Advent is the time of year in Western Christian practice that starts on a Sunday at the end of November or first week of December and ends on December 24th, though it is popularly celebrated starting on December 1st. Let's take a look today at some German customs of the Advent season.

Der Advent, das ist die Zeit vor Weihnachten.

Advent, that is the time before Christmas.

Und an den Adventstagen ist es ein beliebter Zeitvertreib,

And during the days of Advent it is a favorite pastime

über den Weihnachtsmarkt zu spazieren.

to take a walk through the Christmas market.

Captions 3-5, Weihnachtsmärkte - mit Eva

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) are going to be very limited this year due to the Corona pandemic. There are, however, plans to allow limited access by selling tickets with specific entry times. Some cities have even introduced drive-through Christmas markets so that people can shop from the relative safety of their cars!

Am Sonntag haben wir den ersten Advent.

On Sunday we'll have the first Advent.

Und dann machen wir natürlich das erste Lichtlein hier an dem Adventskranz an.

And then we'll, of course, put on the first little candle here on the Advent wreath.

Am zweiten Advent kommt dann das zweite Licht, am dritten Advent das dritte Licht,

On the second Advent comes then the second candle, on the third Advent the third candle,

und am vierten Advent ist Weihnachten.

and on the fourth Advent is Christmas.

Captions 58-61, Unterwegs mit Cettina - auf dem Bruchsaler Weihnachtsmarkt

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Advent wreaths with candles originated in the mid-19th century in Hamburg, Germany, but they were not commonly allowed in German churches until after the Second World War. 

In der Adventszeit oder eben in der Vorweihnachtszeit gibt es viele verschiedene Bräuche.

In the Advent season or in the run-up to Christmastime, there are many different customs.

Caption 5, Eva erklärt - den Adventskalender

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One of these customs is the Advent calendar:

Der Adventskalender hat 24 Türen, und auf jeder steht eine Zahl.

The Advent calendar has 24 doors, and each one has a number on it.

Caption 11, Eva erklärt - den Adventskalender

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The Advent calendar also originated in 19th century Germany, but of course the best-known Christmas tradition with roots in German culture is der Weihnachtsbaum, also called der Tannenbaum or der Christbaum.

Heute wollen wir einen Weihnachtsbaum aufstellen.

Today we want to set up a Christmas tree.

Caption 8, Frohe Weihnachten - der Christbaum

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Further Learning
Watch all of the videos above in their entirety to get a feel for some German Christmas customs and search for more holiday-related videos on Yabla German. Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season from us at Yabla!