Wir feiern! - We celebrate!
Oktoberfest (which begins in September!) may be the most famous, but there are many other traditional German celebrations, ranging from the bizarre “Dinner for One” New Year’s custom to Karneval (Mardi Gras) and pumpkin festivals around Halloween.
Berlin’s Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Christmastime.
PHOTO © Hyde Flippo
PHOTO © Hyde Flippo
Austria and Germany have been big contributors to the way Americans and many others celebrate Christmas — from “Silent Night” to the Christmas tree and Santa. But Germans and Austrians still have their own unique ways of celebrating Christmas (Weihnachten) and other holidays. See the calendar below for proof of that.
Holiday Calendar: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Below you’ll find a calendar of Austrian, German, and Swiss holidays, festivals, and observances. Dates marked with an asterisk (*) are official holidays.
November | November
- November 1 | All Saints Day (Allerheiligen) is observed in Austria and the Catholic regions of Germany and Switzerland.
- November 2 | All Souls Day (Allerseelen) is observed in Austria and the Catholic regions of Germany and Switzerland.
- November 9 | Berlin Wall Day (der Fall der Mauer) - On this day in 1989 the Berlin Wall, built in 1961, finally began to disappear — concrete section by concrete section.
- November 9 | Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht) - On this night in 1938, the Nazis carried out a vicious pogrom against German Jews and Jewish institutions.
- November 11 | Carnival (Fasching, Karneval) - The carnival season officially begins at 11 minutes past the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. The start of the pre-Lenten (Mardi Gras) season. See Movable Feasts (below) for more.
- November 11 | St. Martin’s Day (Martinstag) - See Halloween and Martinstag for more.
- November | National Day of Mourning (Volkstrauertag)
In November on the Sunday two weeks prior to the first Advent Sunday. In memory of Nazi victims and the dead in both world wars. Similar to Veteran's Day or Memorial Day in the U.S. - November | Thanksgiving (Erntedank) in the German-speaking countries takes place on various dates from September to November, depending on the location. The Thanksgiving observance in German-speaking Europe is not a legal holiday. More...
December | Dezember
- December | Advent (Advent) - The four Sundays leading up to Christmas.
- December 4 | Saint Barbara’s Day (Barbaratag) has an interesting tradition of cherry branches (Barbarazweig) brought indoors to bloom in winter, based on the Barbara legend.
- December 6 | St. Nicholas Day - Nikolaustag is when children get small gifts from Saint Nicholas (not Santa!).
- December 24 | Christmas Eve (Heiligabend) is when families gather around the Christmas tree and exchange gifts in Germany and most of Europe.
- December 25* | Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag)
- December 26* | Boxing Day (zweiter Weihnachtstag) is also a holiday in most of Europe.
- December 31 | New Year’s Eve (Silvester) is observed with fireworks! The time around New Year’s Eve in Germany features the unusual custom of “Dinner for One,” a British stage skit (in English) shown on German TV.
Also see Oh the many holidays in our GW Expat Blog.
Continued…
NEXT > German Holiday Calendar
MORE > Halloween
MORE > Christmas in Germany
