10 traditional ingredients for a very German Christmas | Meet the Germans
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- čas přidán 18. 12. 2018
- From festive markets to gift-bearing angels, here are ten of the most distinctive Christmas traditions in Germany.
Rachel Stewart is on a mission to investigate the quirks and idiosyncrasies of daily life in Germany. Every two weeks she explores a new topic - from beer to nudity to complicated grammar - and heads out to get some tips from the Germans themselves.
Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. You'll find more from Meet the Germans on CZcams or at dw.com/MeettheGermans.
And don’t forget to comment with your own experiences!
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"CMB" actually does not stand for Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, it stands for "Christus Mansionem Benedicat", which means something like "Christ bless this house"
It's true this is another interpretation, thanks for pointing that out!
@@RachelStewart04, that is not an interpretation. The Haussegen is renewed every year by the catholic Sternsinger who also bless the house with holy water.
I know that sounds stupid to a German, but I always thought that CMB stuff is some kind of certification for the building from government like the TÜV Prüfung certification sticker on a car's number plate...!
@@heldt952 I can testify that, since i have been a sternsinger for some years now and oh boy like we are told every year that those three letters are not meant to be caspar,melchior and balthasar but like something along the lines of christ shall bring blessing to this house like every year
German here, never knew :'D Thanks for the info.
What kind of 200IQ-tradition is it to just walk around your neighbourhood, say they have a nice Christmas tree and then take away their liquor
Imagine you knock at the door of someone who is like "alcohol in this house? Are you crazy?"
@@ACEsParkJunheeWreckedMeHard haha i would do that, just so i can keep all the alcohol to myself
We do that on carneval too 😅 It’s like halloween in the US but done in february. There is one day where children go around collecting sweets/money/eggs and the next day adults go around drinking alcohol (often home made) at every neighbors place . It’s only in villages tough where people know each other. You stop when you can’t walk anymore. When you are gone yourself you are supposed to leave out alcohol on your porch for the others. Its also one of the few times of the year kids are allowed to drink (age 12 and up) a bit.
It is from a distant time and place where you still knew your neighbors and even talked to them! 😱
@@Cocktailkatze how many foreigners are shocked about " 12 and up" ? 😅
This Potato salad and Sausage thing is mostly pragmatism. "Heilig Abend" is such a frantic time and tens to drag way into the night, that a fancy dinner would just be too much.
The fancy dinner is usually on the 25th. Conveniently that is the day you visit relatives like grandparents. :D
But she is right. We try to "crowbar" that items into any occasion!
In my family tradition we always had the fancy dinner at 24th. And, since it usually was oversized also the day after. Therefore, we chose the 26th for visiting grandpatents, when food was out :)
On Christmas Eve (Heilig Abend), we traditionally a turkey, dumplings and cabbage...
Growing up in a deeply religous Lutheran family, this type of food is chosen because it's *not* fancy. Heiligabend is when the blessings are said, but Christ is born on the 25th, so festive meals are served the day after!
I am personally not religious at all, but I find the differences between demoninations fascinating!
I never had potato salad and sausages on Christmas or know anybody who does. We eat Raclette, Fondue, Duck or Goose with Knödel and Rotkohl. I am from Cologne, maybe it`s also a regional thing?!
C*M*B doesn't mean the tree kings, it means "Christus mansionem benedicat" = "Christus segne dieses Haus" = "Christ bless this house", but it is common that it gets mistaken as it.
schon n bisschen traurig, dass das in so nem video ist...
@@somekek6734 Ich bin Sternsinger seit 5 Jahren und dachte immer das heißt Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. So wurde uns das beigebracht...
@@julians5037 ja aber das hier ist ein Video, von einer seriösen sendung
@@somekek6734 Wenn es die Hälfte der Deutschen schon nicht wissen und diese dann für diese Frage aufgesucht werden ist das meiner Meinung nach ein nachvollziehbarer Fehler...
Danke für die Info! Ich hab mich schon immer gefragt, warum man das über die Tür schreibt und für was das steht :)
We eat salad and sausage because its a familyday, and its not a familyday when the "cook", the mother for most family´s stands the hole day in the kitchen. But we tend to eat really big fancy meals on the next days :D
Wait what? People actually do that? I thought it was a joke...
boahkeinbockmehr In my 30 years of life I’ve never ate anything different than potato salad and sausages on Christmas Eve. It’s no joke.
