| GERMAN AND GERMAN-AMERICAN CUSTOMS, TRADITIONS, ORIGINS OF HOLIDAYS |
Introductions and Foundational Information
Calendar Key
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| Cross Quarter Day August 1 | First Harvest is the cross quarter day between Midsummer Solstice & Autumnal Equinox |
| Mid-Sept to Mid-Oct | German-American Heritage Month |
| Mid-September | Steuben Parades are held in New York and Chicago. |
| Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur | Jewish New Year Jewish Day of Atonement |
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| AUTUMNAL EQUINOX September 22 |
Harvest Home, day roughly equals night (equi-nox). Around the Autumnal Equinox Oktoberfests and Germanfests are held. |
| End of September | Oktoberfests in Germany and North America. |
| September 26 | 1st Austrian American Day in 1997. Presidential Praise. |
| September 29 | St. Michaelistag/Michaelmas |
| 1st Sunday in Oct. | Erntedankfest / Thanksgiving in Germany |
| October 1 | First Germans at Jamestown, Va in 1608. |
| October 2 | German Canadian Day. |
| October 3 | Tag der deutschen Einheit - Day of German Unity |
| October 6 | German-American Day |
| October 31 | Reformationstag - Reformation Day |
| Cross Quarter Day October 31 | Halloween, the last day of Fall, separates Autumnal Equinox from Midwinter Solstice. One of the year's most significant pagan fests. |
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| November 1 | All Saints' Day - All Hallows/Allerheiligen (official holiday) |
| November 2 | All Souls' Day - Allerseelen |
| November 9 | Fall of the Wall and Kristallnacht remembered |
| November 11 | St. Martin's Day; kicks-off Karneval in some areas. |
| 3rd Sunday in Nov. | Volkstrauertag - Memorial Day. |
| Wed. before Totensonntag | Buss- und Bettag - Day of Repentance and Prayer (official holiday) |
| November 25 | Heilige Katharina |
| Last Sunday before Advent | Totensonntag - Sunday of the Dead. Protestant. |
| 4th Thursday in Nov. | American Thanksgiving compared to German Erntedankfest. |
| 1st Sunday after Nov 26 | Advent begins, ends on Xmas eve; Christmas Markets open. |
| November 30 | St. Andreas/St. Andrew |
| December 4 | St. Barbara |
| December 5 and 6 | St. Nikolaus/St. Nicholas: historical, Santa, holiday. |
| December 8 | Mariä Empfängnis and Weihnachtskrippen |
| December 13 | St. Lucia: Festival of Lights. Italian & Swedish traditions, songs. |
| Hanukkah | The story, celebration, recipes, rituals, games, resources, Yiddish. |
| Kwanzaa | An African-American Midwinter Festival. |
| Ramadan | Islamic festival. |
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| MIDWINTER SOLSTICE Dec. 21 | the point at which the sun reaches its greatest declination, north; the beginning of the solar new year, celebrated with bonfires. |
| December 21 | St. Thomas: the doubting Thomas |
| Christmas | Background, religion, customs, teaching, countless links! |
| December 24 | Tree is put up. Midnight "Christ Mass". 1st day of Xmas. |
| December 25/26 | Christmas / Weihnachten (official holidays in Germany). |
| December 26 | Boxing Day in England |
| December 31 | Silvester/New Year's Eve |
| January 1 | Neujahr/New Year's Day. Poems. |
| January 6 | Three Kings and Epiphany - ends the 12 days of Xmas. |
| 3rd Monday in Jan. | ML King, Jr. Day. German-Americans and civil rights. |
| Cross Quarter Day February 1 | Groundhog/Candlemas Day is the quarter point between the Midwinter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. |
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| February 2 | Groundhog and Candlemas Day (Maria Lichtmess) |
| February 14 | St. Valentin/Valentine's Day |
| Feb 28, 2017 | Karneval - Fastnacht - Fasching. Preparations began on 11.11 - Martinstag. |
| Thursday | Weiberfasnacht / Old Wives Carnival: women have "Narrenfreiheit" |
| Sunday | Faschingssonntag / Greasy Sunday |
| Monday | Rosenmontag. Famous Parade televised from Cologne |
| Tuesday | Faschingsdienstag: all parties stop when clock strikes Midnight Shrove Tues/Mardi Gras |
| LENT (movable) | Ash Wednesday / Aschermittwoch. |
| . | Purim: Jewish celebration of religious freedom. |
| March 17 | St. Patrick's Day: Irish-German connection? |
| March 25 | The Annunciation / Maria Verkündigung (9 mos. to Xmas) Lätare(3rd Sun. pre Easter) |
| . | Palmsonntag / Palm Sunday begins Holy Week. Last Sunday before Easter. |
| SPRING (movable) | .Gründonnerstag - Maundy Thursday |
| . | Karfreitag / Good Friday |
| . | Easter / Ostern: background, customs, celebration. |
| . | Pesach / Passover |
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VERNAL EQUINOX March 20 |
Vernal Equinox. Rebirth of Nature, night & day each appx.12 hours. |
| April 1 | April, April / April Fool's Day |
| April 6 | Scottisch-American Day |
| Cross Quarter Day April 30 | May Eve/Walpurgisnacht, the last day of Spring, cross quarter day separating Vernal Equinox from Midsummer Solstice. |
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| May 1 | May Day / Maifeier / Tag der Arbeit. |
| . | Christi Himmelfahrt Ascension: 40 days after Easter. Father's Day |
| Shavuos/Pentecost | Jewish festival 50 days after Passover. |
| May 11-15 | Die Eisheiligen | . | Pfingsten / Pentecost - Whitsunday |
| . | Trinitas, Fronleichnam, Corpus Christi: 50 days after Easter |
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| MIDSUMMER SOLSTICE June 20 | Midsummer Solstice is the point at which the sun reaches its greatest declination south. Sonnwend/Midsummer Night |
| June 24 | Johannistag - Summer Solstice - Midsummer Night. |
| July 1 | Canada Day |
| July 4 | US Independence Day plus the Declaration in German. |
| August 1 | Founding of the Confederatio Helvetia in 1291. |
| August 15 | Maria Himmelfahrt - Assumption of our Lady |