Germany Local Customs

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Most Viewed Local Customs in Germany

101.

Food and Drink   Berlin

Food and Drink, Berlin

 23 Reviews  The Internationales Berliner Bierfestival is a blast of a festival held near the Alexanderplatz. I counted 3 separate major stages where bands were playing, and the booths of beer vendors went on for... 

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102.

Food and Drink   Hamburg

Food and Drink, Hamburg

 6 Reviews  The annual 10 day, 3 city festival presented by Duckstein Beer corporation celebrating art,culture, and cuisine. The weekend features full days of music concerts from acclaimed local and national... 

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103.

Food and Drink   Düsseldorf

Food and Drink, Düsseldorf

 24 Reviews  If you go to Düsseldorf you have to know that the city is the "Altbier"-area. Altbier is considered Germany's oldest beer style. It's a dark beer especially brewed in the area around Düsseldorf. Never... 

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104.

Food and Drink   Stuttgart

Food and Drink, Stuttgart

 6 Reviews  When you go to the Getranke stores you buy the beer and pay the Pfand (price for recycling the container) the first time you go. When you take pack the empty container you walk in the door and someone... 

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105.

Food and Drink   Heidelberg

Food and Drink, Heidelberg

 10 Reviews  During the Xmas marts there were several stand that were selling the traditional Lebkuchen. Lebkuchen is a traditional German Xmas treat similar to a gingerbread cookie. Lebkuchen was created by monks... 

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106.

Events   Hannover

Events, Hannover

 10 Reviews  Whitsun in Germany is a big holiday with a free monday. In Hannover this holiday is one highlight of all our summer festivals. There is Fest der Altstadt - a big party in the Old Town with, music,... 

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107.

Rhein Valley Vineyards   Koblenz

Rhein Valley Vineyards, Koblenz

 1 Review  On our Rhein cruise we passed mile after mile of row upon row of the most perfectly kept vineyards I have ever seen (well... it is Germany... and I haven't actually seen a vineyard before but they... 

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108.

cultural diversity   Mainz

cultural diversity, Mainz

 3 Reviews  Mainz - like most of western Germany - offers a bewildering array of cultural options. Yes, the Germans do like the exotic and the erotic - their attitude toward matters sexual could be called open... 

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109.

Bears   Berlin

Bears, Berlin

 14 Reviews   Berlin’s coat of arms features a black “bear rampant”, that is standing on his hind legs and facing to the left – you will see it everywhere you go. Indeed you will see all sorts of bears, as this... 

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110.

Events   Hamburg

Events, Hamburg

 9 Reviews  There had been a big China event in 2006: China Time! A market with Chinese products was build up on Jungefrnstieg. There have been many musical, social and political events with "China" a theme in... 

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111.

Traditions   Düsseldorf

Traditions, Düsseldorf

 10 Reviews  This is actually a local custom for Hannover but since I’ve never been there and was introduced to it by Hanover transplant Sabsi who now resides in Düsseldorf I’ll put it here. She thoughtfully gave... 

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112.

People   Stuttgart

People, Stuttgart

 3 Reviews  My impression is that the people of Stuttgart are very nice and polite. They may hesitate to speak english, maybe they feel that that their english is not good enought?. So if you speak German it will... 

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113.

People   Heidelberg

People, Heidelberg

 7 Reviews  Inside the old Heilig-Geist-Kirche, the church at the market square, there is the grave of King Ruprecht and his wife. He was the founder of this church, of the oldest still standing building at the... 

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114.

Meeting points   Hannover

Meeting points, Hannover

 3 Reviews  This is where we normally meet when we meet in town... at the 'Kr?pcke Uhr'. The square called 'Kr?pcke' was named after Wilhelm Kr?pcke who owned a coffee house there from 1885-1919. 25 years ago the... 

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115.

carnival   Mainz

carnival, Mainz

 1 Review  Don't miss to visit Mainz at carnival! There are lots of parades, the biggest one on Rosenmontag - the canival's monday! On Schillerplatz you find the carnival's fountain - in the form of a fool's... 

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116.

Art and Culture   Berlin

Art and Culture, Berlin

 36 Reviews  Mauermuseum (Checkpoint Charlie Museum) is named after the famous crossing point of the Berlin Wall and was created to document how absurde the history of an town and people could be if created for... 

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117.

Useful Information   Hamburg

Useful Information, Hamburg

 7 Reviews  Another useful place in the main railway station is this branch of the newsagents chain of K Presse + Buch. Here you can get your postcards and stamps and the service is swift, friendly and... 

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118.

Karneval   Düsseldorf

Karneval, Düsseldorf

 5 Reviews  In carnival (which is BIG in this part of Germany!!) people in Düsseldorf don't shout 'Alaaf' (that's in Cologne!) but 'Helau' ... Be prepared to get drunk and dirty when going into Düsseldorf's old... 

