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A known German proverb says: "Festivities have to be celebrated
the time they are." An English version of that could be: "Christmas
comes but once a year." Every year there are about 10,000 occasions
where public festivals are celebrated, so there is always a possibility
to have some fun: Whether it's a parish
fair, a riflemen's meeting, a religious festivity, a pageant
or some sort of jubilee - in Germany about 200 million visitors
participate in these events.
Below we will describe an important and popular festival that is
either at the top of the list of big public
festivals or which shows the local culture and way of living.
We laid the priority in the region of "Franken".
At the bottom of this site you can find a link
list with further information in English.
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| January |
Heilige Drei Könige - The Three
Hallowed Kings
January is one of the months with the fewest festivities,
(although carnival in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mayence and Munich
have either started on the 11th of November at 11.11am or
will start the day after the "Heilige Drei Könige".
) But many have to recover from New Year's Eve parties, so
they celebrate the profound festivity of the "Heilige
Drei Könige" on the 6th of January.
Details:
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| February |
Carnival*
(Fasching)
Now the "crazy days" of carnival are at the peak
of interest. From Maundy Thursday until carnival's Tuesday
there are many big parties throughout Germany. There are not
many eyes and throats staying dry...
History:
The historical background of carnival is as
manifold as the different names for it in German. Here are
some of the sources:
Some of the highlights of carnival are the carnival pageants,
which take place on carnival's Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.
For example: the Carnival Monday's Pageant in Mayence was
celebrated for the first time in 1838. Nowadays there are
about 600,000 visitors every year.
Whoever wants to be part of the "crazy days" should
have some information:
* By the way: The derivation of the word "carnival"
is Italian, and means "carne vale!"
. It's a Good Bye to Lent. In Germany carnival ("Karneval")
is also called "Fasching" or "Fastnacht". |
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| March |
Starkbierzeit - "Time of Strong
Beer"
Two weeks after Ash Wednesday starts the "Starkbierzeit"
in Bavaria, which is especially popular in Munich
(German).
History:
For centuries a very strong beer is brewed in order to endure
the meager Lent (carne vale!), the so
-called "Starkbier" ("Strong Beer"). It
has to contain at least 16% original wort, which is equivalent
to about 6.5% alcohol. The "Starkbierzeit" is sometimes
called the "Fifth Season" in Bavaria.
In March people living in Munich go "on top of the hill".
This doesn't mean they go to the Alps but to the Nockerberg
(German) and there they enjoy a cold, dark beer, the Salvator
(German). With that they eat "O'batzter" (=crushed
Camembert with onion, paprika and butter), "Steckerlfisch"
(a grilled fish on a stick), "Leberkäs" (a
typical Bavarian meat) or "Brathendl" (broiled chicken).
There are some traditions connected to the "Starkbierzeit".
For example the "Derblecken" or "Tratzen"
is,when the cabaret artists make fun of politicians and prominence.
These people are often in the audience and listen humorously
to the mockery and criticism. They know that the most important
thing to help raise their popularity is to be a part of the
official life. |
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| April |
Easter
In Central Europe the end of winter is highlighted with Easter.
Exactly 46 days after Ash Wednesday, with the end of carnival,
Easter Sunday is celebrated. It is the celebration of the
Easter egg, paschal lamb, Easter fires, Easter well,.. . Even
more terms related to Easter can be found at www.German-easter-holiday.com
(English) or at www.serve.com/shea
(English).
Besides the bunny and the lamb, the egg is especially important
at Easter. No matter if it's a chocolate egg or a real one,
a decoration on some boards or a colorfully painted breakfast
egg - Easter without an Easter egg can't be imagined in Germany.
Since pre-Christian times the egg has been used as a symbol
for awakening nature and fertility. It has a great significance
in many nations.
So that the origin of Easter should not be forgotten: on
Easter Sunday Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus,
with death not seen as the end, but as the beginning of a
new life....(more)
Some links with information about the tradition of the decorated
Easter wells in "Franconian Switzerland":
... and about Eastern in Germany in general (pages in German):
At the end of April there is another event that is celebrated:
Walpurgisnight
History:
Originally the night before the 1st of May was a heathen spring
celebration. Christianity later on reinterpreted it as a witch
and druid-guided night. It is said that making a lot of noise
such as drumming, whistling and shouting may cause the bad
spirits of the dark to be driven away.
The Catholic Church consecrated this day to the sacred Walpurga,
who died in 778 and made her an abbess of the monastery of
Heidenheim. She was the patroness of maids and peasant women
as well as the guardian of witchcraft, (which was supposed
to fight the bad actions of witches.)