@@boahkeinbockmehr in my family it was a sausage/lunch meat plate and a cheese plate with bread. The plates were just ordered from the grocery store and picked up already plated beautifully. It was great, lots of people were fed without anyone standing in the kitchen missing the family time. But I know lots of people that go the sausage route (often veal sausage for some reason).
@@lisamo1013 well I am from a pretty big family which is in very close contact, so the next 3 days after Christmas Eve we go around visiting and feasting with them. That's probably why my direct family always has a big feast on Christmas Eve as it's the only time we get to celebrate on our own. Since we've always just celebrated at my parents I somehow figured it must be that way for everyone.
Edit: though maybe it's also a regional and countryside thing, as the people we mid 20s meet up with after everything is over in our Pub usually also have had an overwhelming feast and everyone is jokingly complaining about how overfilled they are.
No. C*M*B stands for Cosmic Microwave Background.
The thing about Knecht Ruprecht and Saint Nick is actually interesting historically. Nick was a Bishop (hence why he's depicted with a staff in more old-fashioned regions) who was accompanied by a Iudex (a specific kind of Roman judge). Every Iudex carried a bundle of stick called fasces (this is where the word fascism comes from) that represented order of law. So naughty children get a bundle of sticks as a sign that they were judged and found wanting.
I spent Christmas with my girlfriend and her family.. it was just wonderful... they sung Christmas carols, we went to mass, and ate great food, all to end with presents at the end... I LOVE GERMANY. God bless all Germans.
Es catolica?
@@mayraie3619 Si te referís a mi novia, si, lo es.
We do the Stocking Stuff on 6th of December (St.Nicolaus) - so we are missing nothing ;)
To early reacted to this - you covered it ;)
Well we actually use Boots or shoes of sorts. :)
We did the 6th but with stockings nuts and fruit and wavy candy showed up in them..
In Sweden, we also celebrate mainly on the 24th. This is due to the fact that of old the day in Germanic countries ended at 6 pm, when the church bells tolled and marked the end of the working day. Then the next day started. So Christmas Day started in the evening of the 24th.
Prince Albert introduced Christmas celebrations to Britain when he got married to Queen Victoria,the British then exported it to their empire,but it's a very German Christmas.
The C+M+B stands for 'Christus Mansionem Benedicat' wich is Latin for 'God bless this house'
More like Christ bless this house.
The + signs don't make any sense there then, do they?
@@lenn939 yeah, I dont speak latin😂🤦🏼♀️ that was dumb
@@mikelytou no, I don't think so. Maybe it's to make clear that a new word starts
Frohe Weihnachten! 🎅🎄🎁✨
The potato salad and sausages thing on the 24th is more a North German tradition and was meant as a day break for the housewife before the tough preparation of more complicated food in the next days
It's the same with us in Austria. We always have our grandparents at our place because the siblings of my parents live in other austrian regions. In Austria it is one of the main traditions in the whole christmas period. Christmasday, the 24th, looks like this: We wake up early, because it's christmas. We eat little breakfast. The parents start to prepare the "Weihnachtsschmaus" for the evening while the kids decorate the christmastree (depends on family traditions). We normally don't have lunch, because we will eat a lot in the evening. Just around 4 p.m. we kids go to church to the family mass where we ministeral. When we get home usually our grandparents arrived. All of them bring food and gifts with them. At around 6 p.m. we start with the so called "Bescherung". We read texts and sing many traditional christmas songs whilst sitting around thw christmastree. All the lights are switched off, just the candles on the tree are lighted. Under the christmastree lay the gifts sorted by receiver and with their names on it. Kids commonly believe that the presents are from the "Christkind" which is a short form of "Christuskind" wich means little christ. That's what I never understood. The "Christkind" is always visualized as a female angel while the little christ (Jesus) is a boy... The Bescherung will take like 2 hours. Then we start to eat the Weihnachtsschmaus which can take from 2 to 4 hours with multiple courses. At midnight we again head to church to the "Mitternachtsmette". This time with the whole family. When we come home it's around half past 1 a.m. And we nearly immediatly go to bed. The next day we wake up at 8. At 9 we head again to church to do the rehearsal for the "Weihnachtshochamt" this is the celebration mass of the katholic church. It's usually with a big choir an an big orcbestra. The Mass starts around 10 and will take about one and a half hours. The 25th of December is all about relaxation and joy. On the 26th we'll visit our grandparents where we meet the whole family. Then we eat a lot again. My grandma usually prepares this lunch for 3 days. In the evening there is a Bescherung again.
