A known German proverb says: "Festivities have to be

celebrated the time they are." An English version of that

could be: "Christmas comes but once a year." Every year
there are about 10,000 occasions where public festivals
are celebrated, so there is always a possibility to have
some fun. In Germany about 200 million visitors
participate in these events.
January Heilige Drei Könige

January is one of the months with the fewest festivities,

(although carnival in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mayence and Munich
have either started on the 11th of November at 11.11am or will
start the day after the "Heilige Drei Könige". ) But many have to
recover from New Year's Eve parties, so they celebrate the
profound festivity of the "Heilige Drei Könige" on the 6th of
January.

February Carnival (Fasching)

Now the "crazy days" of carnival are at the peak of interest.
From Maundy Thursday until carnival's Tuesday there are many
big parties throughout Germany. There are not many eyes and
throats staying dry...

Some of the highlights of carnival are the carnival pageants,

which take place on carnival's Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.
For example: the Carnival Monday's Pageant in Mayence was
celebrated for the first time in 1838. Nowadays there are about
600,000 visitors every year.
March Starkbierzeit - "Time of Strong Beer"
 Two weeks after Ash Wednesday starts the "Starkbierzeit" in
Bavaria, which is especially popular in Munich (German).

History: 
For centuries a very strong beer is brewed in order to endure the
meager Lent (carne vale!), the so -called "Starkbier" ("Strong
Beer"). It has to contain at least 16% original wort, which is
equivalent to about 6.5% alcohol. The "Starkbierzeit" is
sometimes called the "Fifth Season" in Bavaria.
In March people living in Munich go "on top of the hill". This
doesn't mean they go to the Alps but to
the Nockerberg (German) and there they enjoy a cold, dark beer,
the Salvator(German). With that they eat "O'batzter" (=crushed
Camembert with onion, paprika and butter), "Steckerlfisch" (a
grilled fish on a stick), "Leberkäs" (a typical Bavarian meat) or
"Brathendl" (broiled chicken).

There are some traditions connected to the "Starkbierzeit". For

example the "Derblecken" or "Tratzen" is,when the cabaret
artists make fun of politicians and prominence.
These people are often in the audience and listen humorously to
the mockery and criticism. They know that the most important
thing to help raise their popularity is to be a part of the official
life.
 

April Easter

In Central Europe the end of winter is highlighted with Easter.

Exactly 46 days after Ash Wednesday, with the end of carnival,
Easter Sunday is celebrated. It is the celebration of the Easter
egg, paschal lamb, Easter fires, Easter well etc. Besides the
bunny and the lamb, the egg is especially important at Easter.
No matter if it's a chocolate egg or a real one, a decoration on
some boards or a colorfully painted breakfast egg - Easter
without an Easter egg can't be imagined in Germany. Since pre-
Christian times the egg has been used as a symbol for
 awakening nature and fertility. It has a great significance in
many nations.

So that the origin of Easter should not be forgotten: on Easter

Sunday Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, with
death not seen as the end, but as the beginning of a new life.
 
 
June "Kieler Woche" - The week of Kiel

About 3.5 million people come to Keil for the biggest sailing
event in the world. Participants include more than 5,000 sailors
with 2,000 boats. Besides being a sportive and cultural event,
"Kieler Woche" is a grand folk-fair as well. With the command
"Leinen los!" ("drop the lines") the big event is opened with
great interest from the crowd and starts with the traditional
"Aalregatta" (Eel-regatta) from Kiel to Eckernförde. About 200
sailors take part in this leisurely race. Another sight is the world
cup of the high-seas yachts "Mumm 36".

People that are interested in sailing should not miss the Hanse

Sail (English) in Rostock. It is also possible to take part in some
of the popular sailing events.
 
 
August Bamberger Sandkerwa

The biggest festival in the town of Bamberg and an attraction to

all guests is the so called "Sandkerwa" which takes place every
year at the end of August. In the narrow streets of "Im Sand" (a
district close to the river Regnitz) there is a long-lasting state of
exception. Many inner courts and houses are opened on these
days and many of the old romantic places are changed into
 wine-inns or pubs. At the public places and in the hotels there
are bands playing different kinds of music: from German
folkmusic to Rock and Pop to Salsa and Samba. A site with
pictures of the "Sandkerwa" and the old town of Bamberg you
can findhere (German)!

History:
"Sandkerwa" is the celebration of Consecration of the church
"St.Elisabeth" and was first celebrated on 24th day of August in
1354, the day of "St.Bartholomäus". That is why this anniversary
still gives the timetable for this day. The tradition of the modern
"Sandkerwa" has its origins in 1951, when, after the chaos of
the war, the people decided to reinstall this Consecration again.

The biggest event is the "Fischerstechen" ("Fishermen's

Sticking") on Sunday. A spectacle, where two young men
standing on narrow fishing boats in the middle of Regnitz, try to
push each other down with stuffed lances. The pushing
movement of the lance is called "Stechen" - sticking. People
from other regions also come to participate in this event.

The finale is a big fireworks display on Monday evening.

 
 
October "Oktoberfest" in Munich

In September/ October the most interesting folk festival of all

takes place, the "Oktoberfest" in Munich, also called "Wiesn"
(meadow). Every year more than six million people visit this
festival, making it the largest folk festival in the world.

 
November Hamburg's DOM
 Known as the largest funfair in Northern Germany, Hamburg's
Dom exists as winter- dom (7. Nov. -7. Dec. 2003) and summer-
dom (30. July- 29. Aug. 2004). It's a "classical" fun fair with
show-booths, food-tents and fair-attractions.

During the weekend many families come to the join in on the

festivities. In the evenings visitors from nearby "St. Pauli" come
here party on.

It is standard for each visitor to receive a gingerbread-heart

placed around his neck, along with a paper bag full of fried
almonds and popcorn. When you start to get dizzy from the fair-
attractions or become full from eating too much, it is time to go
home.

A permanent variant like this folks festival exists in Austria: the

Prater in Vienna.

December
Christmas

Christmas, or Weihnachten, is considered by Germans to be the

most important of the major holidays. Although secularized and
commercialized compared to Christmas celebrations of yore, the
German holiday season is a time for introspection, celebration,
and family and friends; it is less consumption-oriented than in
the United States. Not only the holiday itself, but also the weeks
leading up to the celebration of Christmas involve many
traditions and customs of diverse origins: