Enter Weihnachtsmann
Different ways of celebrating Christmas in Germany
Note: This was originally written for the blog version of Alte Frau, New Life just after our first Christmas here. Somehow, it was left out when I imported everything to Substack. I’m republishing it again as I set up our Christmas tree and decorations this year, later than almost everyone I know back in the States yet earlier than most of my neighbors. And that’s just the beginning when it comes to the differences between celebrating Christmas in America and in Deutschland. So I’ve edited my original article and updated some information.
First things, first: Yes, Virginia, there is a German Santa Claus.
Sort of.
When I started writing this, I had a long explanation about how, in Germany, children's gifts are brought by St. Nicholas on December 6, and no one knows anything about a Santa Claus and his eight flying reindeer.
Here, you’re more likely to find St. Nicholas depicted wearing vestments like a priest and traveling by horseback.
Then, on Monday, I was shopping in Kaufland and ran smack into a display full of KitKat brand chocolates in the shape of the Weihnachtsmann (literally: 'Christmas man'). And this guy looked just like Santa Claus. And next to him, was wrapping paper featuring a cartoon reindeer with a big red nose!
So, just like his Wikipedia article says, it seems Santa Claus has truly gone international.
I still say German Christmas is a lot less Santa-centric than in the U.S. Not as much emphasis on wishlists and presents or making a list and checking it twice. Though the naughty or nice thing does come into play.
The first signs of the holiday season are the shelves filling up in November with Advent calendars and wreaths.
Advent and St. Nicholas’ Day
The holiday season begins with the beginning of Advent in early December. Store shelves are filled with Advent calendars, Advent wreaths, brightly decorated and packaged chocolates, and - at least in Berlin - lots and lots of bottles of gluhwein.
St. Nicholas' Day (Nikolaustag) on Dec. 6 is the day that German children traditionally receive gifts from the saint.
They are supposed to place their cleaned winter boots in front of the door to their room. The night before, Dec. 5, the saint comes through town to deliver sweets and some money to children who have been good.
Some parts of Germany also have gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve, delivered by the Weihnachtsmann.
In other areas, it is the Christkind or Christkindl (Christ child) who delivers the presents. These traditions are not as widespread and have a somewhat more controversial reputation throughout Germany.
The Christkind tradition was actually started in the 15th century by Protestant reformer Martin Luther, who wanted to move Lutherans (Protestants) away from venerating a Catholic saint.
He moved gift-giving in his household from Nikolaustag to Christmas Eve and told his children than the gifts were from "the Holy Christ."
Over time, this tradition has evolved into the Christkind - sometimes depicted as an infant, but more often as a feminine-looking angel - as the gift bringer. Ironically, the tradition started by Luther has been mostly embraced in Catholic areas of Germany, because it focuses (somewhat) on the figure of Christ as the center of the holiday instead of St. Nicholas or the Weihnachtsmann.
Some regions in Germany hold that St. Nicholas has a companion, known as Knecht Ruprecht, who may bring punishments for children who have been bad. In some areas, both St. Nicholas and Knecht Ruprecht are accompanied by scary, horned creatures called the Krampus, but that is mostly a folklore tradition from the Alpine regions of southern Germany and Switzerland.
The Weihnachtsmann appears to be more of a generic, Father Christmas-like figure that can be celebrated by families of other faiths, or those who don't follow a religion, because he is more secular and not really associated with St. Nicholas at all.
Some people think he was imported from the United States. The European version of the American Santa Claus - who was originally an American interpretation of different European Christmas figures.
The three days of Christmas
As I mentioned above, the German term for Christmas is Weihnacht (plural, Weihnachten), and it is a three-day holiday comprised of Christmas Eve (Heiligabend, Holy Evening), Christmas Day (Erster Feiertag, First Day of Celebration) and the day after Christmas, Dec. 26 (Zweiten Feiertag, Second Day of Celebration).
The Weihnachtsmärkte—Christmas markets—are a hallmark of every town and city in all of the German-speaking areas. Each town will have its own and larger towns and cities may have several. Despite the name, they usually begin just before Advent and last through the end of the year.
The markets began in the Middle Ages, where they were originally a place where farmers could sell the last of the season’s harvest and townspeople could go to stock up on needed food and goods before the long winter.
After the industrial revolution and regular availability of groceries and household goods, the markets evolved into selling Christmas decorations, foods, handcrafts and other holiday items.
Typical Christmas markets will also often have carnival rides and other activities for children and young people.
And in Berlin, there are a lot of uniquely themed Christmas markets, like the medieval Christmas Market at the R.A.W. Gelände in Friedrichshain, the Nordic Christmas Market in Britz, the Advent Eco Market on Kollwitzplatz, or Köpenick’s Christmas Island.
The Berliner has a guide to all of the city’s holiday markets and events here, and you can check out the whole list on the website for Visit Berlin.
Christmas trees (Weihnachtsbaum or Tannenbaum)
The German tradition of decorating trees with lights and ornaments originated in Germany and spread to the United States. However, traditionally, the tree is not decorated until Heiligabend, Christmas Eve.
In the Middle Ages, when the practice became popular, this was the responsibility of the mother of the household.
Now, many families save decorating the tree for Christmas Eve, though some do decorate them before.
We put up our tree with the rest of our decorations at the beginning of Advent. Back home, I know people who religiously have the trees up and trimmed the day after Thanksgiving (and some earlier …).
Our neighbors in Berlin also started decorating around this time, but not with the Tannenbaum. They put up white lights outside, sometimes an intricately carved candle arch known as a Schwibbogen or Lichterbogen in a window, and some hang a decorative paper Moravian star, called the Herrnhuter Stern, on a balcony or in a window.
Sweets and treats
I mentioned gluhwein, above, that’s the traditional German mulled wine, served warm, that you can get at all the Christmas markets, most bars and restaurants, and bottled in your supermarket to have at home. There are different traditional flavors, depending on the region, and I’ve even seen mulled white wine, instead of the traditional red.
There’s also Eierlikor and Eierpunsch, a blended drink that is a lot like egg nog.
It’s also tradition to bake and eat Christmas cookies, (Plätzchen), a long sweet cake called Stollen (looks like a fruit cake but tastes much, muuuuch, better), and gingerbread cake and cookies, known as Lebkuchen.
Presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve
My kids were quick to inform me that their friends got to open all of their presents on Christmas Eve and didn't have to wait until Christmas morning at all.
That is because here, traditionally, families exhcange presents on Christmas Eve, with Christmas morning reserved for going to church.
Not as many families attend church on Christmas anymore, but the tradition of exchanging presents on the night before stands.
Staying up late
The Christmas trees may be set up later in Germany, but they also stay up later. Traditionally, the holiday doesn’t end until the day of the Three Wise Men/Three Kings (die Heiligen Drei Könige) on January 6.
The trees stay up until that day and are then taken down. Our local sanitation service has a designated day to pick up the old trees, and one of the saddest sights—to me—are those days in January where you see all the bare, discarded trees along the sidewalks waiting for collection.
That’s when you know the party’s truly over. And you just have the rest of the dark winter to get through until the sun comes back in the spring.
What about you? Did I leave out your favorite German holiday tradition? If Germany is not your home country, what Christmas or other holiday tradition do you miss?
Leave a comment and let me know.
Luther may have had the right idea with the Christ child bringing the presents(with the birth of Christ being the reason for the season).
Also, I think I'll watch the movie "Krampus" now, knowing it's origin in German folklore....