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http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country.php?cid=60&cn=Germany&ctid=5
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/germany.shtml

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Video - Christmas in Germany video shows the holiday being celebrated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_uuQkNsgl8

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the flag of Germany

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Toys given as Christmas presents

Children dressed up for Christmas

shoes lined up ready for St. Nick

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The first time Christmas was celebrated was on Dec. 25, 336 A.D.

Some of the traditions that we still follow today in America came from Germany. For example, presents are from der Weihnchtsmann (Father Christmas) or Christkind (the angle) not Kris Kringle or Santa and the name Kris Kringle came from the angel, Christkind, as they sound alike. The original day that Christmas  was celebrated was on Jan. 6. It was changed by the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th century to Dec.25.  The tradition of putting up a real pine tree, (tannenbaum) which we refer to as a Christmas tree came from Germany. Christmas is German is called WEIHNACHTEN.

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Country Background -  geography, population, culture, language, etc.

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Country Background -  geography, population, culture, language, etc.

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*German is the language in this country.  English is spoken widely and is required as a subject in school. Many Germans in the eastern part of the country speak Russian.
*The population of Germany is 80,722,792. Many of the people that live there are German, some are Americans, and some are immigrants from Turkey, former Yugoslavia, Italy, Greece, and Poland.
*Germany is similar in size to the state Montana. The country has mountains, valleys, lowlands, and rivers just like the United States. The weather is close to ours too. The average temperature is between 35 and 21 degrees in the winter. In the summer temperatures are between 68 and 64 degrees.

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1. People exchange gifts on Christmas Eve.
2. They say that the gifts come from  Christkind, which means, Christ Child.
3. They eat a goose for the holiday meal.
4. People decorate their Christmas trees with glass balls and candles.
5. Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25 & 26 and business are closed both days.
6. A pickle is hidden in the tree and the one who finds it gets an extra present.
7. The advent calendar tradition started in Germany and begins on Dec. 1. and ends on Dec 24.
8. A lot of families don't put up a tree until Christmas Eve day.
9.  German don't eat junk food or drink pop and they eat very light on Christmas day until the evening meal.
10. Germans sometimes bake a white dough and shape it into different things. Once it's cooked and cooled it's hung on the tree for decorations.

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1.  On December 6 is Nikolaustag, St. Claus day. A shoe or boot is left outside the door on Dec.5 with hopes the following morning you find presents, if you were good - or, unfortunately a rod if you had been bad.
2. In parts of Germany, people believe that the Christ Child sends a messenger in Christmas Eve.
3. He appears as an angel in a white robe and crown, bearing gifts. The angel is called Christkind.
4. There is also a Christmas Eve figure called Weihnachtsmann or Christmas Man, he looks like Santa Claus and also brings gifts.
5. n some homes a room is locked up before Christmas. On Christmas Eve the children go to bed but are woken up at midnight by their parents and taken down to the locked room. The door is opened and they see the tree all lit up, with piles of parcels on little tables.

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Some of the main holidays that are celebrated in Germany are;
*New Year’s Day (1 Jan.),
*Labor Day or May Day (1 May)
*Some religious holidays celebrated by the Catholic and Protestant are Easter (March or April), Ascension (39 days after Easter), *Pentecost (50 days after Easter) *All Saints' Day (1 Nov.)
*Christmas (25 Dec.), and *Boxing Day (26 Dec.).