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Christmas in Germany (If there are young children in the house, the trees…
Christmas in Germany
If there are young children in the house, the trees are usually secretly decorated by the mother of the family.
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In some parts of Germany, during the evening, the family would read the Bible and sing Christmas songs such as O Tannenbaum, Ihr Kinderlein Kommet and Stille Nacht (Slient Night).
Sometimes wooden frames, covered with colored plastic sheets and with electric candles inside, are put in windows to make the house look pretty from the outside.
Germany is well known for its Christmas Markets where all sorts of Christmas foods and decorations are sold.
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In some parts of Germany, mainly the south east of the country, children write to the 'das Christkind/Christkindl' asking for presents.
The letters to the Christkind are decorated with sugar glued to the envelope to make them sparkly and attractive to look at.
Christmas Trees are very important in Germany. They were first used in Germany during the late Middle Ages.
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'das Christkind' translates as 'The Christ Child' in English but Germans don't think of the Christkind as the baby Jesus!
The Christkind is often described as a young girl with 'Christ like' qualities. In Nürnberg a young girl is chosen every year to participate in a parade as the Christkind.
She wears a long white and gold dress, has long blond curly hair and wears a gold crown and sometimes wings like an angel.
As well as hoping for presents from Christkind or der Weihnachtsmann, children also hope that 'der Nikolaus' will bring you some small gifts, such as sweets and chocolate on the 6th December (St Nicholas's Day).
You might also write a letter to Weihnachtsmann in other parts of Germany. Some people say that Santa/Father Christmas (Weihnachtsmann) brings the presents and some say it is Christkind!
He comes in the night between the 5th and the 6th and puts the presents into the shoes of children, who usually place them by their doors.
In some regions of Germany, there is a character called "Knecht Ruprecht" or "Krampus" who accompanies Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) on the 6th of December. He is big horned monster clothed in rags and carries chains. He is meant to punish the children who have been bad!
In other parts of Germany, St. Nicholas is followed by a small person called "Schwarzer Peter" (Black Peter) who carries a small whip. Black Peter also accompanies St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas in Holland. In north west Germany Santa is joined by Belsnickel a man dressed all in fur. Although 'der Nikolaus' visits in December, he's not officially part of Christmas!
At small work places and school parties, secret presents are often exchanged. A door is opened just wide enough for small presents to be thrown into the room. The presents are then passed around among the people until each person has the correct present! It is thought to be bad luck to find out who sent each present.