Fall celebrations in Germany
Germany has all sorts of autumn festivities to warm up a season entering darkness. The traditions and rituals evolve around harvest, light, liberty and luck. View the picture gallery to find out more.
Giving thanks for food
Harvest celebrations abound in Germany. While the "Erntedankfest" (Harvest Thanksgiving) is usually celebrated on the first Sunday of October, a number of festivities — everything from pumpkin to wine-tasting festivals — precede it throughout September. Pumpkin patches and cornfield mazes have also become popular on farms across Germany at this time.
German reunification
What would German history, and world history for that matter, be without the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989? The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (shown here) stands for both the history before the fall, and the liberty that resulted thereafter. German reunification, however, did not become official until nearly one year later — on October 3, 1990.
German Unity Day
Since then, October 3 has been celebrated as "German Unity Day." Politicians give speeches, while cities host concerts and fireworks. Some Germans, however, ignore the political meaning of the public holiday — relishing instead the "freedom" of sleeping in. Recent years have seen demonstrations by the far right in cities such as Dresden, calling for "the stop of the Islamization of Germany."
Halloween for adults
Halloween is actually a Celtic celebration dating back centuries. October 31 marked for the Celts the end of summer and beginning of the dark season. It was believed that the boundary between the living and the dead disappeared. People donned scary masks to drive away evil spirits. Celebrating Halloween has gained popularity in Germany; supermodel Heidi Klum's parties are legendary (photo).
Halloween for kids
While grown-up have bonfires and throw parties, children go to parks and zoos, where Halloween decorations abound, like here in "Europa Park," Germany's biggest amusement park. Kids also go door-to-door collecting sweets, like they do in the US.
All Saints' Day
All Saints' Day, "Allerheiligen" in German, is a Christian festival celebrated on November 1 – originally to honor saints. It is actually part of the "Allhallowtide" triduum, three days of festivities that includes Halloween (All Saints' Eve), All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day on November 2. In Germany, the November 1 national holiday is a day to remember the deceased with candles in cemeteries.
St. Martin's Day
November 11 is St. Martin's Day, when children parade through the streets with lanterns singing songs. It culminates in a bonfire, where a man dressed in a red cape arrives on horseback and gives rolls to children. He is the embodiment of Saint Martin of Tours, a fourth century European bishop. Legend has it that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm.
Gänsegedichte or "Goose Poems"
St. Martin's Day is also a day to eat a goose dinner together. Table etiquette includes reciting "Gänsegedichte," or poems about geese. It may seem like a luxurious way of celebrating a day about giving to the poor, but legend has it that Martin hid away in a goose stall when he heard of his being named a bishop — though he was discovered when the geese gave him away with all their chatter.
Barbarazweige or "Barbara Branches"
"Barbara branches" are usually cherry tree or other fruit tree twigs with blossoms which are cut on December 4 — St. Barbara Day — and placed in a vase. They usually open up by Christmas. Barbara was an early Christian Greek saint and martyr, and December 4 marks the day of her martyrdom.
St. Nicholas Day
What would the end of fall be without the arrival of Santa Claus down the chimney? The German version is St. Nicholas, and he arrives on December 6. Dressed in a red suit with white, he brings sweets to good children, and bits of coal to those who have been naughty. St. Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop who helped the needy, and is still a reminder of the need to assist those who are suffering.