Summer and Autumn festivals in Germany

Except for the 15th of August with the Maria Himmelfahrt (Mary’s Ascension Day) which is a holiday in Bavaria, there are no holidays in July, August and September in Germany.

This being said; there are many festivals in Germany and historical events to visit during these months.

Many towns, such as Hirschhorn, have a Medieval festival with a Medieval market and a Ritterspiele (a Ritter is a Knight) where knights perform in tournament.

One of the best known of these Medieval Tournament go on for several weekends in July in Kaltenberg near Munich.

The towns of Rothenburg and of Dinkelsbühl also have festivals and historical plays to commemorate their being spare from the destruction of the 30 years war.

Also, every 10 years, the Alpine town of Oberammergau puts on the most famous Passion Play. And many towns and villages have all kinds of parades and celebrations to celebrate their being 800, 900 or 1000 years old. There are usually plays and big communal parties that go with it.

October has two principal festivals in Germany:

The Erntedank is the German harvest festival (about the equivalent of Thanksgiving in North America) which is observed on the first Sunday of October with parades in some towns and with fruits of the harvest on display on the altar during church services.

And the Tag des deutschen Einheit (the day of the German Unity). This day is to celebrate the re-unification of East and West Germany to become again one country in 1990. It is the most recent holiday celebrated in Germany and it is held on the 3rd of October.

Another event which is not German and of which very few German children had heard of until a few years ago, is the Holloween with its Jack-O’-Lantern. But this is slowly changing as, with many Americans living on US military bases in Germany, German children have started seeing pumpkins and Halloween costumes.

Some of these children have even started going door to door for trick or treat.

But unless your neighbours know about Halloween, your kids might be quite disappointed: it is not a German custom, very few know about it, and they will not be ready for visitors on October 31st asking for trick or treat, which is Süsses oder es gibt Saures in German.

In brief, there is always so much happening, so many festivals in Germany in Summer, that the only way to get to know what if going on in your region is to talk to your neighbours or read the news.

The local German newspapers are very helpful for that: even if you read very little German, the titles and the pictures will tell you a lot.

November in Germany is a month for solemn and reflective observances.

There are not many festivals in Germany and Holidays in this month.

In fact, there is only the First of November, Allerheiligen (All Saints day), that is a state holiday in Bavaria. And as this holiday is a Catholic one, it is not observed in most of the German states where the majority is protestant.

During that day, where it is celebrated, family graves are decorated with fall arrangements and there are many special church services to commemorate the saints who don't have a special day in the church calendar and the Christian martyrs.

November second, Allerseelen (All Souls Day) is dedicated to the memory of those who have died. It is not per se a holiday, but a time of reflection on ones own life.

The Protestant Buss- und Bettag (repentance and prayer day) is always on a Wednesday in November. It is not a holiday in Bavaria (mostly Catholic), but some German children might have no school.

And the Sunday before this day is the Volkstrauertag (National Day of Mourning). It is dedicated to remembering victims of Nazi terror and the dead of the two World Wars. Memorial events take place at monuments and elsewhere.

Then, the Sunday after Volkstrauertag is known as Totensonntag (the Sunday of the dead). It is a Protestant tradition to visit the graves of their friends and family members. Because of the solemn nature of these observances, no street decorations or parades or festivals are allowed during these weekends and on Busstag. No loud music should be played outside either.

November 11th has two major festivals in Germany: It is the day of Saint-Martin, Bishop of Tours who died around 400 AD and was known for his kindness to the poor. In many restaurants, and in many German houses, you will see "Martinsganz" (Martin's goose) on the menus in November. It is customery to eat goose at this time of the year to celebrate the Bishop of Tours.

The other event that is held in November has absolutely nothing to do with the solemnity of the Month. It is in fact the contrary. At exactly 11:11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month, the Karneval (or Mardi Gras) season starts officially.

Especially in the Rheinland (Bonn, Cologne and Mainz) you might run into people dressed in wild costumes on that day, and that day only in November.

In fact, except on this day, the 11 of November, you won't hear anything again about Karneval or Fashing until after the Christmas season in mid-January. The Karneval, called Fasching in the southern part of Germany, reaches its climax in February with parades and costumed balls.

December is a winter month, the season of Christmas.

The season starts on the first Sunday in December, which is the first Sunday of the Advent. It is also on that Sunday that most Weinachtmarkt (Xmas markets) open their doors, so to speak.

Most towns and villages have their own market and they are a real pleasure to visit. Even though streets and buildings might be decorated at this point in the season, most Germans wait until Christmas Eve to put up their tree.

But before Christmas Eve, another event happens: The visit of St. Nikolaus on the eve of the 6th of December. The children put out their shoes close to their bed and hope to find small gifts in them in the morning.

It is important to note that, even though it varies forms region to region, most stores close around noon on the 24th of December and do not reopen before the 27th as the 25th and the 26th are legal holidays for the whole of Germany and which are spent with family and friends.

Another unusual aspect of Christmas season in Germany is the baking of cookies: most women don’t cook cookies during the year except for Christmas. But then, there will be cookies galore: most women will bake dozens of fancy small cookies of many kinds a week or more before the holidays.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 895