Thank you, a pleasant diversion from a chilly, drizzly, chore-filled early Spring morning here in the Bronx
Strangely enough the "Christkind", so translated: Jesus as a kid, is usually depicted as an adult woman with blond hair and wings. So it is more like an angel.
we do the stocking on 6th december for st. nicolas day. it is usually a boot in front of the door though
the Christkind is literally jesus as a baby, since he is born on that evening😉
😅
No 😅 the Christkind is an angel, not Jesus
Isn't the Christkind female?
@@aniomi4096 NO, Jesus is usually portrayed with long hair
@@Marco-bf4uu I am aware, however when I was a child I was always told that the Christkind that brought gifts was not Jesus but a small, female angel
The way you've pronounced "Engelsaugen" ("Engel saugen") means to suck an angel…. :D 1:33
Oops!
Wie?
Michael Hawkins wie, wie??
@@michaelhawkins7389 Engels-Augen vs Engel-Saugen. Jenach Betonung.
@@lenndly Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
I'm German and I don't know anyone how's eating sausage and potatoe salad for Christmas. Most people I know are eating ENTE, KNÖDEL AND ROTKOHL, some people are also eating GANS, instead of ENTE.
I am from the nothern part of Germany and some people here eat fish at Christmas. ;-)
But I think the Christmas dinner is a tradional thing, every family have it's own tradition. Duck, turkey, goose, fish, potato salad & sausage, you could eat what ever you want at Christmas. Btw. my grandfather ate beefsteak at Christmas his whole life.
Alpherr wir essen Wiener und Boddaggen Salat für Weihnachten. Braten usw. werden fürn ersten und 2. Feiertag aufgehoben, schau dir mal die Umfragen an, die meisten machen es so 😉😃
Alpherr Bei mir ist es andersrum. Ich kenne niemanden in einem riesigem Umkreis der der nicht Kartoffelsalat und Würstchen isst. Das manche scheinbar opulent zu Heiligabend essen ist mir zum Beispiel komplett neu.
Als ich ein kind war, haben wir wiener wuerstchen und Kartoffelsalat am Heilig Abend und Gaensebraten am 1. Feiertag gegessen.
She said that those vary from family to family. I know that "CMB" tradition exists, but not in the region of germany where I grew up. But there certainly was potato salad.
Hi!
I Just wanted to say that I like "Meet the Germans" very much.
I'm a german Girl and Sometimes I'm surprised, that things which are comletly normal here are so different in other cuntries! I Just Love to see that!
Edit: Sorry If I made mistakes, like I said, English isn't my mother tongue.
Modern Christmas is just a mash up of German and English traditions and it’s awesome.
Rachel, Xmas looks great fun my son was in Germany for a month, and he loved it so much, my regards to you from Australia.
@0:55 it is „mit Schuss“. Afterwards, you can say „Tschüss“ 😂
When my parents still lived our Christmas dinner was trout with coleslaw and my father made it.
I never heard of sausage and potatoe salad christmas dinner. Very common around these parts is the weihnachtsgans (christmas goose) or a Braten (Meatloaf)
Hi Rachel,I am binge watching from Canada ,miss Germany very much!
Cool video, we learned about these in my German class!
The sausage and potatoe on the 24th is more northern part of Germany, and was to break a fast back in time which occured before Xmas similar to Easter and the 40 days of fast.
In the South you normally eat Goose or Duck with potatoe dumplings and Rotkohl. The Northern eat that on the 25th. And on Nikolaus you put your shoes out and awaken with nuts, and a Nikolaus chocolate, citrus fruit and a little money...so no stalkings but shoes ;)
Indeed that Germans are nice people!👍🏻
2:39 This made me chuckle.
