{"id":9484,"date":"2018-01-18T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T08:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=9484"},"modified":"2018-01-17T12:51:16","modified_gmt":"2018-01-17T12:51:16","slug":"will-you-get-lucky-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/will-you-get-lucky-in-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Will You Get Lucky In 2018?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is 2018, a new year! That not only means setting\u00a0new year’s resolutions and goals<\/a>, but it also means wishing people a happy new year, and wishing each other luck. How? Find out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Frohes neues!<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Image by NordWood Themes at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Ich\/Wir w\u00fcnsche(n) viel Gl\u00fcck und Erfolg im neuen Jahr!<\/em><\/strong>
\nI\/We wish good luck and success in the new year!<\/em><\/p>\n

This is one of the most common ways to wish somebody a happy new year, and you will find it a lot on\u00a0Neujahrskarten\u00a0<\/em>(new year’s postcards).<\/p>\n

2. Guten Rutsch!<\/em><\/strong>
\nGood slide!<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a rather strange wish. You basically tell someone to slide well into the new year, so this is said during the days before New Year’s Eve. What does it mean? It may have its origins in Yiddish, which German got many words from, actually. The Yiddish word “Rosch” means Anfang<\/em> (beginning, start). So it is a guter Anfang!<\/em> (good beginning\/start)!<\/p>\n

3. Frohes neues!<\/em><\/strong>
\nHappy new!<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the most common greeting in the new year. I personally think it is fine to wish\u00a0frohes neues\u00a0<\/em>for the whole month of January. After all, you don’t see everyone you want to wish it to within the first week of January!\u00a0Frohes neues\u00a0<\/em>is short for\u00a0Frohes neues Jahr\u00a0<\/em>– Happy new year.<\/p>\n

Gl\u00fccksbringer<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Apart from these greetings, there are several\u00a0Gl\u00fccksbringer\u00a0<\/em>(lucky charms) that are especially paid attention to around the turn of the year. You are free to use these to send to friends if you’d like, since I made them myself. Let’s have a look at all of them!<\/p>\n

Schornsteinfeger<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"The\u00a0Schornsteinfeger<\/em>\u00a0(chimney sweeper) is a classic! But why should the\u00a0Schornsteinfeger\u00a0<\/em>be a\u00a0Gl\u00fccksbringer<\/em>?<\/p>\n

A clean\u00a0Schornstein\u00a0<\/em>is important, because the soot in the chimney can still ignite with fire from the\u00a0Kamin\u00a0<\/em>(fireplace). In the past, houses were made of wood, and such an ignition could set entire city quarters on fire. So the\u00a0Schornsteinfeger\u00a0<\/em>would bring good fortune, because he would clean\u00a0Schornsteine\u00a0<\/em>to prevent a\u00a0Feuer<\/em> (fire).<\/p>\n

Most\u00a0chimney sweeping took place at the turn of the year, so it was also the time that the\u00a0Schornsteinfeger\u00a0<\/em>would bring by his\u00a0Rechnung\u00a0<\/em>(invoice), and he had the opportunity to wish his\u00a0Kunden\u00a0<\/em>(clients) a\u00a0Guten Rutsch<\/em>. This was also considered to bring fortune, so the\u00a0Schornsteinfeger\u00a0<\/em>grew out to be a\u00a0Gl\u00fccksbringer!<\/em><\/p>\n

Schwein<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Schwein\u00a0<\/i>(pig) is another classic. Very well known is the expression Schwein gehabt haben\u00a0<\/i>(“to have had pig”), which means that you got lucky with something.<\/p>\n

But why a\u00a0Schwein<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Back in the day, having a\u00a0Schwein\u00a0<\/em>and being able to eat\u00a0Schwein\u00a0<\/em>was seen as a sign of\u00a0Wohlstand\u00a0<\/em>(prosperity) – but also of\u00a0Gl\u00fcck\u00a0<\/em>(luck). According to folklore, eating\u00a0Schwein\u00a0<\/em>on January 1 would bring luck in the coming year. Nowadays, the only thing left from that tradition and belief is the expression:\u00a0Du hast Schwein gehabt!<\/em><\/p>\n

Hufeisen<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"The\u00a0Hufeisen\u00a0<\/em>(horseshoe) is a well-known\u00a0Gl\u00fccksbringer<\/em>. The story goes that a Schmied <\/em>(blacksmith) called Dunstan once shod the\u00a0Teufel\u00a0<\/em>(devil), but he hit it so hard, that the\u00a0Teufel\u00a0<\/em>was begging for\u00a0Gnade\u00a0<\/em>(mercy). Dunstan said he would only stop if the\u00a0Teufel\u00a0<\/em>would promise to spare all those wearing a\u00a0Hufeisen<\/em>. So have one at your home – the\u00a0Teufel <\/em>will spare you! It is especially widespread belief in the north of Germany.\u00a0 an<\/p>\n

There are many different places in which you can hang the\u00a0Hufeisen<\/em>. One thing\u00a0is strange, however – the direction in which you should hang it up. Some say you need to put the horns up, so that\u00a0Gl\u00fcck\u00a0<\/em>can be received. Others say that it should be hung horns down, so that the\u00a0Gl\u00fcck\u00a0<\/em>can run out, into your life. Either way should work, I suppose!<\/p>\n

Gl\u00fcckspfennig<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"A Gl\u00fcckspfennig\u00a0<\/em>(lucky penny) is made of\u00a0Kupfer\u00a0<\/em>(copper). The luck of it comes from the belief that in something small lies the origin of something big – so finding one, that is Gl\u00fcck\u00a0<\/i>for something great to come!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are Gl\u00fccksbringer\u00a0<\/em>in your language or country? Do you know the ones above? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

It is 2018, a new year! That not only means setting\u00a0new year’s resolutions and goals, but it also means wishing people a happy new year, and wishing each other luck. How? Find out. \u00a0Frohes neues! 1. Ich\/Wir w\u00fcnsche(n) viel Gl\u00fcck und Erfolg im neuen Jahr! I\/We wish good luck and success in the new year!…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":9486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,7,8],"tags":[128811,358440,13285,503949,375447,13],"class_list":["post-9484","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-holidays","category-language","tag-fortune","tag-german-traditions","tag-happy-new-year","tag-lucky-charms","tag-new-year-vocabulary","tag-vocabulary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t