The Autobahn, Castles and Beer... GERMANY: New Year's Eve and New Year Traditions

The last day of the year in Germany is called "Silvester". On this day, the Holy "Silvester" is celebrating his Name Day. He died on December 31, 335 a.C. In Rome as Pope.

On December 31, all shops are closed from noon on. In the churches, services are held to thank for the past and ask for the Future. This day is comparable to the Christmas party on December 24th in Japan.
The evening is spent with friends either at home, at a party, in a restaurant or in a theater.

It has become a popular tradition,to watch "Dinner for One" on TV. "Dinner for One" is a British sketch about a lonely old lady named Miss Sophie and her butler, who at her 90th birthday, takes on the role of long-dead friends and get very drunk.

At midnight you toast with a glass of sparkling wine or champagne and wish each other „Prosit Neujahr“, „Ein gutes neues Jahr“ oder einen „Guten Rutsch“. Every now and then, lucky charm as chimney sweeps, four leaf clover or small marzipan pigs are given away.

Of course, should a large fireworks at midnight not fail to drive away evil spirits. These traditions date back to ancient Germanic rituals. In earlier times, the noise was made with drums, trumpets and gunshots. Even today, the church bells ring at midnight.

After the fireworks, some people like to take a look into the future in the form of lead casting (Bleigießen), horoscopes or card reading.

You melt the little lead pieces. Then you pour it into cold water. The results could be something like that: Elefant=elephant, Golfer=golf player, Hund=dog

Lead casting set.

For the lead casting (Bleigießen), small pieces of lead are melted down and poured into cold water and the resulting objects are interpreted for the new year. Depending on the mood, the rest of the night is celebrated together, often with plenty of alcohol.

Very popular is to eat fondue or raclette at New Year's Eve with friends. At Fondue, meat pieces are cooked in hot oil or broth at the table then dipped in various sauces and eaten with baguette and salads. The Raclette is originally a Swiss specialty. It is layered with ham and vegetables in small pans and baked with cheese. It is eaten with steamed or boiled potatoes and pickled or fresh vegetables. The remaining time until midnight is spent with board games or just a party.