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GERMAN LANGUAGE

German word of the day: Feierabendbierchen

Not just a beautiful example of a compound noun, this word evokes a strong image of a tradition of the German way of life which has been hit by the pandemic.

German word of the day: Feierabendbierchen
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Das Feierabendbierchen (literally a “party-evening-little-beer”, but more accurately: a “cheeky wee post-work beer”) is the drink you have after leaving the office to wash away the stress and adrenaline of the working day. For most Germans this falls at about 5pm, but a Feierabendbier can be had at any time of the day really. 

This word can be found in non-diminutive form (Feierabendbier) or the diminutive form with -chen, as above, which basically makes it a bit more playful. 

This compound noun may be made up of both “Abend” and “Feier”, but there is no need for the consumption of the Feierabendbierchen to take place either in the evening or at a party. 

The word ‘Feierabend’ usually just refers to the part of the day when work is finished, capturing the ecstatic feeling of escaping a stuffy office and emerging into a free evening with limitless possibilities. 

Recently, the term has come to be regarded as a buzzword for the importance of a work-life balance, of maintaining harmony between the regimented hours of the working day and the rest and relaxation necessary to maintain productivity.

READ MORE: Why every country should get on board with the German Feierabend

But this work-life balance has been notoriously difficult to maintain in over a year of successive lockdowns, particularly when there is no physical shift between workplace and home for many people.

It is difficult to imagine that the Feierabendbierchen was not affected by this change as we became confined to our own four walls with family or a close social bubble only, especially as pubs and bars only reopened last month.

Research has shown that, in keeping with the overall decline in per capita alcohol consumption in Germany since the start of the pandemic, beer sales were particularly hit during the lockdown months. Sales of beer fell by 5.4 percent in 2020 – the largest decline in a decade – meaning that individual consumption had decreased on average by approximately 5 litres.

This is a large deal for a country with over 1,200 breweries, 5,000 beer brands and a flourishing brewing industry generating revenues of almost 8 billion Euros, and suggests that fewer Germans are indulging in Feierabendbier than ever.

READ MORE: Why German Beer Day is celebrated in April 23rd

However, since the start of July, working from home is no longer compulsory in Germany, and employers are free to decide whether to call their employees back to the workplace. 

As Germans transition from Homeoffice back to their workplace, perhaps the Feierabendbierchen is bouncing back -or people are at least able to meet one or two of their colleagues again.

We hope that the tradition will have recovered in time for this Friday – August 6th – so that Germans can celebrate the end of work on International Beer Day with a festive pint. 

via GIPHY

Examples:

Was machst du nach der Arbeit? Hast du Lust auf ein Feierabendbier? 

What are you doing after work? Do you fancy an off-work beer? 

Am Ende eines langen, schwierigen Tages schmeckt das verdiente Feierabendbierchen fast doppelt so gut. 

At the end of a long, hard day, your well-earned beer after work tastes almost twice as good.

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Sommersonnenwende

This German word marks the changing of seasons, and the longest day of the year.

German word of the day: Sommersonnenwende

Die Sommersonnenwende, pronounced like this, is the German term for the summer solstice, which is the day that marks the meteorological beginning of summer in Germany and the northern hemisphere.

Alternative names for the day are Sommer Solstitium, which comes from the Latin term, and Mittsommer.

Like so many great German words, the term for the summer solstice is a compound noun which translates quite literally. It’s made up of three simple words: Sommer (summer), Sonnen (sun) and Wende (turn or turnaround).

So the name for the summer solstice in German is meant to remind you that this is the day that the sun ends its journey northward in the sky, and turns around.

As you can probably guess, the winter solstice is called die Wintersonnenwende.

You might recognise the term Wende from another compound noun that got a fair amount of attention in recent years – Energiewende, which means energy transition, has also been used to describe Germany’s big picture plans to phase out fossil fuel use.

The summer solstice usually falls on June 21st or 22nd. But it fell on June 20th this year, due to 2024 being a leap year.

How is ‘die Sommersonnenwende’ observed in Germany

Humans have taken note of, and celebrated, the summer solstice for thousands of years.

Archaeologists suggest that Stone Age cultures were already able to determine the day. Evidence of this was uncovered in 2004 at the site of a 7000-year-old solar observatory found in Goseck in Saxony-Anhalt.

Among Germanic tribes, the summer solstice was celebrated with pagan folk festivals that often included fire rituals.

After Christianization of the region, the Catholic Church tried to abolish the pagan solstice traditions – eventually designating the day for a memorial day for John the Baptist (June 24th), and adopting the fire as a symbol for Jesus Christ. 

Most of the original solstice traditions have been lost, but some are being reinvigorated for tourism, especially on the Baltic Sea coast.

More broadly, the long daylight hours experienced in the weeks before and after the summer solstice, offer a chance to stay out or do outdoor activities late into the evening. There are also a number of music festivals around Germany at this time of year.

READ ALSO: How to make the most of Germany’s long summer days

Use it like this:

Die Sonne geht so spät unter, es muss die Sommersonnenwende sein.

The sun is setting so late, it must be the summer solstice!

Haben Sie dieses Jahr Pläne, die Sommersonnenwende zu feiern?

Do you have plans to celebrate the summer soltice this year?

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