In many places even the Walpurgisnight on the 30th of April
is something very special. The legend says, witches dance
around a big fire on this night. They are welcomed with fireworks,
dancing and a witchfire. |
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| May |
"Erlanger Bergkirchweih" - Festivities of the Consecration
of the Church of Erlangen www.der-berg-ruft.de
(German)
Once a year a well - known beer-festival takes part one
week before Whitsun in Erlangen, Franconia.
History:
From 1675 on the first brewers of the twelve commercial breweries
in Franconia had the idea to dig a tunnel into the sandstone
of the hill under the stronghold of Erlangen. There beer would
be cold even in summer. By 1770 thirteen cellars were used
permanently, some were longer than 100 meters. The longest
cellar, which was built by the "Reifbrauerei of Erlangen"
in 1884, was 861 meters long and nearly went through the hill
of the stronghold! As time went by, crossways between the
cellars were built which were leased to smaller breweries
or private patrons.
Today there is only one new "old" private brewery
left besides the big Kitzmann-Brauerei
(German): the "Steinbach" brewery in the old city.
It was founded in 1995. Beer here is brewed only for the counter
and the "Berg", which the "Bergkirchweih"
is called as well.
Nowadays this festival is popular among young people who
start dancing and singing on the tables every evening.
Whoever wants to party in such an atmosphere has the chance
to do so at the Anna-Fest in Forchheim. |
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| June |
"Kieler Woche" - The week
of Kiel
www.kieler-woche.de
(German/English)
About 3.5 million people come to Keil for the biggest sailing
event in the world. Participants include more than 5,000 sailors
with 2,000 boats. Besides being a sportive and cultural event,
"Kieler Woche" is a grand folk-fair as well. With
the command "Leinen los!" ("drop the lines")
the big event is opened with great interest from the crowd
and starts with the traditional "Aalregatta" (Eel-regatta)
from Kiel to Eckernförde. About 200 sailors take part
in this leisurely race. Another sight is the world cup of
the high-seas yachts "Mumm 36".
People that are interested in sailing should not miss the
Hanse
Sail (English) in Rostock. It is also possible to take
part in some of the popular sailing events. |
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| July |
"Annafest" in Forchheim
www.annafest-forchheim.de
(German)
Similar to the Bergkirchweih in Erlangen
this traditional public fair takes place every year during
the last week in July in Forchheim on the "cellar-hill"
(close to Bamberg).
History:
The origins of the fair are not clear, but three occasions
were important:
- On the 26th of July, the name-day of "holy Anna",
tutelary Saint of Forchheim, the people of Forchheim went
on a pilgrimage to the Anna-church in Unterweilersbach.
On their way home, they had a rest at "cellar-hill"
to have a cold beer.
- From 1840 on the main-shooting of the riflemen's meeting
took place on the 26th of. July, close to the "cellar-hill".
- From the time of the Thirty Years' War on (1618-48) more
and more cellars were dug into the rocks, to use the constant
temperature of six to ten degrees centigrade for the storage
of beer, wine and food items. From 1722 42 people owning
a cellar were registered, most of them innkeepers and brewers.
Up to 500,000 visitors are attracted to the cellar-hill
during the ten days of the festival. With 30,000 seats there
is more space to sit there than at the festival in Erlangen,
(the Bergkirchweih). It is possible to sit and eat in the
middle of the forest and drink your beer. From 1p.m. to 11
p.m. bands play a variety of songs. Even more: there is a
range of different show-booths and fair-attractions.
The best way to get there is by public transport. The walk
from the train station takes about ten minutes. |
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| August |
Bamberger Sandkerwa
www.sandkerwa.de (German)
The biggest festival in the town of Bamberg and an attraction
to all guests is the so called "Sandkerwa" which
takes place every year at the end of August. In the narrow
streets of "Im Sand" (a district close to the river
Regnitz) there is a long-lasting state of exception. Many
inner courts and houses are opened on these days and many
of the old romantic places are changed into wine-inns or pubs.
At the public places and in the hotels there are bands playing
different kinds of music: from German folkmusic to Rock and
Pop to Salsa and Samba. A site with pictures of the "Sandkerwa"
and the old town of Bamberg you can find here
(German)!
History:
"Sandkerwa" is the celebration of Consecration of
the church "St.Elisabeth" and was first celebrated
on 24th day of August in 1354, the day of "St.Bartholomäus".
That is why this anniversary still gives the timetable for
this day. The tradition of the modern "Sandkerwa"
has its origins in 1951, when, after the chaos of the war,
the people decided to reinstall this Consecration again.
