German Habits, Culture & Customs

There are some individual examples that identify as German cultural icons. For example, Germany has been home to many well-known artists such as Hermann Hesse (poet, novelist and painter), Richard Wagner (musician and composer), Ludwig von Beethoven, Gerhard Richter (painter), Johannes Brahms and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Other notable figures include Albert Einstein, Rudolf Diesel (inventor of the Diesel engine), Oscar Schindler (who saved Jews during WWII) and Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (philosopher).

Of course, there is the presence of bratwurst and sauerkraut but Germans also consume a wide range of other foods and drinks. For example, Germans eat a wide variety of breads containing different flours and seeds, and there are hundreds of different kinds of beer.

For breakfast, Germans generally eat fresh rolls or bread with jam, honey or Nutella (a spread consisting of nuts and chocolate), with a protein such as meat, cheese or egg. Coffee and orange juice are also served with breakfast. For lunch, Germans have a hot meal that is sometimes larger than dinner. This usually consists of meat and gravy, potatoes, vegetables and dessert at the end. Dinner is a smaller cold meal that may include sausage, cheese, sandwiches and salad. Sometimes lunch and dinner menus are switched, depending on whether the family is together.

Besides the traditional Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter, Germany holds many other celebrations that attract people from around the world.

One such celebration is Carnival, which begins on Nov. 11 at 11:11 a.m. and ends on Ash Wednesday. The celebration is much like Mardi Gras, with parades, costumes and masks. The holiday was created to expel winter.

The best known celebration, Oktoberfest, is held between September and October. It was originally established to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The festival consists of a parade (of Oktoberfest workers, landlords, bands and floats) and beer tents from German breweries.

Eating customs include: keeping your hands above the table, not complaining about food, and setting your knife and fork parallel when finished eating or crossing them when pausing. When at a restaurant, normally you seat yourself, and sometimes you may need to share tables with strangers. There are no refills for drinks, so any additional drinks are charged to you (this includes water, which you also have to pay for).

Some other important customs/manners include: being on time, using a person’s surname unless the person is a good friend, not speaking poorly of German football (soccer), and taking off shoes when entering a home.

Germans are much like other Europeans, Canadians and Americans. They do not always wear lederhosen and drink large quantities of beer. Like other Europeans, one of their favorite pastimes is football (or soccer).

Most Germans speak German as their primary language but commonly know several other languages such as French, Danish and English. So it is possible to get around in Germany on only English.