7 Interesting Facts about Christmas in Germany

Germans prepare for the holidays early. This is because the Christmas season begins with the first Advent.  Advent means “Arrival” and is always related to the Jesus birth. The people start this period with the joy. The days of Advent always fall on a Sunday. Sometimes the first Advent is in November. 

Traditionally, there is an Advent wreath and on each Sunday of Advent, a candle is lit until all four candles are lit. In keeping with the first Advent, Christmas markets open daily until just before Christmas Eve.

The Advent calendar is a wonderful tradition. Not only for children it is a must-have, also for adults there are the most different Advent calendars to buy. The Advent calendar is used to count down the days until Christmas and can be simple paper calendar filled with small chocolate candy or can be a set of 24 gifts. The first gift is opened on December 1, the last one on December 24, which is Christmas Eve. 

St. Nicholas Day on December 6 is an important day in the run-up to Christmas. On this day, children traditionally put their shoes or hang a stocking the night before and discover treats and small gifts inside on St. Nicholas morning. This custom dates back to 340 AD. At that time, Saint Nicholas gave away everything he had to poor people and children. And he is commemorated on the day of his death, December 6. 

To get in the mood for a German Christmas sensibly, one thing must not be missing for many, of course: Baking cookies. The choice of a cookie recipe is not so easy, because there are many different ones. The classics among the Christmas cookies usually include butter cookies, vanilla crescents, cinnamon stars, vanilla crescents and Spitzbuben. With suitable Christmas music in the background, the smell of the cookies in the oven creates a real Christmas mood.

One of the typical German Christmas traditions is, of course, the Christmas market. At the end of November, many German cities are transformed into a winter wonderland. This tradition has also been adopted by many other countries in the meantime. At the Christmas markets you can buy small gifts, food and of course delicious, mulled wine. The Dresden Striezelmarkt is considered the oldest Christmas market in Germany.

Once the fourth candle on the Advent wreath is lit, it is not long until Christmas Eve on December 24. This day is the highlight of the Christmas season in Germany. On this day or a little earlier, the Christmas tree is put up and decorated. Many households also set up a nativity scene. Christmas dinner is prepared in the kitchen.

For devout Germans, Christmas Eve is often spent going to church for Christmas services. Families with children go there in the afternoon, while the elderly, single people or those without children like to go to Christmas Eve mass in the evening. The service is usually very festive.

After the church service in the afternoon and before the big Christmas dinner, the gift-giving takes place in the early evening. It is not uncommon for the children to receive several gifts at once. In some families the Christ Child brings the presents, in others Santa Claus.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day (December 25 and 26) are public holidays. Many people use the two holidays to get together with the whole family. There is coffee and cake or dinner together. Often, small gifts are also handed over, for example, from grandparents. The Christmas holidays are spent comfortably and harmoniously before the big sale in the stores starts on the next working day and the preparations for the New Year's Eve party are on the agenda.