The three German traditions we want to preserve for the future

We needed a long time to decide the three most important German traditions we want to preserve for the future. In Germany there are more than three important traditions and we like the most of them but carnival (in Germany ‘Fasching’ or ‘Fastnacht’), Oktoberfest and Christmas (in Germany ‘Weihnachten’) are really the best ones!

Fasching, Fastnacht:

Carnival parade in Koblenz, Picture: Holger Weinandt 
www.wikipedia.de CC BY-SA 3.0

Fasching is a custom with that the Germans celebrate the time before the fasting period. The fasting period starts on Ash Wednesday. The official beginning is the 11^th November at 11:11 o’clock but we actual celebrate it on the days before Ash Wednesday. Children have on these days no school.

The most important thing on Fasching are the costumes. Everybody wears a colorful costume. It can be everything you want , for example an animal, a princess or a playing card. There are many parades in almost all towns and cities. Peoples who are members of the parade throw sweets or distribute drinks to the viewers. The members of the parade built their own carriages which fit to their costumes. Every city or town have their own Faschings-Princess or Faschings-Prince (royal couple) and a youth royal couple. At the end of a parade the best costume group got voted from the committee. Teenagers and younger adults often are drunk.

The Oktoberfest:


The Oktoberfest is a traditional and famous folk festival in Germany. The original and real Oktoberfest takes place in Munich but in almost every town the people celebrate this festival too but much smaller (this became fashion in the last 20 years).

https://pixabay.com/de/photos/wiesn-oktoberfest-herz-2773031/, free picture

About 200 years ago the first Oktoberfest was celebrated because of the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. Because of the marriage there were many celebrations and parties but the last one , a horse race, was the origin of the Oktoberfest.
Today, more than 6 million people visit the original Oktoberfest in Munich. For the Oktoberfest it’s typical to wear a traditional costume/garb, to drink beer, to eat pretzels or Bavarian veal sausage and to dance on special way. Women wear a dirndl and men wear leather trousers. There are many fun rides on the original Oktoberfest and sometimes on the regional and smaller celebrations too. The original Oktoberfest you call ‘Wiesn’ too.

Beer & pretzel are typical for the Oktoberfest. Free picture: 

https://pixabay.com/de/photos/bier-brezel-restaurant-essen-1644690/

Many people think that the Germans always look and act like on the Oktoberfest but this only a partiality. Actually the Oktoberfest is only a regional celebration.







Christmas:

CC BY-SA 3.0: Malene Thyssen, 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Malene

I think everybody knows Christmas but there are many differences between the different countries and cultures. There are even differences in every family on the world depending on their nationality, family members, religions etc…
In Germany the most peoples are Christians (me too) so on Christmas Eve they go to the church. After that they go home and have a big dinner with their family or friends. Later they sing Christmas songs and after singing there is the gift giving. The presents are laying under a decorated Christmas tree. For many people Christmas is only gift giving but actually it’s for celebrating the birth Jesus Christ and spending time with your family. In Germany we celebrate Christmas on the 24^th of December.


Written by Franziska Lindt