The biggest event is the "Fischerstechen"
("Fishermen's Sticking") on Sunday. A spectacle,
where two young men standing on narrow fishing boats in the
middle of Regnitz, try to push each other down with stuffed
lances. The pushing movement of the lance is called "Stechen"
- sticking. People from other regions also come to participate
in this event.
The finale is a big fireworks display on Monday evening.
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| September |
Harvest festivals
September in German wine regions is the time of vintage and
wine festivals No matter if it's at the Rhine, Moselle, Palatine
or Main: everyone who likes wine will find something that
suits their taste.
Here you can find a small amount of festivals in the Franconian
region (all in German):
An overview of all Franconian wine festivals you can find
here:
www.weinfest.com/franken (German); www.weinfeste-online.de
(German); www.weinfeste-xxl.de
(German) or www.wein-plus.com
(English).
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| October |
"Oktoberfest"
in Munich
www.oktoberfest.de
(German/English)
In September/ October the most interesting folk festival
of all takes place, the "Oktoberfest" in Munich,
also called "Wiesn" (meadow). Every year more than
six million people visit this festival, making it the largest
folk festival in the world.
History:
Details about the history and tradition of Oktoberfest
can be found here:
www.oktoberfestusa.com
(English)
The name "Oktoberfest" is somewhat irritating:
every year the festivities take part during the last two weeks
of September and only during the first week of October. Although
many people know of the festival, you can find some more information
below:
o Some fun tips for your first
visit to the "Oktoberfest" (English) .
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| November |
Hamburg's DOM
www.hamburger-dom.de
Known as the largest funfair in Northern Germany, Hamburg's
Dom exists as winter- dom (7. Nov. -7. Dec. 2003) and summer-
dom (30. July- 29. Aug. 2004). It's a "classical"
fun fair with show-booths, food-tents and fair-attractions.
During the weekend many families come to the join in on the
festivities. In the evenings visitors from nearby "St.
Pauli" come here party on.
It is standard for each visitor to receive a gingerbread-heart
placed around his neck, along with a paper bag full of fried
almonds and popcorn. When you start to get dizzy from the
fair-attractions or become full from eating too much, it is
time to go home.
A permanent variant like this folks festival exists in Austria:
the Prater in Vienna.
(English)
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| December |
Nuremberg Christkindles Market
www.christkindlesmarkt.de
(English) and www.christkindlesmarkt.netzland.net
(German). A lot of pictures you can find at: www.nuernbergerchristkindlesmarkt.de
(German)
Christmas Markets, opening with the beginning of Advent,
can give one some good ideas for Christmas presents. One of
the most beautiful and popular Christmas Markets is in Nuremberg.
It starts on the Friday before the first Advent.
History:
This pre-Christmas market can be traced back to the middle
of the 16th Century. In 1628 the market first appears in the
historical record. A wooden box painted with flowers in the
German National Museum bears an inscription on its base describing
that the box was sent to someone during the Christkindle's
Market in 1628. This box is currently regarded as the oldest
piece of evidence for the Christkindle's Market. A list of
notices for booth/stall holders remains from 1737. The list
shows that nearly all of Nuremberg's craftsmen were represented
in the "town of stalls". In those days 140 people
had the right to display their wares. In 1998 there were 190
stalls on the Christkindle's Market which were maintained
by 200 stallholders.
The market lost much of its importance during the end of the
19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. But in 1933 a new
ceremony lent an extraordinarily romantic tone to the proceedings.
Here a "gold foil angel" was introduced. With it
choirs of children began to sing and church bells rang. The
visitors liked this so much that the market was brought back
to its former popularity. The traditional offering of gingerbread,
manger chests, fried sausages and glow wine along with the
glittering selling-booths continues to bring a warm Christmas
feeling to the visitors of this market.
Close to the marketplace there is also an international Christmas
Market. Here visitors can find Christmas traditions from France,
the Czech republic, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and
Great Britain.
Common information about Christmas in Germany you can find
on our Christmas page. |
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| Definitions |
Public Festival
This is a festival, where at least one beer or wine tent
exists as well as some booths and fair-attractions. |
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Parish
Fair - "Kirchweih"
The consecration of a church is always celebrated
on its anniversary. Originally it was only a religious festivity.
Not until the beginning of the 9th century did it get a public
response. Since then the consecration of a church attracts
public festivals with show-booths and visitors from all over.
In Middle- or Northern Germany it is called "Kirmes"
or "Kerb", in Franconia "Kerwa", in Switzerland
called "Kilbe" or "Chilbi", in Austria
"Kirta". |
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| Further
Links |
for further information about German fairs in English have
a look at
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