Category: German
Carnival in Germany: Fastnacht / Fasching / Karneval
Carnival, the rowdy celebrations preceding the start of Lent, is celebrated across many cultures with different traditions. While Latin cultures are famous for their Carnival celebrations in places such as New Orleans and Venice, there is a very strong Carnival tradition in northern cultures, as well, especially in the Catholic areas of Germany, where [...] Read More »
Culture Notes Oct 11 ‘07
Ghana in Ithaca: Ghana native Sulley Imoro teaches African Drum and Dance to college students in Ithaca, New York as the Ithaca College School of Music’s artist in residence. Includes audio slide show of an African Drum and Dance performance.
No Sports Culture in India: In a country of many cultures, there’s one [...] Read More »
The Maypole and other May Day Traditions
The beginning of May was an important feast day in many ancient cultures, a time to celebrate the coming of summer. The Druids of the British Isles thought that May 1, the Feast of Beltane, divided the year in half, with the other half ending on Samhain on November 1. Both days were celebrated by [...] Read More »
The Easter Egg
Easter celebrations are filled with many traditions, but nothing has come to symbolize the Easter holiday as much as the colored or painted Easter egg. Many children spend their Easter Sunday hunting for Easter eggs, rolling them, or running races while carrying their eggs in spoons.
Across Eastern and Western cultures, eggs have long symbolized [...] Read More »
St. Patrick’s Day
Irish communities around the world celebrate their patron saint on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17. It is the Irish national holiday, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the territory of Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The holiday is also widely celebrated in the United States, and [...] Read More »
Groundhog Day
February 2 is Groundhog Day in the United States and in Canada. The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck (Marmota monax), is a member of the squirrel family. According to American legend, the local television news and Hollywood, he is also a weatherman.
If he sees his shadow when he emerges from his [...] Read More »
Twelfth Night, Epiphany, or Three Kings Day
Don’t Forget to Leave Out Some Food for the Camels!
January 6th is the twelfth day after Christmas, celebrated as Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings in many countries with strong Christian traditions, such as Germany, Austria, Poland, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Argentina. It commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men, or [...] Read More »
Good Luck in the New Year from Germany
There are a lot of different good luck charms to help in the New Year.
Here are some that are widely available as chocolate or marzipan figures in Germany. Let us know if there are other good luck symbols in your culture!
Four-leaved clovers
Lucky pigs – a symbol of fertility for the Germanic tribes
The lady bug, [...] Read More »
The Christmas Tree or Tannenbaum
During the Christmas season, families bring home small evergreen trees and decorate them with ornaments and lights. Presents are placed under the tree, and, on Christmas, the families gather around the tree to open presents. The origins of the Christmas tree tradition are another example of the intermingling of pagan traditions with religious holidays.
One of [...] Read More »
Lucyfest: Santa Lucia’s Festival
On December 13th, one of the shortest, darkest days of winter, Sweden celebrates Lucyfest, in honor of Saint Lucia, the Queen of Lights, in a festival that also has roots in Italy, Germany and Norway. Traditionally, each village had its own Santa Lucia: a young woman, dressed in a white gown, wearing a red [...] Read More »
