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GERMAN TRADITIONS

The vocabulary you need for the perfect Christmas in Germany

There's nothing worse than finding yourself tongue-tied as you sit around the table with German friends and relatives over Christmas. To make sure the festive season goes off without a hitch, here are some words and phrases that may come in handy.

Published: 21 December 2022 17:27 CET
Updated: 23 December 2023 08:18 CET

A Christmas tree in the centre of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hauke-Christian Dittrich

Christmas is almost upon us, and it’s the perfect time of year to spend time with loved one and treat ourselves. Of course, for international residents in Germany, the season can also present one or two linguistic challenges.

Even if your German friends and family speak good English, it’s nice to be able to impress them by thanking them for a delicious dinner or the ideal gift in their native tongue – or telling them how much you like their festive decor.

If the idea of doing that is turning you into the Grinch, never fear: we’ve got a handy guide for some of the key vocab that you’ll need to get through the season.

So whether you’re counting down the days until Christmas or swapping presents around the tree, here’s how to navigate the festive season in true German style.

General vocabulary

Let’s deal with some of the basics first: what is this time of year even called in German?

Well, the general term for Christmas is ‘Weihnachten’. This tends to mean Christmas Day (the 25th) and can also be referred to as Weihnacht, Christfest or Heiliger Christ.

As you may know, however, the main day of celebration for most Germans is the 24th, or Christmas Eve. This is known as Heiliger Abend or Heiligabend, which basically translates as “Holy Evening”. It’s when most children can expect a special visit from Father Christmas or Santa Claus, who is known in German as the Weihnachtsmann.

In parts of western and southern Germany – as well as in Switzerland and Austria – a rather more glamourous gift-giving figure replaces the rotund man trying to squeeze down a chimney. Here, the Christkind – who is normally presented as an angelic young lady – will bring gifts to the children who’ve been good all year round.

The word in German for describing these traditions is Bräuche, which means “customs”, though Traditionen can also be used. These may come in handy when asking your friends about the festive practices in their region.

You can kick off an interesting discussion by asking something along the lines of: “Welche Weihnachtstraditionen habt ihr in deine Region?” (Which Christmas traditions do you have in your region?) or “Gibt es bestimmte Weihnachtsbräuche, die hier in Sachsen üblich sind?” (Are there certain Christmas customs that are common here in Saxony?).

And if you want a general word for a Christmas celebration, the word to use is Weihnachtsfeier.

In the run-up to Christmas

Of course, it’s not all about ripping open gifts and enjoying a slap-up meal on Christmas Day (or Eve). In fact, the festive period really kicks off on November 27th, which marks the start of Adventzeit.

The word Advent stems from the Latin for “arrival” and it’s a time of preparation for the arrival of Christ at Christmas. There are many German traditions that occur over the weeks running up to the 24th (when Adventzeit ends). Alongside the customary Adventskalender (advent calendar), you may see German friends or relatives lighting the candles on an Adventskranz.

The Adventskranz is a wreath made out of fir sprigs with four candles, which are normally a festive red colour. These symbolise the four weeks leading up to Christmas, with a new candle lit on every Advent Sunday.

A giant Adventskranz floats on the river in Waldbreitbach, Rhineland-Palatinate. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Thomas Frey

You may also notice that your local Weihnachtsmarkt (or Christmas market) opens on or around November 27th. This staple of the German Christmas period is normally timed to coincide with Adventszeit – though in some cases they do stay open after Christmas so people can enjoy another mug or two of Glühwein before the New Year.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without some festive treats, and Germans in particular are known to enjoy Adventsbacken – delicious cakes and cookies that are common at this time of year. Some Gebäck (little biscuits) are formed into festive shapes like stars and Christmas trees and flavoured with seasonal spices. But the king of all Adventsbacken has to be the Christstollen, a delicious type of fruit cake with marzipan that originated in Dresden.

In essence, this time of year is all about Vorfreude – the joy involved in looking forward to something before it happens.

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Around the dinner table

A major part of traditional Christmas celebrations – in Germany and elsewhere – is enjoying a hearty meal with loved ones. That’s why brushing up on your eating and drinking vocab is essential for making it through the festive season.

Firstly, what can you expect to be served by your German pals, or Kumpels, over Christmas? Well, the Weihnachtsgans (Christmas goose) or Ente (duck) is normally an essential component, prepared with seasonal herbs like thyme and marjoram and infused with other flavours like sour apples and onions.

As a side dish, Rotkohl is standard: juicy, cooked-down red cabbage sweetened with apple juice and red wine. Then you’ll need potatoes (Kartoffeln) or dumplings (Knödeln) and lashings of Bratensauce (gravy).

A traditional German Christmas dinner with goose, red cabbage and potatoes. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Jan Woitas

There are also other dishes that are commonly enjoyed by families on Heiligabend, such as Kartoffelsalat mit Würstchen (potato salad with sausages) in eastern Germany or even Karpfen mit Sauerkraut (carp and sauerkraut) in the coastal region of Schleswig-Holstein.