Not in our family, btw.
We always get our presents at the evening of the 24th
Perfect pronunciation of "Knecht Ruprecht". Color me impressed!
Watch out:
Engel-saugen, like shepronounced it in the video means "sucking angels".
For it to be "angel's eyes", you have to pronounce it Engels-augen.
My mother told me that exchanging the gifts in her childhood in Saxony was traditionally in the morning of the 25th. That must have changed in the 50s or 60s. So we were much more Anglo-Saxon in the past. 😀
3:15 I always thought that this tradition of the "Sternsinger" is much nicer than something rude like "Halloween". Children are not pressing sweets by threatening you with a naughty trick, but they sing nice songs and invoke God's blessing on your house (Christus Mansionem Benedicat). And by the way they collect money for charities. Of course we reward them with sweets!
But hey, I am German :D
Sternsinger are only a few select children. I'd say our most similar tradition would be the celebration of the hilje zinte määtes (sankt martin), when all children go with their self-crafted lanterns from door to door and sing a song for the inhabitants in exchange for sweets.
@@boahkeinbockmehr bei uns kommt an Sangt Martin keiner mehr, nurnoch an Halloween :(. Ist schon schade
@@barator03 naja aufm Land im erzkatholischen Rheinland und mit Sankt Martin als Stadtpatron ist der Sankt Martins Tag immer noch groß, Halloween hat sich dagegen hier noch gar nicht etabliert
boahkeinbockmehr gut dass wenigstens irgendwo noch Kultur erhalten bleibt :)
To be honest I’ve never been to a Christmas market. But I’m hoping to visit one someday.
it start's in 3 day came over (25.11.2019)
No Christmas markets this year...
In general Coca Cola is known for "inventing" Santa Klaus. But his design is based on St. Nikolaus, who was a priest in a red coat and pointy hat. This guy was totally a good guy. Depending on who tells the story, he saves a village's children from pirates by either exchanging them for grain or the church's treasury. And after that he performed a miracle, which made him a saint. The pirate's ship was so full, it nearly was sinking. He made a bargain with the pirates saying "let my people take the grain (or treasurs) off your ship. I'll promice you, the ship will not rise in the water". So he duplicated the given goods so everybody went home happy. And this dude comes to our homes on December 6th to bring presents. BUT only if you've cleaned your shoes. As a kid I was so scarred that one of my sisters or my father would get nothing for Nikolaus, i sometimes cleaned their shoes too. And while we all heared the story of Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht, he never came to our place. He did leave a birch in my fathers boot once.
There is a stocking, it's just not on Christmas, but around 5th/6th of December Saint Nicolaus
No, this is usually done with shoes.
@@georgvonrechenberg2217 Not in Austria ;)
There is also the tradition of "tree bashing", i.e. going home from a visit and talking all the way home to your partner / friend about the "lousy Christmas tree XY came up with this year". ;-)
The Weihnachtsmann comes from Reformation when the Protestants did not want to celebrate Saints anymore of which the most popular was St. Nikolaus. That’s why they changed the story of Saint Nikolaus to a Christmas figure and located it to the 24th instead of 6 th of December.
My Late Father Survived and Came from Pre ww2 Germany...Born in STETTIN 1928...And Knew what CHRISTMAS WAS IN OLD GERMANY/Prussia...🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻👏🏻🎅🏼🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Your fact about the Letters C.M.B is wrong.
Sadly it's a common misbelief in Germany that the three letters stand for "Casper, Melchior, Baltasar".
Their true meaning is: "Christus mansionem benedicat" (=Christus segne dieses Haus)/(=Christ bless this house).
I have read many contradicting opinions on this, but here is an excerpt from the Vatican's website: "the blessing of homes, on whose lentils are inscribed the Cross of salvation, together with the indication of the year and the initials of the three wise men (C+M+B), which can also be interpreted to mean Christus mansionem benedicat, written in blessed chalk"
very nice
You forgot to say that the Germanic tribes were to first to Celebrate "Jul" known as Christmas today.
