Father’s day in Germany is so much more than gifting a tie. This public holiday is a day off work for everybody, and a chance for men to act like boys. Known as Vatertag (also Männertag), it involves drinking lots of beer, riding a beer bike, and, unfortunately, little responsibility.

Germany’s Vatertag coincides with Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt in German). It happens every year on the fortieth day after Easter on a Thursday in May.

But in Germany you’re more likely to see day-drinking debauchery than pious reverence for the holiday (unless you’re in Bavaria) and it’s not just because people are excited not to work. It is a national holiday around the country and the Friday following is usually a Bruckentag (bridge day) providing for a 4-day weekend. That means you can have one drunken day out and three days to recover.

The holiday actually has noble beginnings in the Middle Ages as a religious ceremony honoring Gott, den Vater (God, the father). Towards the 1700s, the day transformed into Vatertag, a family day honoring the father of the household. Men would be carted into the village center and the father with the most children would earn a reward, often a large ham.

It fell completely out of favor for a while, but made a comeback in the 19th century as Männertag. Losing the focus on dear old dad, it was billed as a “boys’ day out” or by its more positive euphemism for “gentlemen parties”. How that has transformed to today’s celebrations where there is nary a gentlemen to be seen is still a question.

While celebrations are generally men only, it is not limited to fathers. Any male with Männlichkeitswahn (machismo) and a desire to indulge in their caveman side can participate in Vatertag.

Popular activities for Father’s Day in Germany

• Pub tour of your favorite bars (Männerrunde)
• Indulge in the drinks, eats, and atmosphere of Germany’s many Biergartens
• Group bike ride with a Bollerwagen (hand wagon) of booze or by beer bike
• Reserve spots in a beer hall for your group to drink and sing your way through the day
• Gather in a park with games like Boules, a grill and crates of beer, schnaps and mixers

If you’d like to honor your father, gifts are of course appreciated. Something as simple as a call is expected, or you can get creative. Better yet, buy papa a German beer to fit the spirit of the holiday.

Whatever the day brings, alcohol is likely to be involved. Männertag’s reputation as a Sauftag (drinking day) has made it unpopular among some segments of the public and – understandably – with the Polizei (police).

According to the UDV (German insurers accident research institute) there are three times as many alcohol-related traffic accidents on Männertag. Please remember: wherever the day takes you, it is your responsibility. Abide by all laws and regulations and be respectful of the authorities. Männertag is only one day a year, you don’t want to pay for it with the other 364.

For those that want to opt out of the celebrations, it is still a day off in May that offers the chance to enjoy beautiful weather. Stay out of the bars, avoid roving groups of men, and enjoy your holiday.

Michael Esken, mayor of the city of Verl, gets his tie cut off on Weiberfastnacht.
Photo by Kerstin Eigendorf

Weiberfastnacht is a holiday celebrated mostly in the Rhineland on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Originally a special day for women’s carnival, but now celebrated by both sexes as the beginning of the six-day peak of the carnival season. Women take charge of men on Carnival Thursday by cutting off their ties and giving them a kiss. The tradition hails from an era when women’s rights didn’t exist. The act dates back to pagan times and symbolizes the power of women and their ability to rule over men, especially in crazy times.

Photo by dpa/Oliver Berg

Today, Weiberfastnacht — composed of the words “weiber” (women) and “fastnacht,” another word for Carnival — lives on as a fun-filled, female tradition that takes place on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. The unofficial holiday kicks off at exactly 11:11 a.m. with a street festival, and revelers don colorful, over-the-top costumes, and the annual “storming” of city hall is broadcast live on television. The festivities also include some interesting customs like “necktie-cutting,” a symbolic gesture to show men who’s boss. The men customarily get a kiss or a “Bützchen” in return for the chopped accessory. Basically, women run the show in every way on this celebratory day, and everyone gets to enjoy the spoils of a lady-led world with a parade, food, drinks and fun.

Maintaining your personal space is not exactly an option; close bodily contact with strangers is just as much a part of Carnival as music and beer. People link arms and sway to the Schlager, or do the “Stippeföttche,” a traditional dance that involves rubbing rear ends together.