If you want to compliment your host on their excellent cooking skills, you can describe the food as “lecker” or “köstlich” (delicious) or simply say, “Danke, das hat mir geschmeckt” as the table is being cleared.

And if Uncle Günther is trying to foist yet another helping of potatoes on you when you can’t eat another thing, you can always say: “Danke, aber ich kann nicht mehr!” (Thanks, but I can’t eat anymore) or “Das war köstlich, danke, aber jetzt bin ich wirklich satt!” (That was delicious, thank you, but now I’m really full).

Opening gifts

Gift-giving is another key tradition for Germans at Christmastime. The gifts are usually placed under the Christmas tree, which is called Weihnachtsbaum or Tannenbaum in German.

Traditionally this was put up on Christmas Eve, though these days it’s not unusual for people to put it up much earlier. (Incidentally, the decorations on the tree – and elsewhere in the house – are known as Schmuck, or Weihnachtsschmuck.)

A cat snuggles up among Christmas presents under the tree. Photo: picture alliance / Ole Spata/dpa | Ole Spata

Don’t, whatever you do, make the mistake of using the German word “gift” to describe the presents that you buy people. Das Gift is a common false friend in German, because while it sounds like the English word it actually translates as “poison”. Instead, use the word Geschenke (or Geschenk in singular)to describe the gifts you’ve lovingly picked out for people. They’ll tend to be wrapped in Geschenkpapier, or wrapping paper, so people get a nice surprise when they come to open them.

To thank people for presents without reverting to “Vielen Dank” over and over again, a few of these phrases may come in useful:

“Es gefällt mir sehr gut!” (I really like it!)

“Das ist sehr großzügig von dir.” (That’s very generous of you.)

“Wie hast du gewusst? Ich liebe Schokolade!” (How did you know? I love chocolate!)

“Was für ein schönes Geschenk. Danke dir.” (What a beautiful gift, thank you.)

Keep a handful of these phrases in mind and you’re sure to impress your German friends with your language skills this Christmas. Got any tips of your own for celebrating the festive period in Germany? Let us know.

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Dirndls, tents and 'Radler': How to do Oktoberfest like a German

The world’s largest folk festival attracts visitors – over 7 million in 2023 – from all over the world, but if you want to enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere like the many locals who head to the free-to-enter festival, you’ll need to call it by its local name, for starters.

In Munich, Oktoberfest is known as the Wiesn. This syllable-squashing form of Wiesen (meadow) was shortened from the festival’s original name Theresienwiese – named for the celebrations following the wedding of crown prince Ludwig and Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen in 1810.

History lesson over, let’s dive in.

Saturday might not be the best day to go

If you’re not after the whole rammed-in-so-tight-you-can’t-breathe experience, to be honest, you might be better off avoiding the Saturday. You can see from the graphic below when things tend to be less busy. Or you might want to bring some trainers if you want first dibs on a seat as soon as the gates open like the keen beans in this video.

It’s not just about the party, though, and locals who aren’t up for that tend to go during the day or on non-weekend days and make the most of the music, rides and the many stalls.

Tents are, obviously, at their most rammed on Friday and Saturday nights and regularly get closed due to overcrowding. Family days and weekdays before 6pm tend to be less busy. The festival website has a handy guide on how to snag seats.and see how busy things are.

That being said, although it does get very (very) busy, generally, once you’re settled at a table, you’ll be fine. And you don’t need to reserve, the vast majority of tents keep spaces for walk-ins.

It is a behemoth of a festival though, so you might prefer – as some Germans also do – the smaller folk festivals dotted all over the state, like August’s Gäubodenvolksfest, or the biannual Plärrer in Augsburg.

Work out how much you want to spend

We’re not saying you need to create a spreadsheet (although we do know at least one person who does this), but inevitably, you’ll end up spending far more than you expected. Technically, you could go the whole day without spending a euro, but where’s the fun in that? Pay for a beer or three, a few rides and some food, the euros soon mount up.

Case in point: this year, you’ll get a litre of beer for between €13.60 and €15.30, an average of 3.67 percent up on 2023 prices, so it’s not going to be a cheap day out. Each tent sets its own price but the city of Munich monitors them against city-wide costs to make sure they’re not too extortionate, although you’ll still end up paying far more than you would in a beer hall at any other time.

On that note, make sure you bring cash. Yes, the acceptance of cards is slowly increasing, but generally cash is king everywhere at Oktoberfest and locals know that you have to pay for each beer and dish as you order. Whilst many people in English-speaking countries rarely have cash on them, that’s not the case in Germany.

Bring lots (but not more than you’re willing to lose) and you’ll make your life infinitely easier if you have a pocketload of euros. Tap into your inner organised German and squirrel them away safely on your person and save yourself the pain of getting stung by rip-off cashpoint fees and epic queues.

You’ll also want money for tipping. The waiting staff carry massive Steins and plates around for about 12 hours a day and make their money from the tips, so it’s the right thing to do, but regulars know that tipping a couple of euros a beer will also avoid you the dubious pleasure of snarky comments and crappy – or even non-existent – service.

