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GERMANY EXPLAINED

Gemütlichkeit: 10 ways to make the most of winter like a German

Winter is upon us, and in Germany that means sub-zero temperatures, short days and not a lot of sunshine. But fear not: while the Danes may have cornered the market on Hygge, the Germans are old hands at cultivating a sense of Gemütlichkeit.

Published: 4 December 2023 16:34 CET
Getting Glühwein with friends is a great German activity.
Getting Glühwein with friends is a great German activity. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Alex Ehlers

The German concept of Gemütlichkeit  doesn’t have an exact translation to English, but it encompasses sensations of cosiness, contentment and warmth. The term can also be extended to refer to the sense of social acceptance and well-being. Whether donning suitable winter clothes and huddling with friends or family with a Glühwein (mulled wine) at a Christmas market or going to the cinema and getting popcorn, Germans are great at embracing this positive mindset, especially in the winter months when the darkness and cold can get overwhelming. 

We’ve compiled 10 tips for embracing life in Germany in the colder months. 

Go ice-dipping (clothes optional) and try a sauna

Who said getting naked by the lake is only a summer activity? Some Germans embrace Freikörperkultur (FKK), or free body culture, all year round. Slipping into an icy lake with your kit off might sound insane, but done responsibly it’s invigorating and has lots of health benefits, according to science and world-renowned “Iceman” Wim Hof swears by it. You may even find local clubs that go Eisbaden (ice bathing) for fun which would be a cool way to build social connections. We’d recommend warming up afterwards in a sauna. Some spas even have ice baths where you can hop in for a blast of coldness before getting toasty in the sauna. 

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s sauna culture

Stuff your face with seasonal treats

Say what you want about German food, they are frontrunners when it comes to festive confectionery. Living in Germany means from September onwards you will find festive favourites such as Lebkuchen, Stollen, Spekulatius and even marzipan potatoes (seriously) lining the supermarket shelves. Better yet, try your hand at baking some yourself: invite friends over and set up a factory line from your kitchen.  Any leftovers will make great gifts.

Try some delicious festive treats like Stollen.

Try some delicious festive treats like Stollen. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Kristin Schmidt

Try out (or watch) some winter sports

Germans like to offset the decadence by taking part in winter sports – or at least watching others do so. Germany’s diverse terrain is ideal for hiking, skiing, snowboarding and ice skating during wintertime. Going to an Eisbahn is an activity enjoyed all over Germany, and in the depths of winter even frozen rivers, canals and lakes are fair game (but don’t take any risks if you’re unsure). Otherwise, if you prefer to watch the professionals take care of things at a comfortable distance, beer in hand, Germany’s ice hockey season runs until April.

Acquire a second duvet

It’s the continental way to have two duvets on a bed you’re sharing with someone, rather than one. If you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, there’s no better time than the present. If you live alone, it will provide some extra warmth. If you happen to be shacked up with a German, it will come in handy when they engage in the most German of all winter sports: Stoßlüften (airing out rooms with the window wide open). 

READ ALSO: Lüften – Why Germans are obsessed with the art of airing out rooms

Get into Gorpcore

The term ‘Gorpcore’ – wearing outdoorwear as everyday fashion – wasn’t coined in Germany, but it should have been. Germans are known for their love of practical clothing and they are particularly fond of the saying “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”. Along with the second duvet, add some Jack Wolfskin apparel to your Christmas list. It’s a sure-fire route to acceptance, and feeling prepared for any kind of weather that’s thrown at us in the winter. 

People hike in the snow in the Harz mountains.

People hike and sled in the snow in the Harz mountains. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Swen Pförtner

Brush up on your language skills

The expression “life’s too short to learn German” doesn’t quite carry the same weight when you’re searching for ways to burn through the long winter nights. It’s high time to dust off your textbook and hunker down for an industrious session of Hausaufgaben (homework). There are loads of free resources online and it doesn’t have to be a lonely affair: apps like Tandem let you exchange languages with others (largely) for free. Come spring you can crawl out of your chrysalis a fully-fledged Sprach-schmetterling (language butterfly) and be able to converse well with new German friends. 

READ ALSO: The best ways to improve your German for free

Warm up by Bahn

Germany is well known for its solid public transport system, and in winter it’s a good place to take a break from the cold. Use the transport system to warm up during long periods of being outside. Or make the most of a day trip by enjoying a longer regional train journey to the suburbs of your city or to get to the next town. Snuggle in with a big scarf and a good book and don’t forget cash: you might get serenaded by a busker.

Explore lesser-known Christmas markets

Even though there is a charm to all Christmas markets in Germany (it is the birthplace of them, after all), you don’t have to venture too far off the beaten track to discover spots that offer quality, locally-made products and have retained some of their rustic charm. Make sure to check your local council events page or social media for community markets.

People enjoy the Rixdorf Christmas market in 2022.

People enjoy the ‘Alt-Rixdorf’ Christmas market in Berlin in 2022. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

Those less nostalgic for days of yore can increasingly find alternative options: take the LGBTQ* Pink Christmas Market in Munich or the Erotic Christmas Market in Hamburg, where renditions of Stille Nacht are more likely sung atop 6-inch stiletto heels. At the very least, the markets are a great place to pick up a hot glass of Glühwein. 

PODCAST: Christmas markets in Germany and how did things get so bad at Stuttgart immigration office?

