Advent  r Advent
   Advent calendar(s)  r Adventskalender (-)
   Advent season  e Adventszeit
   Advent wreath  r Adventskranz

Advent (Latin for "arrival, coming") is the four-week period leading up to Christmas. In German-speaking countries and most of Europe the first Advent weekend is the traditional beginning of the Christmas season when open-air Christmas markets (Christkindlmärkte) appear in many cities, the most famous ones being those in Nuremberg and Vienna. Most stores and shops in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are open weekends and evenings during Advent. - In Austria the 's' is often dropped in Advent-words (as in Adventzeit or Adventkalender). - See our special Advent Calendar with daily Christmas facts!

angel(s)  r Engel (-)

B

baked goods, pastry  s Gebäck
   See our German Christmas Recipes

Barbara Branch  Barbarazweig - A pre-Christmas custom celebrated in Catholic regions on Dec. 4th, the traditional feast day of St. Barbara (Barbaratag). See our feature: Barbara: The Name, the Legend.

Basel chocolate balls  Basler Brunsli - A sweet confection made with chocolate, almonds, and hazelnut; a Christmas treat.

Baumkuchen  r Baumkuchen - "Tree cake" is a layered cake whose interior resembles (Christmas) tree rings when cut.

bell  e Glocke, s Glöckchen (little bell)

Bible  e Bibel
  Also see: Die Bibel - Weihnachten

bow (ribbon) (n.)  e Schleife

C

candle(s)  e Kerze (-n)

Candles, with their light and warmth, have long been used in winter celebrations as symbols of the sun in the dark of winter. The Christians later adopted candles as their own symbol of the "Light of the World." Candles also play an important role in the eight-day Jewish "Festival of Lights" Hanukkah celebration.

candy, sweets  s/r Bonbon (-s), Süssigkeiten (pl.)

carol(s), Christmas carol(s)  s Weihnachtslied (-er)

carp (n.)  r Karpfen (-)

Carp is considered a Christmas or New Year's delicacy in many parts of Germany.

chimney  r Schornstein

choir  r Chor

crèche, manger  e Krippe

Christ Child  s Christkind, s Christkindl

The word "Kris Kringle" is a corruption of Christkindl. The word came into American English via the Pennsylvania Germans, whose neighbors misunderstood the German word for the bringer of gifts. With the passage of time, Santa Claus (from Dutch "Sinterclaas") and Kris Kringle became synonymous. The Austrian town of Christkindl bei Steyr is a popular Christmas post office, an Austrian "North Pole."

Christmas  s Weihnachten (sing., pl.), s Weihnachtsfest
  Es weihnachtet.   It's Christmas./Christmas is coming.
  Frohe Weihnachten!   Merry/Happy Christmas!
   Also see: Die Bibel - Weihnachten (The Bible - Christmas)

Christmas bread/cake, fruit cake (n.)  r Stollen, r Christstollen, r Striezel (dial.)

Christmas card(s)  e Weihnachtskarte (-n)

Send digital Greetings of the Season to anyone with an email address... free!

Christmas Eve  r Heiligabend

Christmas market(s)  r Weihnachtsmarkt (-märkte), r Christkindlesmarkt

Christmas pyramid  e Weihnachtspyramide (-n)

Originally from the Erzgebirge region of Germany, the wood or rope pyramid was the "poor man's Christmas tree." Today it is a popular Christmas decoration in many parts of Germany, usually made with candles and bells that ring as the heat from the candles turns a wooden rotor at the top.

Christmas tree  r Christbaum, r Tannenbaum, r Weihnachtsbaum

The first Christmas tree to decorate the inside of the White House was put up by US President Franklin Pierce in 1856. (German immigrants brought the custom to America.) In England Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert (1819-1861) of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, helped popularize the Christmas tree and other German Christmas customs.

cinnamon star(s)  r Zimtstern (-e) - Star-shaped, cinnamon-flavored Christmastime cookies

cookies (pl.)  Kekse, Kipferln, Plätzchen
   See our German Christmas Recipes

cradle, crèche  e Krippe, s Kripplein, e Wiege

crescent(s)  s Kipferl (-n) - Also see: cookies, vanilla crescent(s) Vanillekipferl(n)

German Christmas Word Search

D

decorate (v.)  schmücken, verzieren, dekorieren
decoration(s) (Christmas) r Weihnachtsschmuck

Dresden Christmas [fruit] bread/loaf  Dresdner Weihnachtsstollen
   See our Recipe for Dresdner Stollen

E

eggnog  r Eierlikör (similar but not the same as eggnog)

Epiphany  s Dreikönigsfest (Jan. 6)

F

Father Christmas, Santa Claus  r Weihnachtsmann

In the 16th century Protestants, led by Martin Luther, introduced “Father Christmas” to replace Saint Nicholas and to avoid the Catholic saints. In the Protestant parts of Germany and Switzerland, Saint Nicholas became der Weihnachtsmann (“Christmas Man”). In the U.S. he came to be known as Santa Claus, while in England children look forward to a visit from Father Christmas.

fir/pine branch  r Tannenzweig

fir tree  r Tannenbaum (-bäume)

Originally, most German Christmas trees were fir trees (Tannenbäume). Over the years, as the percentage of fir trees in German forests dropped, spruce trees (Fichtenbäume) became more prevalent. But today the word Tannenbaum is still synonymous with "Christmas tree."

fireplace  r Kamin

frankincense  r Weihrauch

fruit bread, Christmas bread  r Stollen, s Kletzenbrot (an Alpine rye bread containing dried pears, Kletzen, and various spices)

   See our German Christmas Recipes

G

garland (n.)  e Girlande (-n)

gift(s), present(s)  s Geschenk (-e)

Caution! The German word das Gift means "poison." If you are mailing a present to German Europe, you may wish to mark it with the German word Geschenk, in addition to "gift."

gift giving, exchange of presents  e Bescherung

gingerbread  r Lebkuchen

glass ball  e Glaskugel (-n)

H

Happy New Year!  Prosit Neujahr!

holy (adj.)  heilig

holly (n.)  e Stechpalme

In pagan times, holly was believed to have magical powers that kept evil spirits away. The Christians later made it a symbol of Christ's crown of thorns. According to legend, the holly berries were originally white, but turned red from Christ's blood.

I

ice  s Eis

icicle(s)  r Eiszapfen (-), (tinsel) s Eis-Lametta

ice skate(s)  r Schlittschuh (-e)

ice skate (v.)  Eislaufen, Schlittschuhlaufen

ice skating  s Eislaufen

J

Jesus  Jesus (YEA-zoos), Jesulein (Baby Jesus)

K

king(s)  r König (-e)
   Three Kings (Wise Men)  die Heiligen Drei Könige, die Weisen

Kipferl(n) (n.)  s Kipferl (-n) - An Austrian Christmas cookie. See: vanilla crescents Vanillekipferln