Local customs and traditions in Germany

Gutentag!

We arrived in Germany and during the trip I have learned more about the country. Germany is the centre of Europe and a famous country. The German economy is the fifth largest in the world.

Like in every country there are some local customs or traditions and I am glad to explain some of them to you.

There are three characteristics that have a high priority: structure, privacy and punctuality. Germans want perfectionism and precision in their lives for example they will not admit faults or hand out compliments. When you do not know this, the Germans can seem unfriendly. In fact there is a sense of social conscience.

Germany has a culture of planning, Germans are the masters of planning. They are constantly thinking forward and they always know what they will do at a specific moment. Making plans or appointments is very easy because they have planned their entire life. Another typical fact is that when Germans learn something in a certain way they will not change their habit. They will not even change it when it can be done more efficient or faster.

In business situation it is very clear that there is a division between personal lives and work lives. When the business day ends you are supposed to go home. When your work isn’t finished at the end of the day it is a sign you did not plan you day properly.

A well-known tradition is the Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest is celebrated in different countries but started in Munich in 1810. Original the fest lasted for five days, at this moment it is a fest of sixteen days. There are other traditions that are originated in Germany. A lot of things we associate with Easter like the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, baskets,… At Easter Monday we were able to see a big Easter egg hunt in the park, it was lovely to see all the children running to catch some chocolate.

I have to go now, we are going to visit a concentration camp, I think it will be a shocking experience.

Auf Wiederhören!

Sources:

http://www.livescience.com/44007-german-culture.html

http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/national-traditions/german-tradition4.htm

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/germany-country-profile.html