Pension Sprachschule Maria Shipley
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Pension-Sprachschule would like to wish you a Merry Christmas from Hessen, the heart of Germany.
This year, it is a four-and-a-half-day holiday including the weekend and 25 +26 December. Monday, 24 December, our Christmas, is the one that is only half a day. Everything closes at 2pm that day (except gas stations, fast food restaurants, etc.)
F R O H E W E I H N A C H T E N !
F R O H E F E I E R T A G E !
Seen in Zeilitzheim in Lower Franconia
Have some fun giving this one away! This one is filled with 24 mini liquor bottles.
My adult daughter asked for one, but I left her with clear instructions not to open its Türchen (little door) in the morning, as one would usually do. 🙂
Eine Zeit der Stille und Besinnung, bis jemand auf die Idee kam, daß Geschenke sein müssen.
– Unbekannt –
Lametta is a Christmas decoration found in German homes and in particular on Christmas trees. Similar to tinsel, it is hung over the branches to simulate icicles.
Originally it was made from a substance called “Stanniol”, which is Tin (Sn) flattened to make it into a foil.
To add weight to the Lametta, lead or even silver were added. Often this meant that it was used on New Year’s Eve for Bleigießen. However, modern Lametta is often made of plastic.
To hear a simple explanation and to find out what the number 90/10 has to do with Lametta, listen to the podcast:
(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)
The Weihnachtsmann has an unusual roll to play in German Christmas celebrations. In some parts of Germany, mainly in the North, he is said to bring the presents to the children on Christmas Eve. In much of Germany and especially in the South this is the job of the Christkind.
The confusion seems to have come about because of the different way that the protestant and catholic religions celebrated Christmas in the past.
The Weihnachtsmann is generally portrayed in a way that Father Christmas or Santa Claus is in other countries with a red and white gown and riding behind reindeer. Except that children do not leave out stockings for their presents – they do that with their boots for Nikolaus.
And whilst most films and even locally made television programmes will talk about the Weihnachtsmann, children are more usually asked “what did the Christkind bring you for Christmas”.
With the North/South divide making it easily possible for families to mix both traditions, adding a foreign element when other nationalities are involved just adds to the chaos!
To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:
(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)
My name is Maria Shipley. I live in Oberursel, Germany, with my husband, son and daughter. The … Read more
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