What's Weihnachten? Who's Krampus?
Plus essential German Christmas Vocabulary
Pssst…got any plans for the holidays this year? Hitting a Christmas market or two? Making some delicious Plätzchen (German Christmas cookies)? Heating up some lovely mulled wine? If I just made you sad that you’re not in Germany, don’t be!No matter where you are, you can use a smattering of the right vocabulary and a dash of cultural knowledge to bring the magic of German Christmas into your own holiday celebrations. And doing so is guaranteed to make your festivities extra-special and fun! After all, just because both Germany and English-speaking countries celebrate this holiday doesn’t mean we necessarily do it in the same way. Not only do we have different words for it, but we also have different customs and traditions.
All will be explained in this post!
What Makes German Christmas Different
In much of the English-speaking world, the whole of December feels Christmassy due to the Advent period, but our first big day is Christmas Eve. This is the night when Santa visits, and it’s also when midnight mass and other church services take place. It’s a big day in our calendar, but it isn’t our main day. December 25th is when all our major celebrations happen…think presents and a huge Christmas dinner!Here's how it's different in Germany.
Germany also has Advent and it lasts from December 1st right through to the 25th. However, while we have to wait the whole 24 days in between, Germany has an extra day of celebration on the 6th. December 6th is Saint Nicholas’ Day, and involves presents and celebrations.
On the evening of the 5th, children place shoes on their doorsteps. If they have been well-behaved throughout the year, then Saint Nicholas (or Sankt Nikolaus in German) will fill them with chocolate.
Saint Nicholas’ Day isn’t all fun and games though—if the kids have been naughty then Saint Nicholas's assistant will take over. Both generally make house calls as a pair. In some communities, this assistant is a rather stern but normal type fellow named Knecht Ruprecht. Other communities support a more ferocious tradition involving a horned devil-like creature named Krampus, as the one who travels with Saint Nicholas to punish any misbehaving kids. In Austria and southern German towns, locals will take part in an event called a Krampuslauf or “Krampus Run.” Late in the afternoon on this day, various townsmen dress up as Krampus and run throughout the local area, chasing after anyone in their path. Often it ends well after dark with flames on parade wagons and eerie music with dancing in the town square. While this all sounds quite frightful and somber, most people have a lot of fun on this evening (although it might important not to be seen having too much fun).
One other big difference between Christmas in the English-speaking world and Germany is the date on which we receive our presents. Here we do it all on the 25th, but for Germans, December 24th—or Christmas Eve—is when families gather around to exchange gifts in celebration of the Baby Christ's birthday.
The morning of Christmas Eve is when many families decorate their Christmas tree. There is one big similarity between our countries on Christmas Eve, though—it is the day that most religious families will visit church together.
One extra aspect of Christmas in Germany is the importance of Christmas markets. The Christmas markets are on every day during Advent. In fact, most of the major Christmas markets open at the end of November.
Families frequently gather together at the markets and eat and drink all the treats on offer, including Glühwein (mulled wine) and gingerbread.
On December 6th, a man dressed as Saint Nicholas will visit markets and give out gifts to children, joined usually by his friend Knecht Ruprecht .... or by Krampus!
25+ German Vocabulary Gems to Enjoy This Christmas
Pre-Christmas Traditions
die Adventszeit — Advent Many people celebrate Advent by opening Advent calendars, baking Plätzchen and visiting Christmas markets.
der Adventskalender — Advent calendar - German Advent calendars can also contain small chocolates. If you’re feeling creative, why not try to make your very own calendar? (Kalendar basteln)
das Plätzchen (pl. die Plätzchen) — Christmas cookies, often decorated with icing and sprinkles Recipes for Plätzchen here.
der Nikolaustag — Saint Nicholas’ Day (Dec. 6th) On the evening of the 5th, children leave out shoes in the hope that Saint Nicholas will fill them with chocolates.
