Despite the widespread belief that Germans are dry and pedantic people, the people of Germany love to have fun. They have much more days off and holidays than in many other European countries. True, not all holidays are celebrated on a national scale.
The federal states of Germany have sufficient independence. Therefore, each of them has its own holidays and weekends. Of course, the country also has national holidays, for example, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Labor Day (May 1), and German Unity Day. There are also informal holidays that are not official days off, nevertheless, celebrated with pleasure by many residents of the country: Oktoberfest, Valentine's Day, Halloween.
National Holidays
German Unity Day was first celebrated not so long ago - on October 3, 1990. However, since then, the day of the official reunification of the western and eastern lands has become the main state holiday. True, it is celebrated rather modestly. Festive rallies are organized throughout the country, at which solemn speeches are delivered.
Christmas in Germany is celebrated for 3 days - from December 24 to 26 (Christmas Eve, the first day of Christmas, the second day of Christmas). These days in German families it is customary to give gifts. On Christmas Eve, Vainakhtsman is often invited to visit, who is an exact copy of the Russian Father Frost. Usually students who decide to earn extra money act in this capacity. Christmas is the most celebrated in Germany.
The main holiday of the church year is Easter. Its celebration includes Good Friday, Easter and Easter Monday. Easter is always celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. In addition to Saturday and Sunday, the days off are Friday and Monday.
Folk holidays in Germany
National holidays in Germany are especially bright and cheerful. First of all, this can be attributed to the carnival, which is called the "fifth season". The carnival takes place especially magnificently in the cities of the Rhineland. In Cologne, the main procession of jesters and buffoons, called "Mad Monday", takes place. Here you can meet mummers dressed in the most incredible costumes, for example, a cow or a grave monument.
The famous Oktoberfest, an annual beer festival held in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is equally popular. It lasts for 16 days, during which numerous guests of the festival drink 5 million liters of beer and eat more than 200 thousand pairs of pork sausages. The program of the holiday includes festivities in folk costumes and concerts of brass bands.
The Germans also have many other holidays, because they love and really know how to have fun.