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119.

Events   Stuttgart

Events, Stuttgart

 6 Reviews  I was very lucky to find the United Buddy Bears in Stuttgart. From 9th July until 12th August 2008 these exhibition was set on Schlossplatz. The Buddy Bears were designed by 140 artists from all over... 

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120.

Language   Heidelberg

Language, Heidelberg

 5 Reviews  Welcome to my part of Germany! If you need help, information or directions in English it's best to approach younger people... they all speak English to various extents: some only have... 

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121.

People (Germans, Berliners..)   Berlin

People (Germans, Berliners..), Berlin

 31 Reviews  Though not unique to Berlin, it does have more than its fair share of allotment gardens with over 800 complexes. You frequently see them along side the railway tracks and on other pieces of land close... 

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122.

Museums   Hamburg

Museums, Hamburg

 6 Reviews  "Dialog im Dunkeln" is a very special place in Hamburger Speicherstadt : You may experience there the daily life of blind people in a guided tour through a world of total darkness. You will eat your... 

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123.

Useful Information   Düsseldorf

Useful Information, Düsseldorf

 4 Reviews  The big tower is telling the time. I must admit I didn't quite get the explanation about how the time should be read, but the main guidelines are: the first vertical row of lights (starting from the... 

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124.

Useful Information   Stuttgart

Useful Information, Stuttgart

 3 Reviews  When you want a grocery cart you have to put in a coin to release it from the chain of the other cart. You slide it either in the top or the front, depending on the cart. When you return the cart you... 

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125.

Events   Heidelberg

Events, Heidelberg

 6 Reviews  Three times each year residents and visitors alike can enjoy the spectacular castle illuminations & fireworks behind the scenes of the old town Heidelberg. Just after sun set the castle-lights are... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Fronleichnam - Corpus Christi

by Kathrin_E

Fronleichnam is a high catholic holiday, celebrated 10 days after Pentecost on the Thursday after Trinity. It honours the Eucharist. Celebrations begin with a festive mass in church, followed by a procession with the blessed sacrament which stops at certain stations where altars have been put up. Customs often involve decorations of churches and streets with flowers and green.Some places have their special traditions. In the village of Weingarten in Baden, for example, flower carpets are made in the streets along the way of the procession (see photos). This tradition in not indigenous but has been brought there by refugees from the East after World War II. A local artist designs the pictures every year which are then made from petals and leaves.Corpus Christi is a public holiday in the Federal States of Bayern, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland...

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Pfingsten - Pentecost/Whitsunday

by Kathrin_E

Pfingsten is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter and marks the coming of the Holy Spirit and is the birthday of the worldwide church. Unlike Christmas and Easter there are no traditions on Pentecost which are common all over the country. To most people this is nothing but a welcome long weekend - note that Whitmonday is a public holiday. The schools will close for a week or two and the time around Ascension and Pentecost is a busy travel time.Some rural areas have their local customs. The best known is the presentation of a Pfingstochse (Pentecost ox) - on this day the cattle is sent out to pasture for the first time and the strongest animal is decorated with a straw wreath, flowers and ribbons. "Frilly as a Pfingstochse" has become proverbial for a person who has dressed up too much and without taste.The peony (Pfingstrose) is a typical and popular garden flower that blooms...

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May 8 - End of World War II

by Kathrin_E

May 8, 1945 marks the end of World War II with the capitulation of the German Empire. A fewe days earlier Hitler had committed suicide. His successor, Admiral Karl Dönitz, had no other option but accept the unconditional surrender of all German military forces. The Nazi dicature and the madness of the unwinnable "total war" were finally over.The memory is kept alive. The purpose is solemn remembrance and learning from the past for a better future. May 8 is a normal work day, no public holiday. On round anniversaries there are memorial events and a speech by the president of the Federal Republic. It is not about praising military glory and "fallen heroes" - patriotic ideas of this kind are not popular in Germany, with the exception of certain ultra-right wing circles. This country has received and learned its lesson: "Never again may a war start from German ground", as former chancellor...

Muttertag - Mothers Day

by Kathrin_E

Mothers Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. The movement started in the US in 1907. In Germany it was introduced in the 1920s, initiated neither by women's rights nor charity or whatever organizations but - by the association of flower merchants, who expected big business. In the beginning the holiday used to be entirely unpolitical. This changed in the Third Reich when it was turned into an instrument of Nazi ideology.Nowadays, Mothers Day means big business for flower shops, perfumeries and restaurants. Kindergarten and primary scools will let the kids make cards, paintings or other little gifts for their mothers. On the day itself, the basic idea is dad and the kids spoling their mums and doing all the housework for her. In practice, the kids make breakfast and mum has to clean up the mess they created in the kitchen afterwards... Then the family sets out for a day trip and...