Buy a beamer

Known in anglophone spheres as the far less fun “projector”, a beamer is the 2023 winter essential. Invite your nearest and dearest round for a movie night or maybe it’s finally time to dive into the nation’s favourite, Tatort. Because nothing says cosy like a murder mystery. Don’t forget to don some layers, dial up the thermostat and slide into your heaviest-duty Hausschue (slippers). 

Take a vacation (or staycation)

There’s no better way to stave off SAD than exploring somewhere new, and the continuation of the €49 Deutschlandticket means you can switch things up without breaking the bank. Why not check out one of Germany’s many spectacular castles or national parks? Beyond that, the whole of Europe is on your doorstep. New long-distance and sleeper trains deliver a change of scenery for less of a blow to the environment than boarding a flight to Mallorca (although that would be truly German).

READ ALSO: REVEALED – Germany’s longest regional train journeys with the €49 ticket

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GERMAN TRADITIONS

‘Tag der Arbeit’: What to do on May 1st in Germany

The first day of May in Germany is a public holiday, and is often celebrated as a day for dancing, or protesting, depending on your preference. Here’s what is closed for the holiday, and what’s happening.

Published: 26 April 2024 13:46 CEST
'Tag der Arbeit': What to do on May 1st in Germany

May 1st is Labour Day in Germany, a nationwide public holiday that dates back over 130 years.

In German its commonly called Tag der Arbeit, and English it is also called May Day.

Not to be confused with Labour Day as it is celebrated the US or Australia (where the holiday comes in September or October respectively, and simply serves as a day off work to relax), Germany’s Labour Day is part of a the broader International Workers’ Day tradition, and is linked to a history of labour struggles and protests.

Interestingly, Germany’s Tag der Arbeit tradition can actually be traced back to a protest in Chicago in 1886, which sparked the beginning of calls to limit work days to eight-hours.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED – Why is May 1st significant in Germany?

Since then however, the US has largely forgotten about May Day as a day for labour organisation (with the exception of a few communities), whereas the tradition remains alive and well in Germany and at least 65 other countries around the world.

What’s closed for the holiday?

As an official public holiday in Germany, banks and post offices are closed on May 1st, which falls on a Wednesday in 2024.

It wouldn’t really make sense to make people work on a day set aside for the celebration of workers’ rights. So you should expect that supermarkets and most other businesses will also remain shut for the day. 

Cafes, beer gardens, restaurants and other hospitality businesses hoping to cash in on the day of leisure, however, may be open. 

For spätis or kiosks in busy neighbourhoods, for example, the number of people going out to parks and walking around the streets ensures that May 1st is one of the more profitable days of the year.

What’s happening for the holiday?

Labour Day coincides with a German folk tradition to ‘dance into May’ (Tanz in den Mai). 

This involves festivities which start on the evening of April 30th, so that celebrators can spring into May on their feet by dancing through midnight into the morning of the 1st.

But more practically, this means that there are plenty of dance parties scheduled for the evening of April 30th, as well as day time events on May 1st.

For example, readers in Berlin might consider the “Dancing instead of working on May 1st” event at Mariannenplatz, which kicks off at 10 am and is free to the public. Also in the neighbourhood will be a free open air at Bolzplatz Falckensteinstraße Xberg, and not too far away a handful of clubs are offering free-entrance day time events, including Renate and Ritter Butzke.

In Cologne, Maydance “the big queer party” starts on April 30th from 10 pm at Quater1. In Düsseldorf, there are dancing events at the Brauhaus Alter Bahnhof as well as an open air event at the SC Unterbach football team’s clubhouse.

In Bavaria, dancing into May is a big part of the regions early spring celebrations, but traditionally this takes place at folk festivals in different villages and cities across the South-eastern ‘Free State’. One of the bigger May Day celebrations in Munich happens at the Viktualienmarkt, where you can see local bands, see the ‘Maypole’ and drink seasonal Maibock beer.

But Munich also has a number of options for dancing into May at modern clubs including a disco at Villa Flora or a party at La Rumba Latin Club. Or if food and drink sound more appealing, the Backstage Beergarten is opening on May 1st, and will be serving €5 Augustiner Maß krugs (giant beers).

Traditionally, April 30th is also Walpurgisnacht – a ‘night of witches’ – where many people celebrate in towns and villages around the Harz Mountains.

Where will there be protests?

smoke and protest

Masked protestors at an unregistered “Revolutionary May Day Demonstration” walk through smoke from pyrotechnics. Photo: picture alliance / Michael Kappeler/dpa | Michael Kappeler

No German city outdoes the capital when it comes to Labour Day protests, with Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood historically hosting some of the nation’s largest May Day demonstrations.

That tradition lives on to this day, with Berlin’s infamous central neighbourhood arguably still the epicentre of May 1st activities.

Historically, some May Day protests have left a fair amount of property damage in their wake, including burned cars. So police warnings about “Revolutionary May Day Demos” in Kreuzberg and Neukölln have become a Berlin tradition, and this year is no different. 

The majority of protests are intended to be peaceful, but when thousands of protestors are confronted by police armed with riot control gear, there are sure to be outbreaks of violence at flash points.

This year’s main rally begins at Südstern at 6pm, and will move through Hermannplatz and along Sonnenallee before looping back to the start point.

But no matter where you live in Germany, you probably don’t have to go too far to find a labour rally on May 1st.

Beside the “revolutionary” demos are nationwide rallies organised by The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and related partners that tend to have a significantly less confrontational tone. 

This year, the DGB’s main Labour Day event will take place in Hanover with a rally at Goseriedeplatz, and will be followed by a family friendly May Festival with a concert, according to the DGB’s website.

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