What do Germans do for New Year’s Eve (Silvester) and New Year’s Day (Neujahr)? Read here about German New Year’s traditions, from Dinner for One to eating Berliner.
Author: Anika Rieper
Germerican (Schleswig-Holstein, Pennsylvania)
Master's in German Literature and Social Psychology
Avid Reader and Bookseller
German Teacher
The Christmas season calls for Poinsettias or as Germans call them Weihnachtsstern. Imported from Mexico by Joel Roberts Poinsett it became popular through clever marketing by the German immigrant Ecke family.
December 4th is Saint Barbara’s Feast Day. She converted to Christianity and died as a martyr. Find out here why we cut cherry tree branches on Saint Barbara Day, and how it relates to the patron of artillerymen and miners.
Didn’t get an advent calendar yet? I have a solution for you: enjoy this virtual Adventskalender about German Christmas.
If you are a German expat living in the US you might miss many things, from good chocolate to German windows and reading German books. For latter, I have summarized some options how you can read German books when you live in the US.
Fliegenpilz, toadstool, fly agaric – that’s just some of the names the poisonous mushroom goes by. Where the name comes from and why it’s also a good luck symbol, you’ll find out here.
Many words in German and English are cognates because both are Germanic languages. But there are also words directly taken from German in the English language, so-called loanwords. Take a look at some of them here.
The Oberbaumbrücke or Oberbaum Bridge connects the Berlin boroughs of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, spanning the River Spree. Once a toll bridge and border crossing between East and West Berlin, it now connects the formerly divided city.
Federweißer is a young wine (so young indeed that it isn’t even a wine yet) which is a delicious drink in the fall, best paired with a piece of Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart).
Friedrich Hecker led an uprising for a united Germany in 1848. He later emigrated to the United States where he fought in the Civil War. Find out more about this German American.
