A German Easter - Part 2
Frohe Ostern! • Happy Easter!
German Easter Customs and Traditions - Part 2
With an annotated Easter Glossary and Web links
Easter 1 > Easter 2 > Cards > Links
Ostern | Easter - Part 2
Easter Facts
Here are some key facts about the religious celebration (in German and English):
| OSTERTATSACHEN (Deutsch) | EASTER FACTS (English) |
| WAS? Fest der Auferstehung Christi. Das älteste und wichtigste christliche Fest. | WHAT? Celebration of Christ's Resurrection. The oldest and most important Christian festival. |
| WANN? In der westlichen Kirche am ersten Sonntag nach dem ersten Frühlingsvollmond. | WHEN? In the western church, on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring. |
| WIE? Christen gehen in die Kirche, der Papst hält seine Osteransprache am Petersplatz, Kinder jagen nach bunten Ostereiern. | HOW? Christians go to church, the Pope holds his Easter address in St. Peter's Square, children hunt colorful Easter eggs. |
Easter Timeline
The Easter celebration is much more than just Easter Sunday! It is an annual cycle that is central to the entire Christian calendar. The Easter cycle begins with Mardi Gras (Fasching/Karneval) and the Lenten period leading up to Easter. It ends with Pentecost ("fiftieth day"), the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday. Here is a bilingual summary of the Easter cycle:
| OSTERFESTE (Deutsch) | EASTER CELEBRATIONS (English) |
| FASTENZEIT Die 40 Tage vor Ostern, die am Aschermittwoch beginnen. |
LENT The 40 days of fasting before Easter begin on Ash Wednesday. |
| PALMSONNTAG Der Sonntag vor Ostersonntag |
PALM SUNDAY The Sunday before Easter Sunday |
| KARFREITAG Feiert den Tag der Kreuzigung |
GOOD FRIDAY Marks the day of the Crucifixion |
| OSTERSONNTAG Ostermontag ist auch ein Feiertag in vielen Gegenden. |
EASTER SUNDAY Easter Monday is also a holiday in many regions. |
| CHRISTI HIMMELFAHRT 40 Tage nach Ostern |
ASCENSION DAY 40 days after Easter |
| PFINGSTEN Sieben Wochen nach Ostersonntag |
PENTECOST/WHITSUN Seven weeks after Easter Sunday |
German writers and poets have often found inspiration from Easter and the Easter celebration. Here is a bilingual version of an Easter verse by the German poet Eduard Mörike (1804-1875):
| OSTERGEDICHT Auf ein Ei geschrieben von Eduard Mörike |
EASTER POEM Written on an Egg by Eduard Mörike |
| Ostern ist zwar schon vorbei, | Easter is indeed past, |
| Also dies kein Osterei; | So this is no Easter egg; |
| Doch wer sagt, es sei kein Segen, | But who says it's not a blessing |
| Wenn im Mai die Hasen legen? | When the rabbits lay in May? |
| MORE: The entire German text of this poem can be found at Ostergedichte in Deutschland. |
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Easter is a joyous time in German Europe and all over the Christian world. Below you'll find some German Web links devoted to many aspects of the Easter celebration. And don't miss our special annotated English-German Easter Glossary! Viel Spaß und frohe Ostern!
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Related Pages
A German Easter - Part One
Part One of this feature.
Easter Cards
Send a free Easter card in German! Greeting cards in German for many occasions.
German Easter Links
Web resources related to Easter in German. Part Three of this feature.
Celebrations and Customs
Our main holidays page.
Glossaries
English-German glossaries on a variety of topics.
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