For over 600 years, Schmidt Lebkuchen Nuremberg has been baking and selling its delicious Lebkuchen, a special type of Gingerbread. Travelers and Traders used to carry Lebkuchen with them to enjoy and sell; now, we are lucky enough to be able to buy Lebkuchen online! During the Holiday Seasons of Advent and Christmas, you can find various Schmidt Lebkuchen Tins…
Category: German Holidays and Festivals
What is Maifest? What is a Maibaum? Germany Celebrates May Day!
Maifest celebrates the end of the long, dark winter and the beginning of warm weather and light. It’s a time of reawakening and joy! Celebrating the end of winter dates back to the Pagan times, and while the celebrations have changed a bit, there is still dancing. Cities and small villages across Germany, but primarily in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, set…
The Osterbaum / German Easter Tree- Make Your OWN Easter Tree
Every year during the Easter season, my mother would place a few budding branches in a vase and hang colorfully painted eggs from them. This was an Osterbaum, an Easter Tree. Some call it an Osterstrauss or Easter Bouquet since it’s in a vase. But what is an Osterbaum? Osterbaum, in German, means Easter Tree. This pretty decoration brightens the…
Easter Water- The Legend of Osterwasser
I received a message from Paul Von Stache, who told me a story I’d never heard before, The Legend of Osterwasser or Easter Water. He learned about it at an estate auction of an older woman in his hometown who originally came from Pomerania, Germany. One of the items up for auction was a brown glass gallon jug with a…
German Paper Mache Easter Eggs -History & Where to buy New & Vintage Eggs
The Easter Bunny (Oster Hase) in Germany doesn’t hide treats in pastel-colored plastic eggs. Instead, he uses these traditional German paper-mache Easter Eggs. These beautifully decorated eggs feature motifs of Bunnies, flowers, and springtime. They are big enough to hold all your favorite Easter Chocolates. The gift box eggs are a lovely addition to your Easter Celebrations and are one…
Where to Celebrate German Karneval in the United States
Karneval like in Germany! Fasching (in the South) and Karneval (in the North) are a time of celebration of food and fun in the time before the austerity of Lent. Costumes and Masks are meant to scare away evil spirits. Parades and dancing add to the fun. The celebration begins on November 11, the beginning of the 5th Season, when the…
When Do You Take Down the Christmas Tree?
I walk almost every day for fitness, for air, to get out of the house, and to get a daily view of what’s going on in the neighborhood. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I saw Christmas decorations go up. Decorated trees filled windows. But then Christmas ended. The VERY next day, discarded trees started lining the sidewalks. Some were already out…
Bleigiessen- A New Year’s Eve Tradition in Germany
Bleigiessen, or lead pouring, is a fun New Year’s Eve Tradition in Germany for families to divine their fortune for the New Year. This ancient form of divination, also known as Molybdomancy, has been used in many cultures during the Raunächte for over 1000 years. Today, it’s mostly just for fun, although there may be something to it… How does it…
German Rheinische Krapfen Recipe…. Fried Dough Treats!
One of my father’s favorite food memories is his mother’s German Krapfen recipe, which she would make every year on New Year’s Eve. These are Rheinische Öl Krapfen, which means they are a fried yeast dough filled with raisins… sort of like a donut, but they aren’t squishy soft (so don’t make these expecting them to taste like Krispy Kremes, Dunkin Donuts,…