Christmas and New Year’s can be a wonderful time of year. But it’s also a bit (or very) stressful. And if you’re spending it as a foreigner in Germany, you might feel a bit overwhelmed at times.
So here are some festive phrases to familarize yourself with, so you can feel a bit more relaxed over Christmas and in the days leading up to the New Year.

If you want to wish someone happy New Year you could say: Frohes neues Jahr.
Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr: This literally translates as ‘have a good slide into to the New Year’ but really means ‘have a good start to the New Year.’
Komm gut ins neue Jahr: Have a nice New Year
Komm gesund ins neue Jahr: Arrive healthily into the New Year
New Year’s traditions
In Germany on Silvester you might very well need sparkling wine (der Sekt) to get you through the festivities.
Like lots of other places, New Year’s Eve is filled with lots of noise. Germans love setting off fireworks (die Feuerwerke) or firecrackers (die Böllern).
Fireworks in Cologne. Photo: DPA
Those who stay home on Silvester in Germany are likely to be watching the 1963 TV recording of the British comedy sketch Dinner for one.
The programme has been a treasured part of German New Year’s tradition since 1972 and holds the Guinness record for being the most frequently repeated TV show in history.
Of course, the phrase you’ll need for this tradition is actually in English:
“The same procedure as every year, James”
Snacks aplenty
Anyone in front of the telly might be eating Fondue (a traditional Swiss dish made of melted cheese).
They may also be scoffing jelly doughnuts (die Pfannkuchen) too. But be careful… at some point it became a well-known prank to put mustard in one or two of the Pfannkuchen as a funny surprise for New Year’s guests.
Viel Glück!
For those who go out on Silvester, good luck charms are often exchanged in the form of little pig figures, horseshoes or four-leaf clovers.
Acquaintances may give good luck charms to each other in the form of pigs, four-leaf clovers, horseshoes and pigs.
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