In the Middle Ages, upper-class woman were allowed to throw their manners out the window on this day, which was dubbed “the drinking day for dear women.”

In the 18th century, some convents even recognized the anything-goes tradition and the nuns were permitted to feast, gamble and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

In the 19th century, a group of washerwoman in Beuel near Bonn, around 30 km (about 19 miles) south of Cologne, laid the foundation for the present-day Weiberfastnacht celebrations.

The Beuel Ladies’ Committee pictured in the year 1900

Back then, the washerwomen had to work 16 hours a day — and not only for the high-society men who could afford it, they also had to scrub their own husbands’ dirty laundry so that the men could go to Carnival parties in nearby Cologne in clean shirts. The wives had to stay at home to work and tend to the children.

In 1824, the washerwomen had finally had enough. They ditched their work and met in a pub to complain about their husbands. Obviously, they weren’t just sipping tea and coffee.

They founded the “Beuel Ladies’ Committee” and proceeded to storm the city hall in Beuel, claiming authority for a day. The tradition stuck and Bonn-Beuel became an important Carnival hub.

Word of what the women in Beuel had done spread quickly throughout the Rhineland. Women in many other cities and villages formed similar committees and proceeded to storm their city halls as well.

As a symbol of revoking the power of the men, the women started chopping off their neckties, which they collected like trophies. Of course, since the tradition is all in good fun, the men don’t go away empty-handed. Instead, they get a “Bützchen” — a smooch — in return. In this ritual, it’s the woman who chooses who she’s willing to kiss, though the unwritten rule remains that both partners must consent to locking lips.

The Christmas season is a busy one! Celebrating German Advent will help you slow down and enjoy the real reason for the season.

Advent is celebrated on the four Sundays before Christmas. The Advent tradition is a religious celebration in preparation for the arrival, or “advent” of the Christ Child (das Christkind) on his “official” birthday, the 25th day of December.

On the first Sunday, one candle is lit. On the second Sunday, the first candle and another candle is lit. On the third Sunday, the first 2 candles are lit in addition to the third. On the fourth Sunday, the first 3 candles are lit in addition to the fourth.

Advent wreath with four candles

There is no specific way you have to celebrate Advent Sundays. Typically it is time set aside to gather as friends and family and sing Christmas songs, read poems or stories and enjoy some Christmas goodies.

Adventsblasen

Das Adventsblasen – “Blasen” is what a wind instrument does when you blow into it. So an Adventsblasen is a sort of… advent wind concert?

Adventsblasen usually take place either in churches or in open places like Christmas markets – and the idea is to bring Christ down to earth with the music.

The Adventsblasen pictured below is a traditional mix of trumpets, trombones, horns, tubas and other brass and wind instruments, and has been taking place since 1979.

Vanillekipferl (German Vanilla Crescent Cookies)

Adventsgebäck is basically Gebäck (cakes, pastries and biscuits) traditionally eaten during advent.

Seasonal baked goods are a big deal in Germany. Unsurprisingly, Lebkuchen is the most in demand. But Lebkuchen isn’t the only sweet treat making Germans feel all Christmassy during Advent.

Stollen is also an essential part of the German Christmas experience. A bread-shaped cake filled with raisins and spices, if you ration it carefully it can last for weeks.

Adventskranz (Advent Wreath)

Der Adventskranz is the name for a German Advent wreath. It’s believed the Adventskranz first appeared in a Hamburg youth shelter in the mid 19th-century.

Established by Johann Wichern in 1833, the Das Rauhe Haus was – and still is – a lifeline for children and teenagers separated from their parents. Wichern wanted to show the youngsters the way to Christmas, helping them count the days and visualise its coming.

But while this original wreath had 24 candles, today’s Adventskränze are more likely to have just four – to be lit on the four Sundays of Advent.

Nikolaustag is on December 6th

On the evening of December 5th, you’ll find many German children leaving out a shoe before they go to bed. If they’ve been good during the year, they’ll awake on Nikolaustag to find their shoe stuffed with sweets and treats.

