Our favourite German traditions!

German traditions stem from customs, rituals, religious practices, and folklore. Not only do they celebrate Christmas, but they also celebrate St Nicholas Day. On the night of the fifth of December children will clean and polish their boots before leaving them outside the door. The next morning, they are filled with nuts, candy, and small gifts. 

Advent Calendars are another important part of Christmas within the German Culture. with the origins of Advent Calendars dating back to the 19th Century. This started with people marking chalk lines on their doors for each day in December until Christmas Eve, wiping off a line as each day passed.

Mulled wine is a traditional drink during Winter especially around Christmas and is extremely common in Germany known as Gluhwein. This is prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with a mix of cinnamon sticks, cloves, sugar and lemon. 

Krampus is a devil creature, who is the 'sidekick' of St Nicholas. He teaches naughty children lessons. Krampus night is a tradition that sees people dress up in scary costumes on the 5th of December and patrol the streets.

The final Christmas tradition that’s origin is rumored to be from Germany is the pickle tradition. This tradition sees a pickle ornament placed on a Christmas tree as a decorations. On Christmas morning the first person to find the pickle receives an extra present or is presented with good fortune. We have created our own version of this tradition! for more information click here.