Christmas in GermanyCREATED BY: DANIEL, ABIGAIL, ALEX

Christmas Eve in Germany

Many people travel to spend the late afternoon and evening with family members on Christmas Eve. Many people decorate a Christmas tree and some attend midnight mass. Midnight mass is a church service that traditionally starts late in the evening but now often starts earlier in the evening to allow whole families to attend.

Later in the evening, many families open their Christmas presents that were placed under the Christmas tree. In many Protestant families, children are told that Father Christmas or Santa Claus brought the presents. In many Catholic families, they are told that the Christ Child gave the presents. A traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of carp (a type of fish), potato salad, boiled potatoes, cucumber salad and lemon slices

Christmas morning

Presents

A large meal is traditionally eaten in the afternoon or early evening. Typical dishes include:•Roast goose or duck stuffed with apples, chestnuts, onions or prunes.•Red cabbage with onions and apple.•Boiled potatoes.•Dumplings.

People generally spend Christmas Day with family members or close friends. Some attend church services and many sing traditional Christmas carol.

German Christmas Traditions:

The Pickle,

The parents hang the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.

The Advent wreath is adorned with four candles, one of which is lit on each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas. The first Advent wreath, which appeared in the mid-19th century, had 4 larger candles and 19 smaller ones. Each day one additional candle was lit to help the children count the days until Christmas. Today only the four larger candles remain. However, the tradition has been exported to many other countries around the world and was adapted to existing customs. The Advent wreath of the Eastern Orthodox Church uses 6 candles to last through its somewhat longer Advent season.

The Advent Wreath

Almost every German city for the cold winter season, but soon celebrates the holiday season with a traditional Christmas market. The fairs, which date back to the 15th century, originally provided food and practical supplies the markets became a beloved holiday tradition and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.

On 6th of December, Nikolaustag or St. Claus day is celebrated and children leave out a shoe or boot outside the door on the previous evening.

Why do they celebrate

Christmas in Germany?

In Germany they celebrate Christmas

the same reason we do, the day Jesus

was born.

Fun Facts

English- Merry Christmas German- Frohe Weihnachten

Merry Christmas

Santa Clause

English- Santa Clause German- Weihnachtsmann

The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.

Are Resources were: www. Science kids .com, Google translator. Com,Time and Date . Com , www. Traditions of Germany