But if not, they’ll have to answer to Knecht Ruprecht. Nikolaus’s terrifying alter-ego, Knecht Ruprecht provides a switch of wood that parents can spank naughty children with – a practice that thankfully died out a long time ago.

Admittedly, it’s not the most festive part of Advent.

Heiligabend (Holy Evening)

December 25th may be the big day in the UK and USA; but in Germany most of the festivities come a day earlier.

On Heiligabend – or Holy Evening – Germans celebrate the birth of Jesus.

As soon as the sun goes down on December 24th, it’s officially Christmas – with many families exchanging presents, enjoying festive meals and attending church services.

Christmas Day (called the “Zweiter Weihnachtstag,” or “second Christmas Day”) is still a public holiday across Germany.

For almost 200 years, the Cannstatter Volksfest has enjoyed enormous popularity and annually attracts about four million visitors from near and far to Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden Württemberg. People are captivated by the special atmosphere of the wonderful funfair coupled with beautiful festival tents, a colorful flea market and many spectacular attractions. Rich in tradition, the Cannstatter Volksfest is not only the biggest festival in Baden Württemberg but it is also has one of the biggest funfairs in the whole of Europe.

This year the festival takes place on Sep 27, 2019 – Oct 13, 2019.

The Cannstatter Volksfest is an annual three-week Volksfest (beer festival and traveling funfair) in Stuttgart, Germany. It is sometimes also referred to by foreign visitors as the Stuttgart Beer Festival, although it is actually more of an autumnal fair.

The festival takes place at the Cannstatter Wasen from late September to early October, spanning a period over three weekends, ending the second Sunday in October. The extensive Wasen area is in the Stuttgart city district of Bad Cannstatt, near the river Neckar. A smaller variant of the Stuttgart festival, the Stuttgart Spring Festival, is also held each year in Wasen.

Although the Volksfest is not strictly speaking a beer festival, it is considered by many to be the second largest beer celebration in the world after the Munich Oktoberfest. According to estimates about 4.2 million people visited the festival in 2006. The Volksfest begins one week later than the Oktoberfest.

In a time of political strife and economic weakness, Württemberg’s King Wilhelm I and his wife Katharina laid the foundations for what today has become known as the Cannstatter Volksfest by forming the “Centralstelle des landwirtschaftlichen Vereins” – an agricultural organization – in 1817. An agricultural festival with horse races, prizes for outstanding achievements in livestock breeding combined with a people’s festival was, in accordance with the king’s wishes, designed to revive Württemberg’s economy after the damage done to it during the Napoleonic wars.

Everything was then prepared for 28 September, one day after the king’s birthday, in the following year. The original Cannstatter Wasen site has been the venue for the major festival ever since 1818. At the time it was an idyllic though watery meadow on the banks of the River Neckar which was yet to be dammed up. Lying between green fields and vineyards and without any surrounding buildings, the Wasen, as the site is called by the locals, lay within view of the royal Villa Bellevue close to the Wilhelma, the only combined zoo and botanical garden in Germany. It was therefore only a short horse-drawn carriage ride away for the festival’s benefactor who had no intention of missing the ceremonial opening and witnessing the successful start. The original idea of the “king amongst farmers and the farmer amongst kings”, as Wilhelm I was called by his contemporaries, continues today in the shape of the so-called “Landwirtschaftlichen Hauptfest”, a large agricultural show running parallel to the Volksfest that showcases all the latest technology within the farming industry in the state of Baden Württemberg.

The “Fruchtsäule” (Fruit Column) is the emblem of the Cannstatter Volksfest. There has been a towering column decorated with many different kinds of fruit, cereals and vegetables ever since the first Volksfest in 1818. Today the symbol reminds one of the origins of the Volksfest, namely the agricultural festival. Commissioned and funded by King Wilhelm I, the frist fruit column was designed and built by the architect to the royal court, Nikolaus Friedrich von Thouret, the money for the first fruit column was funded by King Wilhelm I.

