Christmas - 24 December
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Photo: greg |
Celebrating Christmas in Germany is only slightly different than in other countries. The 24 December is the most important date, followed by the 25 and 26 December, which are all official holidays in Germany.
The evening of 24 December is the major day of celebration and togetherness, traditionally reserved for the sometimes very solemnly family gathering. Eating together and exchanging gifts next to the Christmas tree are the highlights of the Christmas festivities, but activities such as declaiming Christmas poems or singing Christmas songs are also widespread.
Parties tend not to take place during this day but the 25 and 26 December are used to enjoy a good time with further family and friends. Going to church or practising religious rituals is not very common due to the steady increase of secularization in German society. Regional traditions are only preserved in rural communities and mass media and commerce have a deep impact on Christmas celebrations in the cities, like in all urban areas of the Western World.
Christmastime is stamped by many rituals, for example wreaths with four candles, the Adventskranz, which are lit one by one on each of the four Sundays before Christmas Eve. Also Christmas stollens and gingerbread houses are baked.
