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About the Culture Page
About the Culture Page
Below are various articles on aspects of German culture. There are six German speaking countries, each with a very different culture, but I have focused mostly on the culture of Germany itself. Culture can range anything from the traditional customs and celebrations of a country to the individual mannerisms of the people to media! Culture is just as important when learning about a country as language rules are. Think about it, if you go to Germany, you'll want to be polite and connect with the people there, not just be able to speak in a textbook format. I have highlighted some important topics when looking at culture and included some basic materials with those.
Geography:
Geography:
There are five other countries in Europe who speak German as well! These countries are Austria, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and of course, Germany. All of these countries are members of the European Union (EU) except for Liechtenstein and Switzerland and all of these countries are part of the United Nations (UN).
There are 22 known dialects of German. Think of a dialect not as a completely different language, but they have a couple of different words for things and different accents. Don't worry though, you will still be able to communicate effectively even if the speaker isn't speaking in the dialect you are used to. Technically, American English and British English are two different dialects!
Read this article on German speakers all around the world!
Slang/Idioms/Manners:
Slang/Idioms/Manners:
Not all of a country's language can be taught exactly as it is. Just like we have, Germans have slang and idioms which aren't able to be translated word for word. In order to blend in more with local Germans, you will need to learn some of their more colloquial language.
Slang:
Slang:
The words you choose to use around your friends are probably a lot different than the words you use around you parents, teachers, or boss. These more relaxed words are known as slang! Learning German slang will have to come mostly from exposure to native German speakers, but here are some basics of German Slang.
Idioms:
Idioms:
Idioms are phrases that have different connotations to naive speakers and the meanings cannot be translated word for word into another language. A lot of German idioms have the same underlying meaning as some idioms in English, but use very different words. Duolingo has an Idioms lesson where you can learn German idioms. Go to your Duolingo shop and you can buy it for 30 lingots (you earn lingots for completing lessons).
Manners:
Manners:
If you have checked out the Grammar section of this website, then you already know the polite distinctions between "du" and "sie" but there are a lot of different verbal and non-verbal German mannerisms as well! Some of them might be difficult for us Americans to follow (I know I'll definitely struggle with things like not smiling all the time, not slouching, and announcing myself whenever I enter a room or even a shop!) but it is very important to respect your neighbors and colleagues when you are in their homeland. Here is a lin to learn about German Manners.
Food:
Food:
Germany has a wide selection of traditional food. German food can actually be very flavorful. I have included recipes to make a German breakfast (pancakes with applesauce topping), two German entrées (Schnitzel and Rouladen), three German sides (egg spätzle, German potato salad, and pretzels), and a German desert (apple strudel).
If you don't feel like cooking yourself, here are some other options:
Depending on where you live in the US, you might have an Aldi's grocery store near you. If so, they sell a brand called Deutsche Kuche (literally: German Kitchen). This brand includes everything from frozen schnitzel and Käsespätzle to pre-packaged Black Forest Cake and many many other German foods!
Also, here's a link for some German restaurants in South Carolina (where I'm from) to check out!
Another option to eat German food is a German Food Box from https://germanfoodbox.com/. Not only to they include recipe cards for a German entrée and a selection of authentic food items from Germany! I have two boxes and I cannot wait to try them! One of my favorite parts is being able to read the food labels and seeing how many German words I can translate.
Breakfast
Breakfast
Here is the pancake recipe! This particular dish is called Eierkuchen (likerally: egg cake) because it uses a lot of eggs. It is very similar to French crêpes in that they are both just very thin pancakes (but I prefer Eierkuchen to crêpes). Technically, it is made as a lunch in Germany, as most Europeans don't eat breakfast foods like us Americans do.
Applesauce might seem like a weird breakfast food, but it is somewhat of a German tradition to put applesauce on pancakes! Here's a recipe for German applesauce to put on you Eierkuchen.
Entrées
Entrées
Schnitzel is a classic German entrée. Traditionally, it is a meal reserved for higher class families, as the pork takes a lot of time to properly pound and shape and lower class families were busy working (recipes have now been modernized so it doesn't take as long). In my opinion, a squeezed lemon on top is a must!
Rouladen can take many forms, but the basis is a pickle wrapped in onions, bacon, and beef. Personally, I don't care for pickles so I haven't tried rouladen yet, but i do know it is a staple German dish!
Sides
Sides
Spätzle is literally my favorite food ever. There are a lot of different ways to make spätzle, including käsespätzle, which is just spätzle with cheese. Spätzle is really just a type of egg noodle but it is also classified as a dumpling. This recipe is is German, which is a good opportunity to practice your language skills (or just translate the page)! If you want an English recipe, search for "spaetzle" instead of spätzle (I like the German version better because some American spätzle isn't that great).
German potato salad, like a good handful of German dishes, can taste very vinegary. You can even find it is a can, but here is a German potato salad recipe!
Pretzels are such an iconic German food but did you know they are actually from Italy? Some Italian Monks invented pretzels to look like folded praying arms. They then spread to Germany and became more well known there and are still associated with German culture today! There are many different shapes of pretzels, but this recipe I've shared is an authentic bready kind of pretzel.
Dessert
Dessert
Apple strudel is the first dessert that comes to my mind when I think classic German desserts. It's almost like the German version of an old fashioned American apple pie (actually, the apple pie is probably the American version of German apple strudel)!
Holidays:
Holidays:
While German citizens celebrate many of the same holidays we celebrate, they have additional holidays as well as different traditions for our similar holidays.
