Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas Around the World - Germany

German Advent Calendars:
These calendars are boxes with little doors on them.  Every day form December 1st to the 24th they open a little door and inside are little chocolates.  One chocolate each day until the 24th.

photo credit
German Advent Candles:
Place 4 tall candles inside a decorated wreath.  One candle for each of the four Sundays of Christmas.  On the first Sunday they light one candle.  On the second Sunday they light 2 candles and so on...3 on the 3rd Sunday and 4 on the 4th. 


Shoes Rather than Stockings:
In Germany kids are raised to put their shoes outside on Christmas Eve.  If they were good St. Nikolaus would put fruits, nuts, and some candy, inside. But if you were bad he would put coal inside.

The Story of St. Nikolaus Vs. Santa Claus: 
The German St. Nikolaus was a carpenter.  He would make little wooden toys for the poor kids in the village and on Christmas Eve he would deliver them to the houses. 

The German Christmas Tree:
The Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree) is usually put up in the afternoon of December 24. The trees can be bought at special traders' sites, but some Germans still go into the forests and cut one themselves. In Germany, they decorate their trees with candies and the traditional candles. 

German Vocab:
The German word for "Christmas" - Weihnachten. 
The German words for "Merry Christmas" - Fröhliche Weihnachten


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