Deutschland Weihnachten . Old Tannenbaun Dating back centuries before Christ, cultures brought evergreen trees, plants, and leaves into their homes upon the arrival of the winter solstice, which occurs in the northern hemisphere between December 21st and 22nd. to celebrate the return of life at the beginning of winter's decline. (coming of spring) Egyptians - symbol of life's victory over death. Green date palm leaves were brought into their homes around the time of the winter solstice. Romans: Saturnalia, which lasted one week beginning on December 17th, and included a variety of celebrations around the winter solstice. Curiously, the Roman winter solstice was marked on December 25th on the Julian calendar. Celebrations thought to have merged with pagan practices of hanging mistletoe and the burning of the Yule log. Druid priests in Great Britain used evergreen plants and mistletoe in pagan ceremonies, and the mistletoe plant was the symbol of the birth of a god. Celtic Druids and Norseman of Scandinavia also used mistletoe in a mysterious ceremony just after the winter solstice. Weihnachten Pyramid 300 year old tradition Handcrafted wooden craft used by miners Origin-Persian 7 th century Spins using rising heat to turn the wheel Miners would take into the mine to make sure air was present Symbol of hope and prayers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCmcxuLCrG8 Nurnberg Angel How does a female Christkind fit in the Christmas story? Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther -- the church reformer who hailed from these parts -- wanted to shift the focus from St. Nicholas back to the Christ child. But as Germans had a hard time getting their mind around baby Jesus giving gifts, the Christmas gift-giver gradually morphed into a sweet girl who was still called the Christ child (or Christkind). Christmas Pickle Legend says: (web) It says that Germans hang a pickle-shaped glass ornament on the Christmas tree hidden away so it's difficult to find. The first child to find it on Christmas morning gets a special treat or an extra present. FLAW--- German Christmas customs can see the flaws in this legend. First of all, the German St. Nick doesn't show up on Christmas Eve. He arrives on the 5th or 6th of December. Nor do German children open their presents on Christmas morning. That happens on Christmas Eve in Germany. Nutcrackers N utcrackers were given as keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home. The legend says that a nutcracker represents power and strength and serves like a trusty watch dog guarding your family from evil spirits and danger. A fierce protector, the nutcracker bares its teeth to the evil spirits and serves as the traditional messenger of good luck and goodwill. GermanEnglishGerman 0 null14vierzehn 1 eins15fnfzehn 2 zwei16sechzehn 3 drei17siebzehn 4 vier18achtzehn 5 fnf19neunzehn 6 sechs20zwanzig 7 sieben50fnfzig 8 acht100hundert 9 neuen1,000tausend 10 zehn10,000zehntausend 11 elf100,000 hunderttause nd 12 zwlf1,000,000eine Million 13 dreizehn EnglishGerman blackschwarz blueblau brownbraun redrot yellowgelb Greengrun whitewei EnglishGerman MondayMontag TuesdayDienstag WednesdayMiitwoch ThursdayDonnerstag FridayFreitag SaturdaySamstag SundaySonntag GUMMI BEARScom/wa Hans Riegel invented gummi bears (the first gummi candy) and gummi candy during the 1920s.. Haribo went on to manufacture the first American made gummi candy in In 1981, another German gummi candy manufacturer called Trolli decided to made the first gummi worm. Gummi worms have become the most popular gummi candy ever made. The average Brite Crawler the number one sold gummi worm is two inches long. Edible gelatin is the basic ingredient in gummi candy. Gelatin has been used since the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs. According to Black Forest the makers of assorted gummies, "gummi candies are a blend of corn starch, corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, color, and flavor." Munich Glockenspiel Rhineland Pfaltz Fortresses along the Rhine River. King Ludwig's Palaces Neuswanstien Neuschwanstein was designed to be a hideaway for this reclusive king, as well as a palace evoking Medieval myth and fantasy. Herrenchiemsee- (King Ludwig) similar to the Versailles Palace (King Louis XVI) The palace of Herrenchiemsee was built upon an island floating in Germany's largest inland lake - a perfect little spot to assure the eccentric King's privacy. His private palace of Linderhof was designed as a refuge for a reclusive king to hide away from the hubbub of his kingdom, deep within the Bavarian countryside. This tiny palace was designed for one person alone - it has only ten rooms, and four of these were for servants. Enkenbach- Alsenborn German Foodfacts/German-cuisine_17759.html