Tip: How to make an Advent Wreath

Der Adventkranz – The Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The ring or wheel of the Advent wreath of evergreens decorated with candles was a symbol in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The [...]

Pentecost – Pfingsten

Pfingsten or Pentecost from ancient Greek: Πεντηκοστή is the the Fiftieth day after Easter Sunday. It is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection.
A nowadays seldomly observed pagan custom is the “Pfingsochse”. Pfingsten marks the first day [...]

Marking the Advent Season in Germany

Celebrating Advent is an important part of Christmas in Germany. For Christians of both Protestant and Roman Catholic, it is a time of quiet contemplation that begins four Sundays before Christmas Eve.
Advent calendars
This German invention became a custom at the turn of the 20th century and has since advanced to worldwide popularity.
Advent calendars in Germany [...]

All Saints and Faithful Departed

After the Halloween craziness has died down, let’s take some time to reflect on its origins. The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even (”evening”), that is, the night before All Hallows Day.
The first two days in November “Allerheiligen”, November 1st and “Allerseelen”, November [...]

Die Schultüte für Taferlklassler

On their first day of school German kids receive a “SCHULTÜTE”, a large cardboard cornet filled with sweets and little presents. In Austria the students of the “1st Volksschule grade” are called: Taferlklassler. The name dates back to the time, when in the first grade you were only allowed to write with chalk and a [...]

Happy Birthday America

July 4th 1776 the Declaration of Independence (die Unabhängigkeitserklärung) from the Kingdom of Great Britain was adopted.
Words of the day:
to BBQ – Grillen – ich grille, du grillst, er/sie grillt, wir grillen, ihr grillt, sie grillen
fireworks – das Feuerwerk
flag – die Flagge
And at the movies, nothing showed independence day so entertainingly as Will Smith under [...]

Classic Childrens’ Series

Barbapapa

Wikki und die Starken Männer

Heidi

Pumuckl

Die Biene Maja

Die Sendung mit der Maus

Der Rosarote Panther – Paulchen Panther

Tao Tao

Pinocchio

Kalimero

Alfred J. Kwak

Das Sandmännchen

The best good night song ever: La Le Lu

Oma Bitte Kommen!

German Mayfest in New York

“The place for all things German in New York” cordially  invites everybody to its very first Mayfest on May 4, from 6:30 to 9:30pm at Deutsches Haus at New York University.
Consul Jochen Wolter, president of the presenting German American Community Project writes: “This event will benefit our successful website GermanyinNYC.org, the colorful, events-centric information platform that brings [...]

Alles Walzer at the Original Viennese Opera Ball 2010

Alles Walzer at this year’s Ball Season final high note, Viennese Opera Ball. Comparable to the Academy Awards the Viennese Opera Ball ends the season with a comfortably predictable bang.
Excentric 77 year old Austrian business man Richard Lugner invites a Hollywood starlet every year, this year his daugher got to pick, she wanted Lindsay Lohan [...]

Recipe: Faschingkrapfen and Orange Jam

Fasching ends on February 16th. The climax of carnival is Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. Festive costume parades on Faschingsdienstag end the winter throughout Germany, Switzerland and Austria. It also is the last day of feasting which means lots of meat, eggs, cream and deep fat fried pastries such as the Faschingskrapfen or carnival doughnut. [...]

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