10 Unique German New Year Traditions You Need to Know About

Spending New Year’s Eve in Germany soon? Check out this post for 10 unique German New Year traditions you need to know.

German New Year traditions are a nice mix between staying in with family and friends and ending the year with a bang. Nonetheless, Germans still have a way of making their New Year’s traditions different to the average foreigner.

Germans for one thing call New Year’s Eve Silvester after  Pope Sylvester I who died on December 31, 335. Legend says that the nonbelievers who were with him when he died choked on fish bones which led to German dishes not being consumed on Silvesterabend (New Year’s Eve).

So, if you want to learn more about the unique German New Year traditions Germans follow, keep reading! This post alone highlights many German traditions associated with New Year’s Eve in Germany and the history behind them.

Lead is melted to read the coming year’s fortune (german new year traditions)

One German New Year tradition Germans love to do on Silvesterabend is melt lead to read the coming year’s fortune. The German word for this tradition is called Bleigießen and it involves Germans heating a little piece of lead or tin melt in a spoon over a small flame. The lead is then dropped quickly into cold water so that it can form a shape. That shape is then what Germans use to determine how the upcoming year will go.

However, since 2018, melting actual lead has been banned in Germany so Germans use wax as an alternative and call it Wachsgießen.

A toast is made with a glass of Sekt at midnight (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition Germans love to do is toast with a glass of Sekt at midnight. Sekt is what Germans call sparkling wine and it has a way of helping people get into good spirits. Hence why at midnight Germans are quick to open a bottle of it. When it’s midnight, they pour it into champagne flutes and say Prosit Neujahr as they toast each other for the New Year. The word Prosit comes from Latin and it translates to “may it succeed” in English.

A ‘Dinner for One’ is watched on TV (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition Germans do on Silvesterabend is watch “Dinner for One” on TV. “Dinner for One” is a British sketch that was broadcast to Germany for the first time in 1963 and since then has become a cult classic. It’s about an aristocratic woman, Miss Sophie, who is celebrating her 90th birthday as her butler fills in for her absent guests who passed away. Her butler, however, gets drunk when he has to assume the role of her absent guests and ends up repeating “the same procedure as every year” to her continuously.

“The same procedure as every year” is a catchphrase many Germans know by heart and find completely hilarious when they watch the sketch again on New Year’s Eve.

Small gifts are exchanged to bring luck into the New Year (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition that Germans do on Silvesterabend is exchange small gifts to bring luck into the New Year. These small gifts are usually lucky charms that include but are not limited to objects like lucky mushrooms, ladybugs, four-leaf clovers, and little pigs.

Little pigs made from marzipan are the most popular gift to give out during New Year’s Eve in Germany but only a foolish German would eat their lucky charm!

Fishy German Dishes are avoided for consumption (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition Germans do is avoid eating fishy German dishes. As stated previously, the reason for this is because the non-believers who were with Pope Sylvester I when he died choked on fish bones. So, Germans forego any fishy dishes on the night of December 31st except for carp which many Germans believe brings good luck. So much so to the point where keeping a carp scale in your wallet is meant to attract money to you all year long.

A Berliner Pfannkuchen is eaten (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition Germans do is eat Berliner/Pfannkuchen. A Berliner is simply just a jelly-filled doughnut covered in sugar that Germans flock to bakeries for on New Year’s Eve. However, the Berliner is also called Krapfen in West and Southern Germany and Pfannkuchen in Berlin and other surrounding areas.

Some Germans eat them at midnight on New Year’s Eve while others save them until New Year’s Day. However, why this pastry is eaten as a German New Year’s tradition is still unclear. Some people believe it’s related to eating delicious food before Lent while others believe the bakeries in Germany wanted to use up all of their leftover ingredients from their Christmas baking.

There’s even something called a trick Pfannkuchen that happens during New Year’s Eve where one unlucky person ends up getting a Pfannkuchen filled with mustard or onions.

HOW HILARIOUS!

Everyone is wished “a good slide” on New Year’s Day (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition Germans do is wish everyone “a good slide” on New Year’s Day. The German expression is written as Guten Rutsch and some people believe it comes from the Yiddish word Rosch like in Rosh Hashanah for Jewish New Year. However, Jewish New Year is set on a different date in the fall every year so linguists believe the expression could be related to the archaic German meaning of Rutsch which is “journey”.

Everyone listens to the chancellor’s New Year’s speech (german new year traditions)

Another German New Year tradition Germans do is listen to the chancellor’s New Year’s speech. The German chancellor’s speech to the nation has been broadcasted to Germans on December 31st since 1969 and it sounds similar from year to year. However, in 1986, there was one time German chancellor, Helmut Kohl’s 1985 speech was re-aired instead of a new one due to an innocent mistake.

A big bowl of Bowle is prepared

Another German New Year tradition Germans do is prepare a big bowl of Bowle for everyone at a party. Bowle is the German word for “punch” and the nickname for Feuerzangenbowle which translates to a “flaming fire tongs punch” in English. The showstopper punch is like Gluehwein but on steroids since it has rum, oranges, lemons, ginger, sugar, and flames.

Germans usually put a rum-soaked sugarloaf over the punch before serving so that they can set it on fire. The sugar from the loaf then caramelizes as it drops into the Bowle.

Fireworks are let off in the most reckless way

Lastly, another German New Year tradition Germans do is let fireworks off in Germany in the most reckless way. Germans do this because the loud noises from the fireworks is said to ward off bad spirits. Of course, many cities in Germany have their own professional fireworks show, but most Germans prefer to buy their own rockets, firecrackers, and sparklers to make fireworks.

In fact, it’s perfectly legal to go to a store in Germany and buy firecrackers for purchase and set them off at midnight. Some Germans however get too bold with them and end up getting scars for setting them too close to their bodies. Regardless, Germans find this a great way to start the New Year off with a bang.

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Overall, I hope you enjoyed this post on the 10 German New Year traditions that are common around Germany. Please let me know in the comments below what your experience was like spending New Year’s Eve in Germany. I would love to hear from you. 🙂

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