German Christmas

1. German Christmas By Heidi Thorne

2. When does it start? The preparations for Christmas start before December falls. They make lots of things from decoration to things that are edible.

3. What happens on the 5th-6th of December? On the 5th of December is St. Nicolas Eve. The children put a shoe or boot out side of their front door and over night St. Nicolas puts small objects inside. The next morning is (6th of December) St. Nicolas Day were the children go outside and see what they have got in their shoe or boot, but he will only give nice objects to the good children if they have been bad they might get a stick or a twig orsomething like that.

4. How do the Germans decorate their houses? Germans love to decorate their houses. They will often have an Adventskranz which is a wreath of leaves with four red candles on. On each Sunday of advent they light one of the candles. Quite a lot of homes will have a little wooden cribs = a small model stable were Jesus was born Mary, Joseph and the animals are there to. They also have Christmas trees.

5. What do they eat? On Christmas day the tradition is to eat a Carp (fish) or a Goose.

6. What happens on Christmas Eve? The Christmas tree is decorated on Christmas Eve, so the children can not see it because they believe the tree holds mysterious spell.

7. German Christmas Markets At Christmas markets in Germany you can find lots of things. You can find mould wine which is wine warmed up with oranges and spices added. You can also find lots of Christmas gifts like wooden chalets with special illuminations.

8. The difference!!! In England we celebrate Christmas slightly differently. The shops start selling things for it before Christmas but until the end of November no one really thinks about it. From the first of December we have advent calendars that we open everyday until Christmas and we put our tree up and decorate it then we wait until Christmas eve and we leave milk a carrot some sherry and a mince pie (that is what my family does anyway) for Santa Claws. We also go to the Christingle at church. Then on Christmas day we open our presents and see the family. For our Christmas dinner we have turkey or chicken. German Christmas is about having fun and looking at lots of things and keeping tradition alive. They start before December and have a St. Nicolas eve and St. Nicolas day if they have been good then the get presents in shoes or boots. They have an advent wreath that has candles on and they light them every Sunday. They don’t decorate the tree until the last moment so the children don’t see it and on Christmas day the have goose or carp.

9. German Speaking Countries It’s not just Germany where they speak German. Switzerland, Austria and Namibia do to. Austria: Christmas begins with the feast of St. Nicolas on the 6th of Dec. Good children get sweets, toys, apples and nuts. Gifts under the tree are only opened after the meal on Christmas eve. Baked carp is served for the traditional Christmas dinner. Christmas trees are only put up on 24th Dec and only lit when Christ child comes and gives the children a gift. Switzerland: Christkindi, an angel in white robes and veiled face and a jewelled crown, arrives with silver bells tinkling to announce Christmas. When he enters the house the candles on the tree are lit and he hands out gifts. They have a tradition of ringing the bells on midnight mass. Another thing they do isat dusk on the 6th of Dec the have a feast. A feast of St. Nicolas.

10. German Speaking Countries Namibia: Christmas in Namibia is a time of red meat. When an Namibian is asked what he or she wants the average answer is rain. Not for rain in the on coming year but on Christmas day. Most people in Namibia celebrate Christmas.