Would you like to know what an authentic German christmas is like? I don´t mean “a tourist´s German christmas” and I don´t mean a Bavarian christmas, either. Let me show you how Germans actually celebrate christmas and what German families do during Advent. One thing in advance: Christmas, in Germany, is also called “the feast of the family”, so most traditional German christmas activities are family centred.
Authentic German Advent Symbols, Ornaments, and Crafting
When does christmas time begin in Germany? Stores, of course, will begin to display the first Christmas items on their shelves as early as August, when the North Sea has only just reached its ideal swimming temperature… Hardly any christmas vibes around at that time!
When does a German christmas begin?
I know when that christmas feeling begins for me: It´s some time in October, when most of the leaves have fallen or turned brown. When I get up in the dark and the kids set off for school at the very first break of dawn. It´s when the hoarfrost dissolves in the morning sun, but the days remain crisp and cool. When the air has that special autumn scent of wood and rotting leaves, rain and wet soil, and of the fires some people still make in their heating stoves. We are lucky enough to be among them since our house has no central heating!
That´s when I begin to feel like having some christmas spice tea. Boskoop apples are ripe at last! That tea, then, is very likely to go with some apple cake or baked apple. While these are baking, I will begin to think about what to eat on Christmas eve, and where to get our Christmas tree this year. I have to confess that it´s also when I begin to binge watch christmas movies while cooking and washing the dishes. This is when my husband gets his guitar in the evening and we sing a song or two together. And this is the time when our floor, tables and desks all over the house are covered in paper snippets, threads, beads, modelling clay and glue. And I know they will be like this until New Year´s Day. There are just so many special days during the last quarter of the year that absolutely demand crafting! And all of them lead us towards Christmas.
What doesn´t start off a German christmas…
You may already know that Halloween is not a traditional holiday in Germany. In recent years some people have taken it up since they have seen it so many times on TV. And of course it is promoted by stores! But it is not really part of our culture. Neither is Thanksgiving. We do give thanks for the year´s harvest – this is done in late September or early October and is mostly limited to church activities. In addition, most villages have their harvest feasts in August. You can see why the end of harvest time is not at all associated with getting into the Christmas mood!
…and what does!
The official beginning of Christmas time, at last, is St. Martin´s day on 11th November. This used to be the day when a six week period of fasting before christmas began. Nowadays, Advent has been shortened to a four week period. Hardly anyone knows that it´s supposed to be a time for fasting. Quite on the contrary, for most it is a time to stuff oneself with chocolate, christmas cookies and cake at home or at one of the numerous christmas markets and events. For many, it´s the time to have quite a lot of alcoholic drinks as well. While I don´t support the alcohol thing, I do join in the cookie feasting. It´s just so much fun to bake them together with my children! As for the mulled wine or punch, there are non-alcoholic alternatives that I´d love to share with you.
Saint Martin´s Day: Sneaking up to Christmas
But let´s step two weeks back to St. Martin´s day. Children look forward to this for weeks, as they make lanterns and sing St. Martin´s songs at Kindergarten and Primary School. On the evening of 11th November, large groups of children and parents (anything between just one or hundreds of families) will be walking through the streets in a row, carrying their lanterns and singing songs about Saint Martin.
Why do Germans celebrate Saint Martin?
Martin was originally from Hungary, but became Bishop of Tours (France) in the 4th century. He is mostly associated with compassion for the poor and sick, but also known for pacifism and for remaining humble and modest even as a bishop. His story is told to children as an encouragement to help people in need and to “let their light shine in the darkness of the world” – hence the lanterns.
The Lantern Walk is sometimes accompanied by a local marching band and very often by a “Saint Martin” on a horse. It is organised by the Primary School or Kindergarten, or by the local church. It is usually preceded or followed by a short church service. And it always ends with cake being distributed among the children, to share with the people around them.
In some regions, children who are old enough to go by themselves will walk from house to house to ask for some sweets. Which they will get IF they sing a song!
A Quiet Time, But Then…
St. Martin´s day is a cheering beam of light within a time of year that is otherwise seen to be more sombre, if not depressing. The leaves will all have fallen by now, there will be lots of rain and mist. Day temperatures will be just above the freezing point. Days are short, flowers are long gone and christmas decorations are not up yet. In fact it´s considered rude to display cheerful ornaments before Volkstrauertag and Ewigkeitssonntag.These are the last two Sundays before Advent. The “People´s day of mourning” is a day of remebrance for victims of war all over the world, especially local victims of the two World Wars. On “Eternity Sunday”, also called “Sunday of the Deceased”, many Protestants will attend a commemoration service at their church or at a graveyard to remember those that have passed during the year.
If you plan to visit Germany around christmas time, you should know this
If you are planning to visit Germany, it might be good to know that the two Sundays before Advent are “Quiet Days” by law. There will be no concerts or shows, bars and clubs will be closed. Exceptions can be made for events of a more serious character like, for example, the performance of a Requiem. However, within their private homes people can do as they please, but they will be careful not to disturb their neighbors.
German Advent Traditions and Decorations
But after this, the Christmas Season truly begins! Christmas Markets open, there will be choir concerts and dance recitals, and all sorts of public and private gatherings and events. You will see christmas trees on market squares and in shopping malls. Not in churches and private homes, though! To most families it is a very dear tradition to surprise the children with the decorated christmas tree on christmas night. But more of this later, and back to Advent.
