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Festivals, customs and traditions

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Para educadores: diapositivas de la lección, apuntes de repaso listos para usar sobre Festivals, customs and traditions (German, Identity and Culture) — úsalos en tu lección, o presenta el tema como una actividad interactiva de clase que tus aprendices juegan como un juego en vivo.

Apuntes de la lección

Festivals

  • Weihnachten Christmas, Ostern Easter, Silvester New Year’s Eve and Neujahr New Year’s Day are useful names. Heiligabend is Christmas Eve, 24 December. Nikolaustag is 6 December; some households follow customs of small gifts, fruit, nuts or sweets. Nikolaus can name Saint Nicholas or a person as well.
  • Karneval, Fasching and Fastnacht name related carnival traditions with regional variation. The original Oktoberfest is Munich’s large folk festival, normally extending from September into early October, with rides, food and beer tents. These examples do not describe every household or all German-speaking communities.

Distinguish the celebration names

Distinguish the celebration namesGermanEnglish / contextWeihnachtenChristmasOsternEasterSilvesterNew Year’s EveNikolaustag6 December custom, varies by household

Other celebrations

  • Der Geburtstag means birthday, die Hochzeit wedding, die Taufe baptism, die Konfirmation confirmation in a Protestant context and die Kommunion communion in a relevant Christian context. A religious rite is not a universal stage for every family.
  • Das Fest and die Feier refer to a festival or celebration depending on context. Original model: Wir haben ein Sommerfest gefeiert. Use a real or invented event for practice without requiring private or religious disclosure.

Choose the named celebration

Choose the named celebrationGermanEnglishder Geburtstagbirthdaydie Hochzeitweddingdie Taufebaptismdas Sommerfestsummer celebration

Describing past events

  • Wir haben gefeiert and ich habe gegessen use perfect haben plus participle; ich bin gegangen perfect sein plus gegangen. Es war toll and das Wetter war schön use Präteritum sein. Das Wetter ist schön gewesen is also grammatical, but uses perfect rather than the specifically requested Präteritum.
  • Do not assign sein to every movement verb. Gehen takes sein here, but other verbs vary by meaning and construction; schwimmen can use haben or sein in suitable uses. Gestern, letztes Jahr and vor zwei Tagen indicate past time; am Wochenende is ambiguous without context.

Select the actual past construction

Select the actual past constructionModelConstructionWir haben gefeiert.Perfect with habenIch bin gegangen.Perfect with seinEs war toll.Präteritum seinEs ist schön gewesen.Perfect sein

German-speaking countries

  • Deutschland Germany, Österreich Austria, die Schweiz Switzerland and Liechtenstein Liechtenstein are useful country names, not a complete list of German-speaking communities. Countries and households can be multilingual and culturally diverse.
  • The Berlin Wall’s border crossings opened on 9 November 1989, commonly called its fall; physical removal continued later. Reunification took place on 3 October 1990, commemorated by der Tag der Deutschen Einheit on 3 October. Keep the events and dates distinct.

Keep the historical dates distinct

Keep the historical dates distinctDateEvent9 November 1989Berlin Wall border crossings open3 October 1990German reunification3 October each yearGerman Unity Day

Customs

  • The original generated Advent-wreath picture shows an evergreen ring and four unlit red candles: ein Adventskranz mit vier Kerzen. A familiar modern form relates four candles to four Advent Sundays. It is not a claim about every historical form or every household’s practice.
  • Der Adventskalender is an Advent calendar, der Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas market and der Lebkuchen gingerbread or a related spiced baked sweet. Glühwein is hot spiced wine, but not every visitor drinks it. Regional lantern traditions associated with Saint Martin also vary; no national participation rule is implied.

A modern four-candle Advent wreath

A modern four-candle Advent wreath

Comparing traditions

  • Compare the supplied accounts: Bei uns gibt es Geschenke am 24. Dezember. Bei meiner Freundin gibt es Geschenke am 25. Dezember. The dates differ between these fictional households.
  • Ähnlich means similar and anders different. Attribute the example with bei uns or bei meiner Freundin rather than making a blanket In Deutschland everyone… assertion. Customs can vary within as well as across countries.

Compare the supplied household accounts

Compare the supplied household accountsOriginal accountDetailBei uns gibt es Geschenke am 24.Dezember.Household A: 24DecemberBei meiner Freundin am 25.Dezember.Household B: 25Decemberähnlich / anderssimilar / different

Opinions

  • Original model: Mein Lieblingsfest ist das Sommerfest, weil ich gern mit Freunden feiere. Name the preference and give a relevant reason; the finite verb feiere closes this weil clause.
  • You may describe another event, an imagined preference or no favourite at all. Accuracy and relevance matter; there is no compulsory religious preference, national custom or requirement to disclose personal celebrations.

Develop the preference coherently

Develop the preference coherentlyModel partFunctionMein Lieblingsfest ist dasSommerfest,State the preferenceweil ich gern mit Freundenfeiere.Give a reasonfeiere at clause endFinite verb in the weilclause

Diapositivas

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Preguntas de práctica

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  1. 1.What does "Weihnachten" mean?

    Easy
    • AChristmas
    • BEaster
    • CNew Year
    • Dbirthday
  2. 2.What does "Ostern" mean?

    Easy
    • AEast
    • BChristmas
    • CWhitsun
    • DEaster
  3. 3.What does "der Geburtstag" mean?

    Easy
    • Awedding
    • Bholiday
    • Cbirthday
    • Dbirth certificate
  4. 4.What does "der Weihnachtsbaum" mean?

    Easy
    • Athe Christmas meal
    • Bthe Christmas tree
    • Cthe Christmas card
    • Dthe Christmas star
  5. 5.What does "die Geschenke" mean?

    Easy
    • Apresents
    • Bcards
    • Ccakes
    • Dcandles
  6. 6.In Wir feiern ihre Hochzeit, what does Hochzeit mean?

    Easy
    • Ahigh time
    • Bholiday
    • Cbirthday
    • Dwedding
  7. 7.What does "der Osterhase" mean?

    Easy
    • Athe Easter lamb
    • Bthe Easter basket
    • Cthe Easter bunny
    • Dthe Easter egg
  8. 8.In a calendar of celebrations, what does Silvester mean?

    Easy
    • Athe end of summer
    • BNew Year's Eve
    • CChristmas Eve
    • Dthe first day of spring

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