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Silvester & Wunderkerzen

Graham — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:33:14 +0000

Today is the last episode of our German Words Explained podcast, which has now been going for 160 episodes.

We talk about the topics that we covered, and in particular about the Käseigel. Back in June 2007 Maria promised to make one and 158 episodes later here it is:

Ein Käseigel

To finish off the series, we explain the word Wunderkerzen.

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So now, for the last time, listen to the podcast:

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Some other posts on this topic that you might like to read:

Lametta

Graham — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:02:42 +0000

Lametta is a Christmas decoration found in German homes and in particular on Christmas trees. Similar to tinsel, it is hung over the branches to simulate icicles.

Originally it was made from a substance called “Stanniol”, which is Tin (Sn) flattened to make it into a foil.

To add weight to the Lametta, lead or even silver were added. Often this meant that it was used on New Year’s Eve for Bleigießen. However, modern Lametta is often made of plastic.

To hear a simple explanation and to find out what the number 90/10 has to do with Lametta, listen to the podcast:

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Some other posts on this topic that you might like to read:

Der Weihnachtsmann

Graham — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:21:03 +0000

The Weihnachtsmann has an unusual roll to play in German Christmas celebrations. In some parts of Germany, mainly in the North, he is said to bring the presents to the children on Christmas Eve. In much of Germany and especially in the South this is the job of the Christkind.

The confusion seems to have come about because of the different way that the protestant and catholic religions celebrated Christmas in the past.

The Weihnachtsmann is generally portrayed in a way that Father Christmas or Santa Claus is in other countries with a red and white gown and riding behind reindeer. Except that children do not leave out stockings for their presents – they do that with their boots for Nikolaus.

And whilst most films and even locally made television programmes will talk about the Weihnachtsmann, children are more usually asked “what did the Christkind bring you for Christmas”.

With the North/South divide making it easily possible for families to mix both traditions, adding a foreign element when other nationalities are involved just adds to the chaos!

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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Some other posts on this topic that you might like to read:

Räucherkerzen

Graham — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:16:28 +0000

Räucherkerzen are candles that produce a scented smoke. Commonly found scents are incense, pine, cinnamon and honey.

Coming originally from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) they are often used as part of Christmas decorations, such as Räuchermännchen.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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Subscribe to the podcast | Listen by telephone

Some other posts on this topic that you might like to read:

Christmas Markets in 2009

Graham — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:02:46 +0000

It has not been a good year for the Christmas markets in Germany. With so much damp and wet weather, many people have been staying away from them. After all, it is not much fun drinking Glühwein in the rain.

It has only been the last weekend in December when the temperature sank below zero – actually it sank a long way below zero – and there was some snow on the ground.

So rather than the planned series of podcasts from local Christmas markets, here is a summary of our attempts to visit them during the past weeks:

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