We have just left the summer and it is time to start putting on our coats and thinking about winter. It may seem a bit hasty to write about Christmas trips , but these things have to be prepared in advance, so if you are looking for a destination to travel to for Christmas, today I would like to recommend Germany . In addition to the many fantastic cities and places that you can visit, the Teutonic country has a special magic in the month of December.
Christmas is the most popular holiday in Germany, and preparations for it start much earlier. All cities and towns are decorated and illuminated to celebrate these festivals, and in the main squares you can find Christmas markets. The first thing to be celebrated is Saint Nicholas Day , December 6, the date on which sweets are given and the children say the gifts they want to receive at Christmas.
In the Nordic regions there are many customs and traditions that come from Scandinavian myths. One of them is the Julklapp , which takes place on Christmas night and in which many people throw gifts at houses, all of them accompanied by phrases of love and humor. After launching them, they run away so that no one will recognize them and whoever receives it never knows who threw it to them.
Mistletoe is also widely used in Germany, but more than to put on a door to use as a medicine since the Druids believed that it would cure everything. Epiphany Day in Germany is also very important as it will determine what the new year will be like. Each hour of the day indicates the weather that will be in each of the 12 months ahead.
The day before Epiphany it is customary to dine well and leave the remains of food for the spirits, which is called Dreimahlsnacht . That is the night of the 3 meals since you have to eat an oatmeal porridge, a rye porridge and a milk porridge. The Sternsinger also appear on Christmas dates and are singers of the star, who can be crowned and dressed in white robes or in the costumes of the Magi. The Sternsinger knock on house doors and sing very old songs.