Weihnachten im Deutschland

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Weihnachten im Deutschland
(Christmas in Germany)

• Saint Nicklaus
• Krampus
• Tannenbaum
• Christkindl Postamt
• Mahlzeit im Deutschland
• O Tannenbaum
• Karte

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Saint Nicklaus
Saint Nicklaus comes every year on December 6th.
He is dressed like a bishop and he has a long
beard and gray hair. He knocks on doors, and
asks how the kids have been acting. He leaves
candy in the
shoes of the children who have been good
throughout the year. For those who have been
naughty, theres always his helper
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Krampus
Krampus is the companion and helper of Saint
Nicklaus. While Saint Nicklaus rewards the good
children, Krampus punishes the bad. He carries a
chain or a whip the he uses for their punishment.
He wears a tattered, black
robe, and he will take the children, put them in
a sack, and carry them away. He is also known as
Knecht Ruprecht, Knecht meaning servant.
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Tannenbaum
The Tannenbaum,or Christmas Tree, is part of
the pre-christian tradition of 12 Rauhnächte, or
12 harsh nights. This later became the 12 nights
of Christmas. The tree is put up on December 24,
and taken down on the 12th night, January
6th. The plündernis part of the tradition of
taking down the tree. This is when the tree is
raided of cookies and sugar plums. They thought
that evil spirits killed the trees in winter, but
that evergreens were resistant to the evil
spirits, so they brought the trees into their
homes.
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Christkindl Postamt
Ferdinand Sertl lived in Steyr in the 16th
century. He suffered from epilepsy, and found
solitude in a small forest near the hamlet of
Unterhimmel. He was a religious man, and put a
picture of the
holy family on a fir tree. He cut a niche in the
tree for a wax figure of baby Jesus, or
Christkindl. He visited this tree several
times a week, and he soon got better. He thought
that praying in front of the statue made him
recover. For this reason, a chapel was made
around the tree in 1699. So many pilgrims came,
that they had to build a church in 1708. The
trunk of the tree is really the alter. They then
built a post office
in 1959 to be open in the winter.
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Mahlzeit in Deutschland
In Germany, Christmas meals can be very
different from what we are used to in America.
In rural areas, when the hunting was good, they
might have venison for their main course. If it
was cold enough to slaughter pigs before
Christmas, they would have pork. Christmas eve
was once a fast day for the Catholics, so they
would eat fish for Christmas, commonly carp.
They would also use Spätzle (small dumplings),
kraut and Metzelsuppe as the broth for the
sausage. Bier, Glühwein, or mulled cider are
favorite drinks.
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O Tannenbaum
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, Wie grün sind deine
Blätter. Sie grünst nicht nur im
Sommerzeit, Nein, auch im Winter, wenn es
schneit, O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, Wie grün
sind deine Blätter.
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German Christmas Greetings
Fröhliche Weihnachten Glückliches Neues Jahr Mit
den besten Wünschen zum Jahreswechsel ____
wünscht Ihnen fröhliche Weihnachtsfest und ein
Glückliches Neues Jahr
Merry Christmas Happy New Year With Best Wishes
for the New Year ____ wishes you a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year
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