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Himmelfahrt/Vatertag - Ascension/Fathers Day

by Kathrin_E

The Ascension of Christ is celebrated 39 days after Easter and 10 days before Pentecost, so it is always on a Thursday. It is a public holiday in the whole of Germany, meaning that shops are closed and public transport operates on Sunday/holiday schedule. Ascension takes place in May or early June at the beginning of the summery season when everyone wants to be outdoors, weather permitting.Since the mothers have had their holiday shortly before, it is only fair to grant the fathers a special day, too. However, the fathers are not treated to gifts, breakfast in bed and lunch or dinner at a fancy restaurant. Instead their wives and families give the men a day off to go on tour with their mates and do what men are said to like best: drink and be merry.A traditional fathers day tour involves a group of men, not all of them necessarily fathers, going for a hike, accompanied by a barrel of...

Pitfall for non-German speakers

by glissi

If you encounter a strange letter, which looks a bit like a capital "B" in the middle of a word, it is likely to be the German letter "sz" AKA "sharp s".The "sz" is a ligature of two "s" characters, which is used quite commonly in German.If you can't write the ligature, you use two "s"es, and you also pronounce it, as if it were an "s".One of the words which are spelled with an "sz" is "Strasse", which means Street (therefore you're quite likely to encounter it on a street sign or address). Keep in mind that it's just an odd-looking "ss"; substituting an "sz" by a "B" or "b" can be quite confusing to locals, sometimes.. :-)Best,Glissi

Erster Mai - First of May

by Kathrin_E

May 1 is Tag der Arbeit, Labour Day. Traditionally this is the day of the workers' movement. The trade unions keep organizing demonstrations and events. They attract less and less participants, though. People take the unions' achievements for granted nowadays. To most people May 1 is just a welcome day off. The usual activity on that day is a hiking trip with the family, a club or a bunch of friends, including a stopover in a beer garden. Even people who never set foot out of their house all year will go for a walk in the forest on May 1. Bike tours are considered a suitable alternative. (I chose going by bike today.)May is the Wonnemonat, the month of joy. Tanz in den Mai, dances, are popular in the evening of April 30, also singing events called Maieinsingen. Younger people prefer Walpurgisnacht parties, though.In the catholic church, May 1 is the holiday of St Walpurgis. The...

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Osterhase - the Easter Bunny

by Kathrin_E

According to legends the Osterhase is the one who delivers the Easter eggs. He comes at night or in the earliest morning, sneaks into houses and gardens and hides eggs, sweets or little gifts. Kids watch out to see him but they will never be successful. Spotting a quick movement from the corner of an eye is all anyone will ever see of him...The original German Osterhase is a hare, not a bunny (rabbit), a different species. Illustrations in old and nostalgic children's books show him as a big lean hare, a fast runner, strong enough to carry a big basket full of eggs. In other countries, and recently also here, he has been turned into a cuddly fluffy bunny. Chocolate hare/bunny figures come in all sizes and are popular gifts. Shop windows are full of them. Some stores even claim the Osterhase shops at their place...There is an easy and obvious answer to the old question if the hen or...

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Weißer Sonntag - "White Sunday"

by Kathrin_E

Weißer Sonntag is not to be mixed up with Whitsunday (Pentecost, Pfingsten). It is the first Sunday after Easter when the catholic parishes traditionally celebrate the first Holy Communion of the nine year olds. After a year of lessons the children are blessed and admitted to communion for the first time during a festive mass. As they are dressed up in white robes for this occasion, the day has been named the "white" Sunday.A kid's Kommunion requires a family reunion and a festive lunch after church. In case you plan to visit a restaurant that day with a larger party, make a reservation well in advance - 40 Kommunionkinder in a parish mean 40 families booking all better restaurants in the surroundings solid.

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Painting Eggs for Easter Decoration

by Kathrin_E

Kids' fun and even some artisans' business: painted eggshells to put up in easter bouquets and trees.Real eggs are preferred to make decorations. Households, especially those with kids, are busy collecting blown-out eggshells. To have enough for the painting orgy one has to start collecting weeks in advance whenever a cake or scrambled eggs are being made. To obtain an empty but whole eggshell, take a pin and make a hole of 3-5 mm diameter at the top and the bottom of the raw egg. (I prefer washing the eggs first, taking into consideration through which exit they have first seen the light of day.) Hold the pierced egg above a bowl, press your mouth to the top hole and blow. The interior ends up in the bowl and can be used for cooking purposes, only for recipes that do not require separation of the yolk from the white of course.The eggshell can then be painted or otherwise decorated....

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Questions and Answers

Tickled_Pink profile photo

Q:  Is May a good time to travel down the rhine river? What is the best and most scenic stretch to travel along? How would you... 

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A: I would look at www.d-k.de. website. They have Great Boat Trips starting at Dusseldorf or Cologne all the Way to Mainz, passing Koblenz And Lorelei .... The strech... 

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