German Christmas Traditions

What comes to your mind when you think about Christmas in Germany? Snow-covered landscapes, Christmas markets, mulled wine? Let me take you on an insider’s tour on how Germans celebrate their Christmas.

Christmas markets

Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) are one of the most successful traditional exports after the Oktoberfest. There are several touring markets in Europe, and you can even find some in Chicago, New York or Phoenix.

Christmas markets started as traditional markets where you could buy meat, vegetables and other items of daily necessity. But in the 14th century, the first markets started selling toys for children and sweet pastries in December. Today there are between 1,500 and 3,000 Weihnachtsmärkte in Germany. Bigger cities like Berlin even have several across the different neighbourhoods.

One of the most famous ones is the Christkindelsmarkt in Nuremberg in Bavaria. Over 2 million people from all over the world visit this particular market every year.

Most stalls nowadays sell street food and drinks, and the markets have become a place where you socialise with your friends or colleagues over some mulled wine.

Christmas pastry and cookies

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, German children always look forward to baking traditional Christmas cookies like Plätzchen, Vanillekipferl or Lebkuchen. Parents prepare the dough, and the children form the cookies and decorate them. If you want to surprise your children (or friends) this year with some classic cookies yourself the website, Germanfoods.org has some recipes.

Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Stollen, a traditional mix between a cake and a fruit bread. It is made out of yeast, flour, water and candied fruit, usually raisins. Many people buy this cake nowadays in shops, as you need to let the baked Stollen rest for several weeks before you can eat it. It is only available in the weeks leading up to Christmas and not at any other time of the year.

Traditional German Christmas

For German’s Christmas Eve (24th December) is the most important day. Most people have to work in the morning, as only the afternoon is an official holiday.

Traditionally, after returning from work, families go to mass around 15:00 to celebrate with their local community. We have some coffee and eat cake at home afterwards to relax a bit and enjoy the start of the holidays. And then comes the part I liked most as a child: we hand out the presents!

Protestant families often go a second time to the church at midnight for a special service called “Christmette”.

While many Germans no longer go to church regularly, a lot still go on Christmas Eve, because it is part of our tradition.

The 25th and 26th of December are official holidays in Germany and are called First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day. These two days are usually reserved for visiting friends and family and eating traditional Christmas dishes. They are quiet days to reflect on the past year and to enjoy the company of our loved ones.

Traditional Meals

Dinner on Christmas Eve is the opposite of what you would expect. Most Germans eat a simple dinner of potato salad and Vienna sausages. Working in the morning and going to church in the afternoon doesn’t leave much time for cooking. The lavish dishes are reserved for the following two days when your friends and family members visit.

Another popular choice is fondue on Christmas Eve. Germans prefer the version with oil and not with cheese. You fry small pieces of meat, potato or mushrooms and maybe have some salads on the side. Fondues can stretch for over an hour, as you can only fry a few small pieces of food at a time.

Another popular dish we copied from the Swiss is raclette, but with a German twist. You layer potato slices, meat, vegetables and lots of raclette cheese onto a small pan and bake everything for a few minutes.

A classic dish on the 25th of December is the oven-roasted Christmas Goose or Duck. It is served with boiled potatoes or Bread dumplings and cooked beetroot or kale as side dishes.

Who brings the presents?

In mediaeval times, the Catholic Saint Nicolas was associated with Christmas. He was often portrayed wearing a bishop’s uniform and handed out small presents. But over the centuries he had to give up his title as “Father Christmas” to some newcomers.

The first usurper to appear was the Christkind (Christ Child). When Martin Luther introduced his protestant reformation, he abolished the tradition of honouring saints. To avoid worshipping a catholic saint on Christmas, Martin Luther told his followers, that it was the young Jesus that brought the presents and not a Catholic bishop.

In the last two centuries, the American Santa Claus launched a successful take over of German Christmas in the predominately catholic regions. But we call him Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man).

To this day, Germany is divided into regions where you either get your presents from the Christkind or the Weihnachtsmann.

And what happened to poor old Saint Nicolas? We haven’t forgotten him completely. Every 6th of December is Nicolas Day in Germany. Children polish their shoes and leave them in front of their doors the night before. During the night, Saint Nicolas sneaks into people’s homes and leave sweets and little presents in the shoes for those children that behaved well during the year.

I wish you all a jolly festive season and a good start into the new year!