumber salad), Weihnachtsgans<\/strong> (\u2018Christmas goose\u2019), Kraut <\/strong>(cabbage), Kn\u00f6del <\/strong>(dumplings). For sweet treats and dessert there is Weihnachtsstollen<\/strong> (Christmas Stollen), Lebkuchen <\/strong>(gingerbread, sometimes covered in chocolate), Marzipan<\/strong> (marzipan), and other Kekse und<\/strong> S\u00fc\u00dfigkeiten <\/strong>(biscuits and sweets) known as Vanillekipferl, Zimtsterne<\/strong> and Kokosmakronen<\/strong>, to name a few. Gl\u00fchwein<\/strong> (mulled wine) is a very popular German drink at Christmas time, but most alcoholic beverages are common.<\/p>\n![\"Frohe](\"https:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7034\/6559360855_a9af5cc5c7.jpg\")
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\nDickbauch means \u201cfat stomach\u201d. This word refers to a German myth that those who do not eat enough on Christmas eve are visited during the night by demons. To prevent it, you must have a Dickbauch.<\/strong> I don\u2019t think any of us need another reason to stuff our faces at Christmas time, but as far as excuses go, this is a pretty good one!<\/p>\n
\nChildren open presents on Christmas eve. Apparently, this tradition began in the 16th<\/sup> century with Martin Luther, who wanted to steer the celebrations away from December 6th<\/sup> (St. Nicholas Day), when presents were traditionally exchanged in Catholic families. He believed it was blasphemy to worship a saint rather than Christ himself, so he started the tradition of exchanging gifts on Heiliger Abend <\/strong>in honour of Christ.<\/strong> Traditionally, presents are put underneath the tree while children are out of the room. Some families also celebrate the Christkind,<\/strong> which you can read more about here.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Christmas day is for going to Die Kirche (<\/strong>Church), visiting friends and family, staying at home, resting, reflecting \u2013 and eating even more food.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2014\/12\/2089857840_15f71ede73-350x322.jpg\")