What a German Advent wreath looks like
Families and churches, schools and kindergartens will have an advent wreath. This wreath comes in different sizes, depending on its particular purpose. It will be lying on a family´s coffee or dining table, or hanging from the ceiling at a school staircase or at church.
Holly and ivy have no place on a German advent wreath – these are typical graveyard plants in Germany! We make advent wreaths from twigs of spruce, fir or pine, or sometimes of straw. The evergreen conifers symbolize eternal life, as does the circular shape. The latter also symbolizes the whole world that is waiting for Christ, its king. And it symbolizes his crown both of thorns and of gold. Straw points toward the stable of Bethlehem. On top there are always four candles, traditionally red or white. Not purple! Only sometimes there are more of them, as there were on the very first Advent wreath. This had our red candles, one for each Sunday. Plus four times six white ones in between for each weekday.
Adventskaffee – Gathering Around the Advent Wreath
Children look forward to lighting the first candle on the first Advent Sunday. On each of the Advent Sundays, another one will follow. On the last Sunday before christmas, all four candles will be shining. Many families combine the lighting of a new candle on the Advent wreath with spending some time together. They will sing Advent songs or read to the children; or have grandparents or close friends as guests. And they will certainly have christmas cookies and Stollen with Glühwein, Punsch or christmas tea.
German Christmas Souvenirs
There are quite a few traditional christmas decorations that you are likely to come across in any German street at this time of the year. In recent years, more and more people have taken on the American custom of hanging all sorts of fairy lights around their houses and gardens. With the cost of electricity constantly on the rise, this development is likely to slow down, though. Maybe this is a new chance for the traditional ornaments that have become more and more out of fashion during the last two decades, but have been around for a century or even more.
Interestingly, many of them originally stem from the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains), a former mining region in the east of Germany. It´s well worth a visit!
Candle Arch, Smoking Man, Nutcracker: Popular German Christmas Items
There is the Schwibbogen – a wooden semicircle or triangle, originally with real candles, now mostly electric ones. It can be quite plain or very elaborate. You will see them in windows, but also huge ones in public places.
Another popular christmas decoration is the Räuchermännchen (“little smoking man”), a small wooden figure with an incense cone inside, and of course the wooden nutcracker.
The “smoking man” can depict several professions from huntsman to beekeeper to night watchman, while the nutcracker is normally either an 18th century soldier or a miner. Their nutcracking purpose makes their facial expression very stern – younger children are often afraid of them. German 19th century writer E.T.A. Hoffmann realized what nightmare material they actually were. Read his horror novel “Nutcracker and King of Mice”, wich was quite a bit softened to become the sujet of Tchaikowsy´s ballett “The Nutcracker”! Which, by the way, has its permanent place in the German christmas season. Many theaters put it on in November and December, and its music is popular as background to many German christmas and advent activities.
Advent Calendars
Did you know that Advent Calendars are an originally German tradition? They first appeared it 19th century Lutheran households, to serve a double purpose. The first, obviously, was to help children wait for christmas eve. The second was to teach them about the meaning of christmas. That´s why these calendars displayed biblical scenes and often invited to interaction. For example, the advent calendar could be one large picture of the stable of Bethlehem, but there would be blank places. Children were then to fill the gaps day by day with 24 cut-out, glue-on little pictures. Or there were doors that upon opening revealed pictures or bible verses.
Buy them…
Similar advent calendars still exist. It is mostly christian bookstores that sell them. But most children now have a secular advent calendar with Father Christmas, a fairytale scene or the like on it. And most calendars contain chocolate. These calendars have become so frequent and cheap that stores, banks etc. often hand them out for free and kids have them in addition to the advent calendar that they get from their parents. Which, in my eyes, is a pity – I remember looking forward with excitement to opening a little door with just a little picture to complete the big one… Now there´s the free chocolate calendar, sometimes several ones per kid so they just get ripped open to devour the content. My husband and I try to avoid these, so our children can still have that special feeling. Also, we think that it´s a fun way to train children in patience.But we do give them a self-made advent calendar.
…or make them!
We have made so many different ones through the years! Sometimes, we just hang little packages on a string as a cheerful garland. (Germans are not much into christmas cards, so we don´t have a string with christmas cards on it.) Sometimes, I have put up a little 3d christmas scene on a table or chest of drawers, with Mary and Joseph walking along a path of 24 pebbles. Last year, I made a (Waldorf-inspired) christmas spiral. And there are so many other possibilities! But I do like those best that are not, basically, just 24 “appetizers” for the bigger gifts on christmas eve. I prefer advent calendars that encourage families to spend time together. For instance, we sing a song while lighting a candle. Now Mary, Joseph and the angel (3 kids, 3 figures) move one step forward. Then, if there is time, we read a story. Then possibly sing another song, and then blow out the candle and start our day.
Read more about German christmas
If you would like to read more about advent and christmas time in Germany, read part two of this christmas series! You will find some thoughts and advice on German christmas markets. And I shall reveal to you what activities German families are likely to enjoy together at christmas time.
Leave a Comment