Christmas in Germany
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(© picture-alliance/dpa)
Christmas - no other celebration exerts such a far-reaching influence on all aspects of German life. It is as if public life in all its manifestations is moving towards these holidays. No-one can escape the influence of this great festival.
From the beginning of Advent, booths and stalls are set up on the market-places in all cities where you can buy everything you need for Christmas.
Walking through such a market really is an exceptional experience. The most famous Christkindlmarkt takes place in Nürnberg and attracts lots of visitors every year.
Christmas Customs in Germany
Christmas – The Season of Togetherness
Although Christmas ranks only second after Easter in the hierarchy of Christian festivals, in Western Europe, America and Australia, it has become the most important festival of all.
Germany has a centuries-old tradition of Christmas customs, which vary from region to region. Today, many people who do not consider themselves religious, or who subscribe to a faith other than Christianity, celebrate Christmas as a season of togetherness with family and friends – they simply allow themselves to be infected and swept up by the ubiquitous Christmas spirit.
Celebrating Advent is an important part of Christmas in Germany. For Christians of both Protestant and Roman Catholic denominations it is a time of quiet contemplation that begins four Sundays before Christmas Eve.
Advent Season
In many German homes, cleaned and polished shoes are placed in front of the door on the evening of December 5 and are quietly filled with little surprises by Saint Nicholas in the night.
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