Christmas in fact the birthday of Mithra w/c was inspired by the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism and adopted by Romans from greeks and later on by Christianity. The fact other feasts in Europe coincides with it doesn't make them the origin of it.
The CMB also stands for protecting the house I think
CMB stands for "Christus mansionem benedicat" or "Christus segne dieses Haus" mit Caspar Melchior and Balthasar
wish I was a german
You are welcome! The more the merrier!
Well get over here and apply for citizenship then ;)
@@1234hijs , I didn't get the meaning, please explain a little bit.
@@stifflery I think he is talking about the first and mostly second world war. I don't have a clue why he writes it under a comment where someone writes he wishes to be German and gets invited to try to get the citizenship.
@@marshallgibson89 , ah got it. If that's it then I hate him/her for saying such a thing on here on a completely different context. Nevermind!
Nice presentation by the reporter
Thanks!
Gosh, I love my german Christmas 😃
Please note the different pronunciation of Engels - augen (angel's eyes) and Engel - saugen (angel sucking)!
😬
Baking some Zimtsterne as we speak!
The stocking aquivalence (sry, can't spell) is the Nikolausstiefel on December 6th
Krampus is more a tradition in Austria or Southern Germany.
I used to live in Karlsruhe for half year as an exchange student. I missed the Weihnachtsmarkt.
Since they started to build the underground tunnel christmas market kind of sucked in Karlsruhe. Used to be way nicer 10+ years ago. :(
An Heiligabend gibt das Grünkohl mit Kassler und Knacker.
Your pronunciation of Engelsaugen sounded a bit like: Engel saugen (Sucking on an Angel), and not "Engels Augen"(Angel eyes).
Rachel usually has perfect german pronunciation, which is why I found it funny that she said "Engel-Saugen" rather than "engels-augen"
I'm missing here the most important thing. Christmas isn't Christmas without carols, and I don't mean the commercial stuff from Hollywood that drones around the stores here 24x7 starting in November, and increasingly on German Christmas markets too (shudder), but traditional Weihnachtslieder. Sad you missed that opportunity to share some real German Christmas here.
Very simmilar to Croatian Christmas traditions :)
I'm from southern Germany and never heard of "Christbaum loben".
Could you elaborate where exactly in southern Germany this tradition originates from?
Ich weiss nich genau wo es her kommt, aber hier in Baden Württemberg machen wir das jedes jahr ;)
@@skylerlynn4455 Wo in Baden-Württemberg? Ich komme aus dem Raum Freiburg und da habe ich davon noch nie gehört :0
@@desertrose1609 Nähe Stuttgart. Macht aber auch bestimmt nicht jeder.
@@skylerlynn4455 Ah okay. Danke :D
3:09: CMB doesn't stand for Caspar, Melchior and Bathasar, it stands for "Christus mansionem benedicat" - "May Christ bless this house." Considering what the Sternsingers do, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar doesn't even make sense.
I really wonder what has caused such similarity between Czech Republic and Germany (not only) in the "Christmas thing". I think it might be those hundreds of years of co-existence of these too nations (and we were pretty "mixed" until the end of the WW2 when Germans were expulsed from Czech country), or the close "friendship" of German countries and Austrian-Hungarian empire (which the Czech country was part of). The majority of things you mention fit to Czech Republic, too (except that we don't pray to a Christmas tree - we are to atheist to do so, and we have a schnitzel for the Christmas dinner:)).
@Zeug Dings Indeed, they are simply saying how great the tree is and then having a drink with their neighbours :) p.s. Schnitzel for Christmas dinner sounds great!
oh, germany celebrates every year the bohemian version of Aschenputtel...on TV. :D 12 times within 3 days, more or less and since the late seventies.
The CMB thing is actually wrong
I have read many contradicting opinions on this, but here is an excerpt from the Vatican's website: "the blessing of homes, on whose lentils are inscribed the Cross of salvation, together with the indication of the year and the initials of the three wise men (C+M+B), which can also be interpreted to mean Christus mansionem benedicat, written in blessed chalk"
I am German and this video finally taught me what these Damn CMB's are all about :D
It's Easter Sunday. Why am I watching this lol?
