How to Get to Know German Wedding Traditions

The German culture is rich in history and tradition. The German people generally have tight family ties and deep roots. Nowhere is this devotion to German heritage more evident than in the custom of German wedding traditions. Follow these tips to find easy ways to learn about German wedding traditions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Organize your search. Wedding traditions, as a whole, is a rather broad topic; narrowing down your area of interest will help you find material that is pertinent to what you want to know. If you are looking for historical or medieval traditions that are no longer practiced or current traditions that you want to try to recreate in your own ceremony, focus on these key areas when looking for information to save you time and energy in your search.
2. Ask around. If you have relatives or acquaintances of German heritage, use these people as a source of knowledge. Ask them if you can discuss wedding traditions in their native country. Also, it may add to the quality of your research to find an individual that has actually participated in some of these marriage rituals and get their perspective on how German traditions differ from those of American weddings.
3. Use the Internet. Take advantage of Web sites from around the world that will offer you different perspectives on German wedding traditions and also allow you to compare these traditions to other wedding ceremonies from all corners of the globe. It may be helpful to you to search for Web sites that originate in Germany that have been translated into English. Sites like these can be found by specifying that you want German pages when typing information into online search engines or looking for Web sites whose addresses end in, “.eu” or “.ge;” these Web sites will have originated in Europe or Germany.
4. Remember the “old school” resources. In an age of information when we can find just about everything we want to know online at our fingertips, it’s easy to forget that libraries and schools can be great sources of knowledge. With a historical topic like German wedding traditions, there are likely to be many older publications that will contain information that will prove relevant to your search that may not have made it to online publication yet. Most librarians will be happy to help you focus your search and find exactly what you’re seeking.
5. Go back to school. All colleges and universities have language departments with very knowledgeable professors. If you live near one of these institutions, contact the faculty office to find out contact information and inquire about interviewing them. Most language instructors at this level will either be natives of the country they are teaching about or will have at least spent a significant amount of time in the country. Interviewing one of these individuals who has personal knowledge of Germany as either a native or a temporary resident will give your research a firsthand account of German wedding traditions and the religious aspects of the country.
6. Experience it for yourself. Realistically, not everyone who is interested in learning about cultures of other countries has the time or resources to be able to actually visit the country itself to experience the culture firsthand. But if at all possible, international culture should be experienced. If you have any opportunity to see Germany for yourself and experience their wedding traditions in addition to the rest of their rich and vibrant culture, go!
   
   

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