It’s a common enough mistake made in Germany – Silvester, the name from New Year’s Eve, is named after Pope Silvester I, who died in the 4th Century A.D.

However, many people mis-spell it as “Sylvester”, like the cartoon cat. Even TV shows get it wrong, once in a while.

This week, I saw it mis-spelled on the door of a local supermarket:

With only three more days to go this year, we’ve reached the time when people start buying fireworks form midnight on New Year’s Eve (Silvester).

In Germany this all happens in a bit of rush, because of the restrictions on selling them.

Firstly, to buy fireworks you need to be at least 18 years old.

Secondly, and this is the main restriction, they can only be sold on the last 3 days of the year. If this includes a Sunday, as it does this year, then this is extended to 4 days.

So this year you only have Friday, Saturday and Monday morning to buy any fireworks, that you want to let off on Monday night.

Even if there are some exemptions to these rules, most people will stick to them and it creates a very different situation to that in the UK in November.

Everybody lets of their fireworks after midnight on the 31st/1st, so there are lots of fireworks going off at once creating an amazing atmosphere, but you don’t have the problem of different people at different times (or even on different days).

Because the fireworks are only sold for a very limited time, indeed with many people buying them on the 31st itself, there is less of a danger of accidents caused by insufficient precautions during their time stored in private homes.

The first hour after midnight, when the air is full of smoke and flashing lights really does have to be experienced first hand to understand what it is like – you are not watching a firework display, you are in the middle of it!

Millions of Germans will tune in to a little-known English-language sketch called “Dinner For One” this New Year’s Eve.

Filmed in 1963 with British comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden, it has become a traditional part of the evening and is shown in several versions (colour, original, etc.) on different television stations. As such, it used to have an entry in the Guiness Book of Records for the most frequently repeated TV programme.

The sketch is simple: Miss Sophie is celebrating her 90th Birthday. Unfornately, the companions of her own generation are long since deceased, so it is up to her butler, James, to take on their roles. As the meal progresses, James becomes more and more drunk and outrageous, whilst Miss Sophie calmly orders the next course with the appropriate drinks.

However, even though the sketch is performed in English, almost no-one in England these days has ever heard of it.

Want to see what you’re missing? Watch the clip at the NDR homepage.