German Christmas Vocabulary and Traditions: Frohe Weihnachten

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Have you ever wondered how to say “Merry Christmas” in German? Perhaps you have German-speaking friends you’d like to send wishes to, or you’re learning German yourself.

This article gives you several ways to say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy holidays” and “Happy New Year” in German.

You’ll also learn vocabulary connected with Christmas markets and winter celebrations in German-speaking regions.

Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online German course, here’s the course I recommend: German Uncovered – Learn German Through the Power of Story, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!

How to Wish a Merry, Merry German Christmas

Two of the most common ways to wish someone a Merry Christmas in German are as follows:

• Frohe Weihnachten!
• Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Both greetings express joy and are widely understood. Frohe Weihnachten is especially common, while fröhliche Weihnachten is a slightly fuller alternative.

Fröhlich means cheerful or joyful and is related to froh. Treat these expressions as fixed greetings; the grammar of Weihnachten varies by construction and region.

As my German friend says, “Why wish someone a frohe Weihnachten when, for just one syllable more, you can wish them a fröhliche Weihnachten?” Both choices work.

Weihnachten – What Does the German Word for Christmas Literally Mean?

The German word for Christmas, Weihnachten, developed from a Middle High German expression referring to the holy or consecrated nights.

The historical first element is related to consecration or holiness, while Nacht is the German word for night. Modern speakers generally learn Weihnachten as a whole word.

Most commonly, Weihnachten is treated grammatically as a neuter single noun, usually without an article and often with the preposition zu:

• Was willst du zu Weihnachten von mir? – “What do you want from me for Christmas?”

In some German-speaking places, notably parts of Switzerland and Austria, Weihnachten is treated as a plural noun:

• Ich werde diese Weihnachten im Ausland verbringen. – “I’ll spend Christmas abroad.”

If all this talk of articles and grammar is getting you in a Bah Humbug mood, check out this article on German articles!

Other Ways to Wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in German

German also offers several broader holiday greetings.

We all know that language is a tool that we can manipulate to meet different needs. Even in this specific context, we can wish someone a happy holiday in a lot of different ways: we can be formal, we can be secular, or we can be super jolly!

For a less directly religious seasonal greeting, you can use one of these:

If you’d like to make a sentence, you can try this one:

• Ich wünsche dir ein frohes Fest! – “I wish you happy holidays!”

Vocab Recap: German Christmas Vocabulary

Wishing a Happy New Year in German

Christmas and New Year greetings often appear together because the celebrations are close on the calendar.

So sometimes, when we wish someone a Merry Christmas or happy holidays, we include a New Year’s greeting too. Here are some ways to wish someone a happy new year in German:

Guten Rutsch is a very common German New Year greeting. Translate the whole expression as a wish for a good start to the new year rather than word by word.

You may encounter several competing stories about its origin. Those stories are not needed to use the greeting naturally.

Vocab Recap: German New Year Wishes Vocabulary

Celebrating New Year’s Eve in the German World

New Year’s Eve is called Silvester in German, after Pope Sylvester I, whose feast day falls on 31 December.

When I arrived in Berlin on the afternoon of 1 January 2021, I noticed the remains of firecrackers and posters advertising Silvester parties.

That gave me a visual cue for remembering the word.

Some people exchange good-luck symbols at New Year, including ladybirds, four-leaf clovers and red-and-white mushrooms. A small charm may end up in your Portemonnaie, or wallet.

A New Year gathering may include a buffet or fondue. Bowle is a fruit punch that may contain alcohol, while Sekt is sparkling wine. You may also hear Böller, or firecrackers; follow local rules and keep a safe distance.

Visiting a Traditional Christmas Market

Many towns and cities in Germany, Switzerland and Austria host Christmas markets, or Weihnachtsmärkte. Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt is one of the best known, with records dating to the 17th century.

Salzburg also hosts a well-known Christkindlmarkt. The carol Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht was first performed in nearby Oberndorf on Christmas Eve in 1818.

Now imagine you’re in Nuremberg, surrounded by Christmas spirit – you may first grab a Glühwein, a special Christmas mulled wine, to warm yourself up in the cold. You can smell the fresh cinnamon and nuts coming from German Christmas delicacies, such as Lebkuchen (“gingerbread”) or Weihnachtsplätzchen, Christmas cookies decorated in all sorts of ways.

You may see stalls selling handmade soaps, jumpers, mittens and wooden toys, or Spielzeuge.

You may also see an interesting small wooden craft in the shape of a small man, pipe in hand, real smoke coming out of his wooden mouth: this is a Räuchermännchen, a little smoking man, another classic German Christmas decoration.

Another market drink is Feuerzangenbowle.

Feuerzangenbowle, or fire-tongs punch, is made by setting a rum-soaked sugarloaf above mulled wine. It contains alcohol; an alcohol-free drink is the better choice for anyone avoiding it.

(Check out this video to see what it looks like – it’s quite a spectacle!)

Lights and traditional Weihnachtsschmuck, or Christmas decorations, create a cheerful, fröhliche atmosphere.

Celebrating Christmas With German Friends

During your visit to Germany, you might make some local friends who want to introduce you to their Christmas traditions. You might see an Adventskalender in their home, a calendar for which each day you open a little box to reveal a small picture, a little poem, or even a piece of chocolate to count down the days until Christmas.

They may encourage you to sing a Weihnachtslied with them, a Christmas song. Maybe you’ll be accompanying them to Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht like I mentioned above, or perhaps you’ll be treated to a rendition of der kleine Trommler, Little Drummer Boy in English.

Christmas songs vary by family and region, so ask your hosts which Weihnachtslieder they enjoy.

You may see an Adventskranz, an Advent wreath typically holding four candles. In homes that follow the custom, another Kerze is lit on each Sunday of Advent. A Nussknacker, or nutcracker, is another familiar decoration.

If snow falls, you can call it weiße Weihnachten, a white Christmas. You might tell your friends, Es schneit, meaning “It’s snowing.” Then you could build a Schneemann, or snowman, and watch the Schneeflocken, or snowflakes.

Conclusion

I hope these greetings and words help you take part in a German-language holiday conversation.

If you plan to visit Deutschland or another German-speaking country, practise the greetings that fit the people and occasion.

If your New Year goal is to improve your Deutsch, these ten German-learning ideas can help you choose a next step.

Frohe Festtage!

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