Skip navigation
Ed Heinlein - German Consultant

Have German Will Travel
Ed Heinlein: German Consultant

Nachweihnachtzeit (Post-Christmas Season)

post-Christmas season:
die Nachweihnachtzeit, die Nachweihnachten
post-Christmas months:
am Ende Dezember und am Anfang Januart
custom:
die Sitte, die Sitten
post-Christmas custom:
die Nachweihnachtssitte, die Nachweihnachtssitten

zwölf heilige Abende: (12 Holy Nights)

der 26. Dezember bis den 6. Januar

  1. Silvesterabend, Silvester, der 31. Dezember (St. Sylvester’s Eve, New Years Eve)
    Most common greetings and toasts to the New Year are:
    • Alles Gute im neuen Jahr! (I wish you well in the New Year!)
    • Ein glückliches neues Jahr! (Happy New Year!)
    • Ein gutes und gesegnetes neues Jahr! (A good and blessed New Year!)
    • Gesundes neues Jahr! (Have a healthy New Year!)
    • Guten Rutsch! (Have a good slide or beginning into the New Year!)
    • Prosit Neujahr! (Happy New Year!)
    • Prost Neujahr! (Cheers to the New Year!)
    • Viel Glück im Neuen Jahr! (Good luck in the New Year!)
  2. Neujahrstag, der 1. Januar (New Years Day)
  3. Wunderabend, der 5. Januar (Night of Miracles)
  4. Dreikönigsfest, der 6. Januar (Epiphany, Feast of the 3 Kings)

Gebräuche während den 12 heiligen Abenden
(Customs during the 12 Holy Nights)

  • Was machen die Deutschen während der Nachweihnachtzeit?
    (What do German people do during the post-Christmas season?)
    • Sitten und Gebräuche: (customs and traditions)
    • Speisen und Getränke: (food and beverages)
    • Urlaub: (vacation trip)
  • Glauben, Aberglauben, und Sagen: (beliefs, superstitions, and legends)
    • vorweihnachtliche Glauben und Aberglauben (pre-Christmas beliefs and superstitions)
      1. Alpendämonen (winter demons in Alpine regions)
      2. Rauchnächte, Rauhnächte (smoking nights, wild nights, nights when spirits walk)
      3. Perchtenläufen (troll-like figures with masks move around with bells to drive away winter)
      4. Klöpfelnächte (knocking nights, masked children knocking on doors, singing Christmas carols, and asking for a reward)
      5. Bergschießen (pistol shooting in the Alpine mountain regions, saluting the arrival of Christmas Eve and New Years)
      6. Buttnmandllaufen in Berchtesgaden, dance to scare away winter
    • nachweihnachtliche Glauben und Aberglauben (post-Christmas beliefs and superstitions)
      1. each of the 12 days will predict revelations about the weather for the coming year (rain, snow, clouds, thunder, temperature, etc.)
      2. dreams have special meanings
      3. people and things must be still and quiet
      4. eating special foods can bring luck
      5. witch hunting
      6. shooting into the trees to scare away the evil spirits of winter
      7. returning borrowed things and paying off debts
      8. animals can talk and predict wisdom for the coming year
      9. Bleigießen: pouring melted lead into cold water and making predictions formed by the metal
      10. Considered good luck for the future for women to be kissed and men to shake hands with a Schornsteinfeger (chimney sweep),
      11. Zwiebelkalender (onion calendar) to predict the year’s weather
      12. Geistertoten---leave food and drink at meals for souls of the dead from the past year
      13. letters MBG (Melchoir, Balthasar, Gasper) above the door for protection against damage to the house in the future
      14. Glöcklerlauf (race of bell-bearers)
    • Sagen (legends)
      1. die wilde Jagd (wild hunt and god Wotan))
      2. Frau Holle (Holla) and her army of ghosts
      3. Frau Perchta and her demon crown
      4. der treue Eckart (faithful Eckhart)