About Germany

Rosenmontag in Germany – Carnival Time

/ Iana / 1 Comment

Hey, there, friends! Carnival time is here! And today is a highlight of German Carnival season – it is Rosenmontag! Unfortunately this year due to pandemic, the Carnival is not celebrated with the same proportions as before. Especially here in Cologne. This year you can only see some small groups of two people in costumes walking outside with some music playing on their phones. At least that happened near my apartment. Completely different feeling from last years, right? When thousands of people would come out to the streets to meet the parade. People wearing different costumes and throwing candies and other delights at people. Good old times. Hopefully next year we will be able to fully enjoy this great holiday! Today, I want to tell you about this holiday! So what is the Carnival all about?

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New Year Celebration in Germany

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New Year Celebration in Germany

I have moved to Germany quite some time ago and New Year 2021 will be my New Year number 7 here! Super exciting, right? Over the years, I have celebrated it in many different ways – I had attended student parties, celebrated in the company of my German neighbors, stayed alone during New Year’s Eve and spend time with my loved ones. And every time it was the most special time of the year. To be honest, it is rather similar to the way it is celebrated in Ukraine – with some differences of course. Therefore, today’s post I have decided to dedicate to New Year and the way it is celebrated in Germany! So, let’s start. Continue reading →

Merry Christmas to You!

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Hi, there, my dear friends! Today, 25th December, is a special time of the year – it is Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope this year will bring you lots of happiness and health! To me this is very beautiful day, filled with joy, aroma of eggnog and room filling with endless array of Christmas songs and binge watching of Christmas movies. I personally love it – watching Home Alone is like a sacred tradition for me and my family to do on Christmas. This year, I have always added new movie Christmas Chronicles to the list. Will be watching second movie this evening. Yesterday was Christmas Eve and I wanted to share with you how I spent it in Cologne. 

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Saint Nicholas Day in Germany

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Hello everyone and Happy St. Nicholas Day to you. Well, today we actually have double celebration – St. Nicholas Day and 2nd Advent! Yes, today is the day to light the second candle in your Advent Wreath! However, today, we are going to talk about St. Nicholas Day and how it is celebrated in Germany.

Back in Ukraine, it used to be one of my favorite holidays. I would wake up in the morning and immediately put my hand under the pillow and start searching for a sweet present from St. Nicholas. If I didn’t find one under my pillow, I would jump off the bed and rush into the corridor and start looking into every single shoe of mine. Because sometimes St. Nicholas could also hide presents there. That childish happiness and joy when I found my favorite chocolate inside the shoe. That day I would go to school and the main topic of discussion among kids would be what St. Nicholas brought us this year.

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Advent in Germany

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Advent in Germany

Hi, there, my dear friends and happy 1st Advent to you. It is official! Countdown to Christmas has started – only 25 days till we can all enjoy Christmas celebration! As you understood, today I would like to tell you more about the Advent in Germany, what it actually is and traditions surrounding it. So, what is Advent?

Advent is a religious celebration, the special time of the year during which the  preparation for the arrival, or “advent”, of Christ take place, which is then celebrated on 25th December. Advent usually starts four weeks before Christmas, to be more precise, four Sundays till Christmas. And today, on 29th November we are celebrating the 1st Advent. So, what do people usually do during Advent time in Germany? Well, there are many traditions surrounding this period including Advent wreath, Advent calendar, setting up a Christmas tree and general preparations for Christmas. Ohhh, and let’s not forget that around this season the Christmas Markets usually start (well, except this year unfortunately). Continue reading →

Did you know? German Edition

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Interesting facts about Germany

Hey, guys! Today I would like to introduce you to Germany. I have already told you about how I first came to Germany, but now I will simply rewind back and actually tell you some interesting facts about this beautiful country of Germany. So, let’s start:

  • Germany is not only the member of European Union, in fact it is also one of the founding member of EU (well here I am talking about West Germany);
  • The population of Germany as of year 2020 is 83 million people, which makes Germany the most populous country of European Union after France and UK;
  • Germany borders with nine countries – Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Switzerland;
  • The border between Czech Republic and Germany is the same length as the border between Germany and Austria;

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