Germany

The German holiday calendar has several in common with other parts of Europe
and the United States, including Christmas and New Years. But there are several
notable holidays that are uniquely German throughout the year. 

Here is a month-by-month look at some of the major holidays celebrated in

Germany. 

Januar (January) Neujahr (New Year's Day) 

Germans mark the New Year with celebrations and fireworks and feasts.
Feuerzangenbowle is a popular traditional German New Year's drink. Its main
ingredients are red wine, rum, oranges, lemons, cinnamon, and cloves.

Germans traditionally send New Year's cards to tell family and friends about events
in their lives during the past year.

Februar (February) Mariä Lichtmess (Groundhog

Day)
The American tradition of Groundhog Day has its roots in the German religious
holiday Mariä Lichtmess, also known as Candlemas. Beginning in the 1840s,
German immigrants to Pennsylvania had observed the tradition of a hedgehog
predicting the end of winter. They adapted the groundhog as replacement
meteorologist since there were no hedgehogs in the part of Pennsylvania where
they settled.

Fastnacht/Karneval (Carnival/Mardi Gras)

The date varies, but the German version of Mardi Gras, the last opportunity to
celebrate before the Lenten season, goes by many names: Fastnacht, Fasching,
Fasnacht, Fasnet, or Karneval. 
A highlight of the main highlight, the Rosenmontag, is the so-called
Weiberfastnacht or Fat Thursday, celebrated on the Thursday before Karneval. 

The Rosenmontag is the main celebration day of Karneval, which features

parades, and ceremonies to drive out any evil spirits. 

April: Ostern (Easter)
The Germanic celebration of Ostern features the same fertility and spring-related
icons—eggs, rabbits, flowers—and many of the same Easter customs as other
Western versions. The three major German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany,
and Switzerland) are predominantly Christian. The art of decorating hollowed-out
eggs is an Austrian and German tradition. A little bit to the east, in Poland, Easter
is a way more relevant holiday than in Germany

May: May Day

The first day in May is a national holiday in Germany, Austria, and most of Europe.
International Workers' Day is observed in many countries on May 1.

Other German customs in May celebrate the arrival of spring. Walpurgis Night
(Walpurgisnacht), the night before May Day, is similar to Halloween in that it has to
do with supernatural spirits, and has pagan roots. It's marked with bonfires to drive
away the last of winter and welcome the planting season. 

Juni (June): Vatertag (Father's Day) 

Father's Day in Germany began in the Middle Ages as a religious procession
honoring God the father, on Ascension Day, which is after Easter. In modern-day
Germany, Vatertag is closer to a boys' day out, with a pub tour than the more
family-friendly American version of the holiday. 

Oktober (October): Oktoberfest

Even though it starts in September, the most German of holidays is called
Oktoberfest. This holiday started in 1810 with the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig
and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. They held a big party near
Munich, and it was so popular that it became an annual event, with beer, food, and
entertainment. 

Erntedankfest
In German-speaking countries, Erntedankfest, or Thanksgiving, is celebrated on
the first Sunday in October, which is usually also the first Sunday following
Michaelistag or Michaelmas. It's primarily a religious holiday, but with dancing,
food, music, and parades. The American Thanksgiving tradition of eating turkey
has usurped the traditional meal of goose in recent years. 

November: Martinmas (Martinstag)

The Feast of Saint Martin, the Germanic Martinstag celebration, is sort of like a
combination of Halloween and Thanksgiving. The legend of Saint Martin tells the
story of the dividing of the cloak, when Martin, then a soldier in the Roman army,
tore his cloak in two to share it with a freezing beggar at Amiens.

In the past, Martinstag was celebrated as the end of the harvest season, and in
modern times has become the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season in
German-speaking countries in Europe.

December (Dezsember): Weihnachten (Christmas)

Germany provided the roots of many of the American celebrations of Christmas,
including Kris Kringle, which is a corruption of the German phrase for the Christ
child: Christkindl. Eventually, the name became synonymous with Santa Claus. 

The Christmas tree is another German tradition that has become part of many
Western celebrations, as is the idea of celebrating St. Nicholas (who's also
become synonymous with Santa Claus and Father Christmas).