The “fruit column” is a wooden pillar decorated with fruit, it is 26 m high and weighing 3.5 tons. After World War I, with the beginning of the Weimar Republic, the fruit column was removed from the Cannstatter Wasen as it was considered a relic of the monarchy. Since 1935, the 100th anniversary, it has been back in its traditional place. Until recently the fruit column, the design of which has changed over the years, was dismantled after each Volksfest. Every few years it is redesigned. Since 1995 it has been left in place throughout the year and is thus also on display at the Stuttgart spring festival. In recent years only the tip has been dismantled leaving the lower portion in place housing information stands and the Cannstatter “city can”.

Today, there are seven large beer tents on the Cannstatter Wasen for people to celebrate in. They either have their own name or carry the name of the brewery supplying the beer.

• Schwaben Bräu tent of Alexander Laub, remodeled in 2006 and now offering room for about 5,200 people
• Stuttgarter Hofbräu tent of Hans-Peter Grandl, room for 5,000
• Dinkelacker tent of Dieter and Werner Klauss seating 4,500 visitors
• Fürstenberg tent – from 2000 to 2004, Walter Weitmann organized a tent with about 5,000 seats for the Fürstenberg Brewery, which courted the other breweries’ resentment by both its size and the origin (Fürstenberg is from Baden). In 2005, a smaller tent (room for 2,800) run by Peter Brandl replaced Weitmann’s
• Festzelt Göckelesmaier – established in 1938 as Maiers Karle, renamed because of the roasted chicken (Swabian: Göckele) served there, seats 2,500, also serves Stuttgarter Hofbräu beer
• Festzelt Wasenwirt – room for 2200, Stuttgarter Hofbräu
• Arcadia Erlebniszelt – established in 2005, 1,800 seats, an artificial waterfall and Dinkelacker brew

Since 1982 the tents of Laub, Grandl and Klauss have been located by the fruit column. Each tent takes it in turn to host the opening ceremony. The price for a Maß is usually the same in all tents.

Traditionally a parade also takes place at the Wasen, usually on the first Sunday. In 1954 a record number of spectators attended the parade along the route from Stuttgart’s central square to the Wasen site: 300,000.The Mohrenköpfle is a pig in the parade. On the orders of King Wilhelm I, masked pigs (Maskenschweine?) were imported from Central China in 1820/21, in order to improve pig breeding in the kingdom of Baden-Württemberg. This crossbreeding with the “Chinese pigs” was particularly successful within the stocks of domestic pigs in the Hohenlohe region and the area around the town of Schwäbisch Hall.

Oktoberfest has gathered international recognition and status and is celebrated in areas outside Germany too. Nevertheless we’re listing the fun facts for you. Here are some interesting facts and traditions surrounding the world’s most famous beer festival.

1. It’s not a beer festival

Contrary to popular belief, Oktoberfest – or “Wiesn”, to the locals – is not a beer festival, but the anniversary celebration of the wedding between Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and his wife, Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. When they got married in 1810, the royals commemorated the event with a public party where not a single drop of the liquid gold was spilled!

It wasn’t until 1819 that the horse races were replaced by beer vendors. Despite their initial prudence, you’ll still find doting monarchists today raising a stein in honor of the old lord and lady who made it all possible.

2. Munich beer only

Oktoberfest is, above all, a celebration of Bavarian traditions, so the only beer you’ll find during the festival is brewed within the city limits of Munich. Only beers that fit this criteria are considered Oktoberfest Beers.

3. No drinking without consent

You’d think that this behemoth of a beer celebration would be a bit of an anything goes affair, but you’d be wrong. Drinking at Oktoberfest can only commence when the master of ceremonies – the mayor of Munich – cracks open the first barrel of beer, proclaiming ‘O’ zapft is’ (‘It’s tapped!’).

4. It doesn’t start in October

What’s in a name? Not much, it seems, as this legendary autumn event doesn’t even start in October! Over the years there’s been a shift to an earlier, hopefully sunnier mid-September start, with the whole festival starting around the middle of September and finishing in early October, when 12 riflemen will sound a salute on the steps of the plainly named Bavaria Statue.

5. They’ve cancelled it 24 times

You can’t stop beer pouring! In 200 years, Oktoberfest has only been cancelled 24 times. The causes were mostly due to the war and cholera epidemics.

6. Beer prices start at €9.70 / £8 / $11

It’s the price for one liter of beer. Not for those looking for a low budget festival.

Tip: Beer can be bought in the tents from 10 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays, and from 9 am to 10:30 pm during the weekend.

7. The beer is specially brewed for Oktoberfest and it’s extra strong

One mug of beer here is equivalent to 8 shots of Schnapps. They’re specially brewed for the festival and they have at least 6% alcohol.

8. There are 14 large beer hall tents

The most famous one is Schottenhamel because it’s where the mayor taps the first keg and the biggest one is Hofbräu-Festhalle which seats almost 11,000 people.

9. There’s a wine tent

Besides 15 different types wine there’s also champagne and sparkling wine in the Weinzelt – wine tent.

10. The lost and found office is a proverbial treasure chest

Naturally for such a huge event, the Oktoberfest Lost and Found office is stuffed every year with thousands of abandoned goods, including passports, wallets, mobile phones, bags and rucksacks, and cameras – there also happen some more peculiar finds, such as wedding rings, hearing-aids, sets of false teeth, and even Segways.

11. It’s a kid-friendly zone

Over recent years, organizers for the festival have tried to steer away from the image of the world’s most popular watering hole to a more family-friendly extravaganza. The carnival aspect has always been a big deal at Oktoberfest, but now it’s bigger than ever, with a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, games and traditional Bavarian parades open to people of all ages, shapes and varying degrees of drunkenness.

12. Despite the international appeal, it’s still a surprisingly local affair

Only 19% of the visitors aren’t from Germany.

13. Einstein worked there

Albert Einstein, once worked as an electrician and helped to set up one of the beer tents in 1896.

14. Oktoberfest has its very own post office

They send around 130,000 postcards and gifts every year.

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.

Proverb

Mother’s day celebration in Germany takes place on the second Sunday of May. However, if this day happens to be the Pentecost (Pfingstsonntag) – the Christian festival for celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit (held on the 7^th Sunday following Easter) – then Mother’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May (a week earlier).

The history of Muttertag in Germany dates back to the Middle Ages. There was a Sunday in Thuringia (one of 16 federal states of Germany) when relatives used to visit and congratulate each other with spring. Spring was associated with the beginning of life, and women gave that life to humanity. Nobody worked, everybody went to their parents’ place, and mothers were blessed by their relatives on that day.

The year 1922 was the time when the Germans started to celebrate Mother’s Day for the first time, and in 1933 this occasion was declared an official holiday to be celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

From 1939 to 1945, Mother’s Day gained a remarkable position, where a tradition of giving The Cross of Honor of the German Mother was established. It was a state decoration conferred by the government of the German Reich in three classes: bronze, silver, and gold, to mothers who exhibited strong moral principles, exemplary motherhood, and who conceived and raised at least four or more children in the role of a parent. But this “golden era” of Mother’s Day did not last too long as by the end of the World War II Mother’s Day misplaced its Nazi elements, replaced by the more neutral elements of celebration by offering gifts, flowers and cards to mothers.

The way German people celebrate Mother’s Day is actually very similar to other countries. First of all, there are a lot of phone calls that German mothers receive from their children – as a form to express gratitude and adoration for their moms for the love and care given to them. There are a lot of colorful flowers that German mothers get on this day. Moreover, there are also white flowers sent to the graves of mothers who passed away, as well. Other forms of gifts are also chocolates, perfumes, cards, different surprising visits or traveling tickets and so forth.  It is also very common for some people to visit their parents and cook in their homes for their mothers.

Also known as Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Christian Church.

It commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and the institution of the Lord’s Supper and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Holy Thursday is called Maundy Thursday from the old Latin name for the day, “Dies Mandatum,” i.e. “the day of the new commandment” referring to the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another, before he washed the feet of his disciples.

Preceding Good Friday, it also played a role in rural customs. A popular assumption is that it is called “green” Thursday because of the green vegetables, people eat on this Fastday, spinach being a favorite. In Germany, the tradition is to eat a big fresh salad, or anything green, like these amazing eggs in green Frankfurter sauce.