Oktoberfest:
Oktoberfest:
Oktoberfest is THE German holiday and has celebrations all around the world! Oktoberfest actually starts in late September and ends on the first Sunday in October. If the first Sunday in October falls before the German Day of Unification (October 3rd), Oktoberfest will last until then. It generally last around sixteen days and the official Oktoberfest is held in Munich, Germany. Oktoberfest started in 1810 when Crown Prince Louis I of Bavaria married Princess Therese. They invited the whole city of Munich to celebrate with them and Oktoberfest has been around ever since! While a little over two hundred years doesn't seem like a very long time (by European standards), Oktoberfest has only been cancelled a couple of times, due to war, inflation, and of course, Covid-19.
Oktoberfest starts with the official tapping of the first beer keg by mayor of Munich. There are only six breweries allowed to serve official Oktoberfest beer and Oktoberfest beer is typically stronger than average beer. There are also an array of both big and small tents where vendors sell various food and beverage products. A special Oktoberfest treat are big, heart-shaped gingerbread cookies.
It is customary for residents of Munich to wear traditional German clothing. The men wear Lederhosen (literally: leather pants) and the women wear a dirndl dress. Don't worry, not everyone who goes to Oktoberfest has to wear one (but most people do and it's a lot of fun!).
(The picture is actually of my grandparents celebrating Oktoberfest in Wisconsin where the German population is very strong!)
German Day of Unity:
German Day of Unity:
The German Day of unity falls on October 3rd. This day marks the day East Germany and West Germany became one Germany again, so it is kind of a reverse Independence Day. The Berlin Wall (which divided East and West Germany) was taken down on November 9, 1989 but the official treaty that unified Germany was signed on September 20, 1990 and marked October 3rd as the German Day of Unity.
German Day of UnificationThe German flag is comprised of horizontal black, red, and yellow stripes. Don't confuse it with the Belgian flag which has vertical, not horizontal stripes of the same colors! An easy way to remember how to color the German flag is that the colors go top to bottom in alphabetical order. Here's a link sharing mre history and facts about the German flag!
Christmas:
Christmas:
Christmas in Germany is known as Weihnachten. A lot of Christmas traditions, like the Christmas tree and Santa Claus originated in Germany.
This slideshow goes through German Christmas traditions. This link is to a German Christmas Facts Advent Calendar which I thought was a neat material.
Political Structure:
Political Structure:
Germany is lead by a Chancellor instead of a president. The current Chancellor is Angela Merkel who has been Chancellor for fifteen years and is the first female chancellor of Germany. Germany does not have additional royalty like many other European countries have. The last monarch was Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918. Germany was unified into one country in 1871 after having been a group of city states called the Holy Roman Empire. Germany started having a chancellor in 1867. The chancellor is accompanied by a parliament called the Bundestag. Both the Reichstag and the Bundestag are referred to as parliament but nowadays Reichstag is reserved as the building where the Bundestag meets.
Germany is a Federal Republic and a democracy. Germany has elections around every four years. Similar to America, anyone over the age of 18 can vote and unlike America, anyone over the age of 18 can be elected to political office. The German constitution is called the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany.
Music:
Music:
Just like American and English bands and artists, there are so many German bands and artists as well! You might not have even known that these bands were German! Listening to musicians sing in a foreign language can help you own understanding of the language. Here is a link to some other catchy German Songs!
Let's take a look at some noteworthy German musicians:
Scorpions:
Scorpions:
At the top of my list is definitely German hard rock band, the Scorpions. They are my third favorite band of all time, so you imagine how excited I am to talk about them! While they sing mostly in English (actually all in English), it's always fun to watch interviews with them talking in their native tongue (German).
Probably their most famous song is "Rock You Like a Hurricane" from 1984's Love at First Sting album. One of their other well known songs is Wind of Change from 1989's Crazy World album. The band grew up and started their career in East Germany under Communist control. The inspiration for this song came from the band sensing the fall of Communism in Europe.
Here's the band on set of the music video for my favorite song by them, "I'm Leaving You" from 1984's Love at First Sting album!
Rammstein:
Rammstein:
Next on my list of German musicians are heavy metal band, Rammstein! Unlike Scorpions, they sing all in German. However, this does not stop them from having fans from all around the globe! This makes them a great way to learn German! You might not be into heavy metal (like I am), but if you are open to it, I would highly recommend listening to them to improve your German skills.
Their most popular song is probably "Du Hast" from 1997's album, Sehnsucht.
See, they can't possibly be "too" heavy metal, they're holding puppies!
Falco:
Falco:
Falco is an Austrian artist from the 1980's (again) but, he is known for more techno/electronic music than the two previous artists.
He wrote and sang the original German recordings of Rock Me Amadeus and Der Kommissar, both of which would be re recorded in English and released to greater fame in America.
Ok, so there are three lyrical artists from Germany (or a German speaking country). I apologize for the fact all three are from the twentieth century. A great way to keep up with current German music is to check out Spotify's Top 50 playlist from Germany!
Scouting in Germany:
Scouting in Germany:
So because this website was made as an American Girl Scouts Gold Award, I thought it would be neat t do a section of scouting in Germany! scouting has been a part of Germany since 1909 but was banned in East Germany during the Communist control of East Germany. There are actually over 100 scouting organizations in Germany! Some are single gender and a lot are run by religious organizations.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts (or Girl Guides as they are called in other parts of the world) are part of one group called the Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder. Like scouting in America, meetings center around outdoor activities. Scouting is for school age children from
Traditional Dress
Traditional Dress
Everybody knows about Lederhosen and Dirndl in Germany, but did you know that is only the dress of one specific region in Germany called Bavaria? Germany has many different other ways to dress traditionally depending on the region. Here is a presentation I made about those types of dress for one of my college German classes!
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