Be prepared

Speaking of organisation, it’s autumn, so there’s no guarantee the weather will be nice. Germans will generally be fully prepped for this with clothing and accessories to cover all eventualities. Think raincoats, suncream, a hat, the works.

Learn some of the Oktoberfest songs

The vast majority of the locals will know all the words to the traditional songs that will be playing all over the meadows, all day and all night. And, fuelled by a couple of Steins, they’ll be dancing and belting them out with joyful abandon and zero care for tunefulness.

Even before the beer has sent any vestiges of British reserve flying, it’s well worth joining in. Get ahead of the game by learning the chorus to a few of them beforehand. You’ll hear Ein Prosit at least 20 times a day after someone shouts out die Krüge hoch (raise your tankards) and there are several other staples that come back year after year, too.

Avoid the tourist tents

Locals steer clear of the more touristy tents like Hofbrau and Löwenbrau and make a beeline for the Augustiner, Schottenhammel (Oktoberfest’s oldest tent) and Hacker-Pschorr tents.

You’ll have a good time and make new friends whichever tent you go to, but unless you want to hang out with a mostly international crowd, the first two are best avoided.

And if you want to find the good after-parties, you’ll need to get chatting to the locals.

Know your limits

Yes, Germans love their beer – they’re one of Europe’s heaviest beer drinkers, downing 84 litres in 2021. But, and it’s a big but, they don’t have quite the same reputation as English-speaking nations like the UK, the US and Australia for skulling pints, and very quickly getting messy and lairy.

It’s also worth noting that if you’re used to drinking beer in these countries, the Festbier at Oktoberbest might well be a lot stronger – and larger – than what you normally drink with a six percent ABV on average.

Revellers enjoy Oktoberfest 2023 in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

Savvy locals switch up the beer-drinking with plenty of water and a Radler (a half beer, half lemonade shandy) and make sure they line their stomachs and graze on food while drinking.

You probably don’t want to be one of the people adding to the Kotzwiese (vomit meadow) on the festival edges.

Locals are also well aware that chugging a beer will get you kicked out, as will standing on the table (although we’ve heard that you can come straight back in again afterwards!). One leg on the table and one on the bench is deemed perfectly acceptable, but comes with a high toppling-over risk after those beers.

And if you are going to give it a go, be warned that you’ll probably be booed if you fail to down it in one…

A whopping 6.5 million litres of beer were drunk at Oktoberfest in 2023, i.e. almost a litre per person. Put like that, it doesn’t sound quite so bad, does it.

Look people in the eye

While we’re on the topic of drinking, this one’s important.

If you go to the pub or a festival in the UK or the States, people will often clink their glasses, but you won’t often see them looking one another in the eyes when they cheers as time is of the essence to get the amber nectar down their throats.

Not so in Germany. Failure to maintain eye contact in Germany when cheers-ing will bag you seven years of bad sex, so the legend goes.

You’ll inevitably be drinking (a lot of) beer at Oktoberfest, so probably best to avoid that.

A brass musician plays his instrument during the the last day of the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich

A brass musician performs during the the last day of the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on October 3, 2023. (Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP)

Don’t miss the traditions

It’s easy to think there’s nothing else beyond hard drinking and hard partying going on at Oktoberfest. But you’ll be missing out if all you see is the bottom of a beer glass.

Traditions are a big deal and a huge part of the fun and experience for locals and visitors alike.

The Saturday landlords’ parade marks the official start of the festival before the famous noon ‘O’zapft is!‘ where the mayor of Munich taps a beer barrel to officially open the fair. You can go in the tents before then, but you won’t get a single drop of beer until after the barrel is open.

Locals also turn out en masse to watch or take part in Sunday’s 9,000-strong procession of bands and people wearing traditional costumes from their home towns, as well as the gunfire salute that marks the end of the festivities.

And there are plenty of traditional games to have a go at too, from complicated card game Schafkopf (sheep’s head) to crossbow shooting, endurance Stein holding (you have to hold a Stein in one hand with your arm completely outstretched for as long as possible) and dance-offs.

And don’t forget the rides, either. The simple Teufelsrad (Devil’s Wheel) is a festival must, although best to go pre-Stein to avoid a visit to the aforementioned Kotzwiese. It’s essentially a rotating platform that you have to try and stay on as it spins faster and faster and the host tries to get you off.

Don’t buy ‘costumes’

While you’ll find a lot of people wearing Bavarian clothing at Oktoberfest, it’s by no means compulsory, many people just come in ‘normal’ clothes.

That being said, it’s a lot of fun to get dressed up, just be aware that locals are a stickler for the ‘real thing’.

If you do want to go down the traditional route, buying cheap, plastic-y Trachten from the likes of Amazon won’t go down well. It’s not a costume party, after all.

You’ll generally find charity shops are full of second-hand Dirndl and Trachten at this time of year. You can also rent the real deal, or, if you fancy splashing out, head to the department stores or Moser Trachtenwelt. There are some tips on how to wear them here.

This year’s Oktoberfest kicks off on Saturday 21st September and ends on Sunday 6th October.

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