Hello Doreen,
Christmas in Germany is celebrated on the 24th, Dec. Holy Night.
In our family we attend church in the afternoon because of small children taking
part, otherwise midnight service is also very popular, and for once the churches are
really full.
We have our meal together in the early evening, grandparents, parents, children.
The table is beautifully set, but the meal is simple, either brown bred with smoked
ham and 'trimmings' like pickled gherkins, lettuce, tomatoes or potatoe salad and
Frankfurter sausages. This is to make it easy for the housewife, she will have plenty
to do on Christmas day and Boxing day when again the family meets for meals. We
take it in turns to prepare the meal, mothers, daughters (in-laws) granddaughters,
so that this duty comes around only about once every three or four years for each
single one.
In our family we are lucky as we are British/German, and therefore our boys having
been brought up the English way, they also cook, and perform houshold chores.
After this evening meal, we get ready for 'Bescherung' the gift giving.
If there are small children 'der Weihnachtsmann' (literally translated the Christmas
Man) Father Christmas arrives with his sack full of gifts, but also his birch in case
one of the children needs a birching for misbehaving in the year gone by.
(Weihnachtsmann will usually choose one of the older children to punish to the
delight of the smaller ones)
Before Weihnachtsmann opens his sack the children have to recite a poem each.
These poems can be short and sweet for the younger ones, and quite elaborate
for the older ones. In our household the oldest child also reads the Christmas story
from the bible.
Then the jollification starts with everybody opening their parcels and hopefully
enjoying what they received. When the noise calms down a bit, a few of the old
Christmas carols are sung, children play with their new toys, adults are happy if all
goes well, and if the Peace on Earth goes for their household too. Amen.
Here are a few web addresses where you can read Christmas poems in German and
English:
http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~oberle/16a.html#english
http://www.derweg.org/feste/weihnachten/weihnachtsgedichte.html
Here is a very pupular one, almost every German child would have at one time or
other have recited this one:
Denkt euch, ich habe das Christkind gesehen
Denkt euch, ich habe das Christkind gesehen!
Es kam aus dem Walde, das Mützchen voll Schnee,
mit rotgefrorenem Näschen.
Die kleinen Hände taten ihm weh,
denn es trug einen Sack, der war gar schwer,
schleppte und polterte hinter ihm her.
Was drin war, möchtet ihr wissen?
Ihre Naseweise, ihr Schelmenpack -
denkt ihr, er wäre offen der Sack?
Zugebunden bis oben hin!
Doch war gewiss etwas Schönes drin!
Es roch so nach Äpfeln und Nüssen!
Anna Ritter (1865-1921)
And for the older ones this absolute classic by the Northern German poet
Theodor Storm:
Knecht Ruprecht
Von drauß vom Walde komm' ich her;
Ich muss euch sagen, es weihnachtet sehr!
Allüberall auf den Tannenspitzen
Sah ich goldene Lichtlein sitzen;
Und droben aus dem Himmelstor
Sah mit großen Augen das Christkind hervor,
Und wie ich so strolcht' durch den finstern Tann,
Da rief's mich mit heller Stimme an:
"Knecht Ruprecht", rief es, "alter Gesell,
Hebe die Beine und spute dich schnell!
Die Kerzen fangen zu brennen an,
Das Himmelstor ist aufgetan,
Alt' und Junge sollen nun
Von der Jagd des Lebens ruhn;
Und morgen flieg' ich hinab zur Erden,
Denn es soll wieder Weihnachten werden!"
Ich sprach: "O lieber Herre Christ,
Meine Reise fast zu Ende ist;
Ich soll nur noch in diese Stadt,
Wo's eitel gute Kinder hat." -
"Hast denn das Säcklein auch bei dir?"
Ich sprach: "Das Säcklein, das ist hier;
Denn Äpfel, Nuss und Mandelkern
Essen fromme Kinder gern." -
"Hast denn die Rute auch bei dir?"
Ich sprach: "Die Rute, die ist hier;
Doch für die Kinder nur, die schlechten,
Die trifft sie auf den Teil, den rechten."
Christkindlein sprach: "So ist es recht;
So geh mit Gott, mein treuer Knecht!"
Von drauß vom Walde komm' ich her;
Ich muß euch sagen, es weihnachtet sehr!
Nun sprecht, wie ich's hierinnen find'!
Sind's gute Kind, sind's böse Kind?
Theodor Storm (1817-1888)
Sorry I have no time tonight to translate.
A few things have changed in recent years though. While in years gone by you
would have had a job to find a pub open on Holy Night even in the most notorious
districts, it is now customary for the younger generation to go out dancing later at
night, but most still observe the quiet beginning of the night.
Also the consumption of alcohol has become much more popular than it used to be,
but then it is up to each family themselves to choose how they would like to
clebrate the birth of Christ.
Sorry, must close, could go on with different little customs but perhaps one or two
others from the mailing list will contribute.
FROHE WEIHNACHTEN, Doreen
Happy Christmas
Ingrid