We open our presents on Christmas Eve. Other than my last name, I guess this is the most German thing we do.
Did you say "Egel saugen"? It sounded like this XD
I need to practice my pronunciation... 😬
The money collected by the three kings is donated by the way. It alters the character of the tradition to leave out that part :-p
January the 6th, isn't that when the priest blesses the house, and then writes the 20+C+M+B+21 above the door? In some places is written with chalk.
Ein besonders schöner Brauch ist der sogenannte "Weihnachtsfrieden"! Aus Respekt vor dem Charakter von Weihnachten und um niemanden das Weihnachtsfest zu vermiesen, versenden Behörden keine Mahnbescheide oder Forderungen zwischen dem 14.Dezember und Weihnachten. Strafgefangene deren reguläre Entlassung Anfang Januar anstehen würde, werden vorzeitig zu Weihnachten entlassen.
I am actually obsessed with the Christkind, ever since I learned about her from Rick Steve's Nuremberg Christmas market video. I even wrote a letter to her last year!
(Also, I thought Germans ate goose for Christmas dinner.)
In my family we eat that on the 25th or 26th and on the 24th sausages and salad
We have goose or duck on the 25th,but for lunch. For diner we have, yes, potato salad with sausages 🙈 as on the 24th. We always prepare that much so we can eat it for three evenings because our children love it so much.
we do eat goose. the potato salad / sausage tradition is a northern germany thing
Now, everywhere has Doner Imbiss. A new tradition!
Heyy, where are you? It's already 2023; we missed you
I know that sounds stupid to a German, but I always thought that CMB stuff is some kind of certification for the building from government like the TÜV Prüfung certification sticker on a car's number plate...!
That's actually really cute and to be fair, I wouldn't put it past our government to come up with something like that XD
That's so great :D I was fascinated by them when I first arrived, thought it was a secret code.
schön
the germans are not missing out: they have evene more than you Brits: they have Nikolaus, which is on the 6th of December, dear. And the presents dont appear in the middle of the day ... goshh!!!
I don't actually know a lot of people that eat sausages and potato salad. I think that's just one of the stereotypes like the lederhosen from bavaria.
Christmas is good
We stick for the chrstmas meal to our silesian ancestors with Weißwürsten, Sauerkraut and Kartoffelbrei
In Germany we say "Heiliger Bimbam!"
The meaning behind C M B on the doors is Christus mansionem benedicat, or in german, Christus segne dieses Haus, in english: Christ, Blessuren this house.
Ignore the automatisch correction. It means: Bless this house
0:55 Glühwein with "Schüss" ? Either with "Schuss" which means extra Alcohol or "Tschüss" which means good bye.
C+M+B: "Christus mansionem benedicat", Christ bless this house.
You are missing Belsnickel!!
I'm in love with Rachel
Who's not?
@@volkerwendt3061 yeah you're right
Forget the little ones, Advent calendar is missing.
Wow, which Christmas market has the oversized glasses of Glühwein? I have only ever seen Glühwein served in 0,2l mugs. 😮
Hannover
Hannover
Hannover
everywhere?
I love myself a cup of Glühwein
man glühwein is amazing
We couldn't do Christbaum Loben in our street, you'd be pissed before you got anywhere near our house and unconscious by the end of the road.
Dates,olives,pita,cinnamon, honey,figs,goat,lams vless, mint tea,and milka Leo's.
Aww so nice....🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖👐🏾👐🏾👐🏾👐🏾👐🏾👐🏾👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
The best Christmas traditions all over the world comes from Germany, especially the Christmas tree introduced in the Winter 1914 at the front lines.
Love to garmany Christmas 🤗🤗
Where is the xmas pickled dill cucumber decoration?
Funny how different the tradition is in Germany when compared to where i come from, i was in Bonn this christmas and since my couisns are from ex yugoslavia countries (Croatia,Macedonia and Bosnia) we eat fish day before Christmas and meat on Christmas so i asked what do Germans eat day before Christmas and the answer was "sausages and potatoes", that is the thing we completely avoid day before Christmas it is that thing you never do, never ever lol
Those people who don’t have potato salad and sausage on Christmas don’t have families to celebrate Christmas with.