Krampus — (or Knecht Ruprecht, among other names) He is a companion of Saint Nicholas who punishes
naughty children. If a child cannot recite or sing for Saint Nicholas, or has otherwise been known to misbehave throughout the year, Krampus
will react accordingly -- in stages. Stage one is to fill those shoes with coal. Stage 2 involves a whip. Neither of these Stages interrupts the celebration too much. But then there's Stage 3. This features the covered basket that Krampus wears on his back in case he feels a child needs a break from the warmth and celebration of family around the tree. That child will rejoin the family soon enough, but first gets carted into the woods by Krampus, and must then find his/her way back home, generally in the dark - and generally alone.
die Vorfreude — anticipation
der Weihnachtsmarkt — Christmas market Many families and friends meet up at the Christmas markets to enjoy seasonal food and drink, entertainment, and the opportunity to shop for their own decorations, or for anyone on their gift list.
der Glühwein — mulled wine Here's a recipe, in case anyone in your family is in the mood to make their own Glühwein. Not only will it taste great, but following the recipe will help your language skills!
das Krippenspiel — Nativity scene There is usually a nativity scene on display at each Christmas market. Sometimes this takes place inside a
die Weihnachts Pyramide - spinning platform -- using candle power against paddles at the top. While the nativity scene is most popularly on display, other Pyramide involve woodland scenes. Some of these structures are 2-3 or more stories high; engineering marvels, and a real feast for the eyes.
die Weihnachts Pyramide - spinning platform -- using candle power against paddles at the top. While the nativity scene is most popularly on display, other Pyramide involve woodland scenes. Some of these structures are 2-3 or more stories high; engineering marvels, and a real feast for the eyes.
die Weihnachtskarte(n) — Christmas card(s) -- Germans send Christmas cards to each other in the run up to Christmas.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
das Weihnachten — Christmas.... the nights of dedication
der Heiligabend — Christmas Eve German families open their presents on Christmas Eve.
der Tannenbaum / der Weihnachtsbaum — Christmas tree
den Weihnachtsbaum / den Tannenbaum schmücken — to decorate the Christmas tree Families traditionally wait until the morning of Christmas Eve to decorate their trees.
das Weihnachtsessen — Christmas dinner
der Lebkuchen — gingerbread t raditionally eaten during Advent and Christmas. You can find loads of recipes for it here.
der Christstollen — German Christmas cake (a fruit cake covered in marzipan). It is said that Dresden’s Stollen is some of the best in the country.
schenken — to give (presents)
der Weihnachtsmann — Santa Claus. In the north of Germany, Santa Claus delivers presents during the night of December 23rd. He is known as der Weihnachtsmann.
das Christkindl — the Christ-child In southern Germany and Austria, the Christ-child
brings gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Santa Claus. This cherub-like
child is often portrayed as being blond and with wings. The Americanized
spelling and pronunciation of this is Kris Kringle, which is sometimes
used as an alternative name for Santa Claus.
das Geschenk — present / gift Need some ideas for what to give your friends and family this year? This website will give you plenty of inspiration, while helping you practice your German reading!
die Weihnachtslieder — Christmas carols You can’t make your German learning much
more festive than singing a couple of Christmas carols. Some of the most
popular English Christmas songs actually originated in Germany and have
since been translated. “O Christmas Tree” is actually a German carol
called “O Tannenbaum.” “Silent Night” also began life as a German carol: “Stille Nacht.”
das Schlittschuhlaufen — ice skating --Ice skating is a popular winter pastime in Germany.
der Schnee — snow
New Year’s Eve Just because Christmas is over, it doesn’t mean the party is…it’s time for New Year’s Eve!
der Silvester — New Year’s Eve -- The German name for New Year’s Eve comes from Pope Sylvester I, whose saint feast day is December 31st. Germans celebrate Silvester with lots of fireworks and champagne. One tradition is heat small lead pellets until them melt, and then pour it into a cup of ice water until it takes on a new shape. Whatever shape it takes is considered a sneak preview for you of the coming year. Making noise is also a key part of the
evening, as it was traditionally believed that this would keep evil
spirits at bay. It's not unusual for families to find creative ways to make loud noises with anything they can get
their hands on, from drums to pasta boxes, to kitchen utensils.
der Pfannkuchen — filled donut Donuts filled with jam are often served at Silvester parties. But watch out! It’s not uncommon for pranksters to fill some with mustard as a practical joke… (This is also a Karneval trick...)
Feeling festive yet?
Hopefully this blog post has gotten you ready for the holiday season!
If you’re still feeling a little
Grinch-like, try including small festive exercises—like some of the ones
mentioned above—in your German practice…
You’ll get into the Yuletide spirit soon enough!
After studying German and Philosophy at The University of Nottingham, Laura Harker relocated to Berlin in 2012. She now works as a freelance writer and is also assistant editor at Slow Travel Berlin.
