Living traditions – Regional highlights during the

“Traditions and Customs” campaign theme 2015
Living traditions – Regional highlights during the course
of the year
Baden-Württemberg
SwabianAlemannic
Carnival
From the 6th
of January to
Ash
Wednesday
At the Swabian-Alemannic Carnival (also
known as Fasnacht, Fasnet or Faschenacht
depending on dialect), mythical figures dressed
as jesters, devils and witches with traditional
names like Narros, Spättli, Bobbele, and Jokili
take over the streets in the Catholic parts of
Baden-Württemberg.
Bavaria
Alp to Valley
Cattle
Drive/Viehscheid
September/
October
As a symbol and offering of thanks for the
summer on the mountain pastures, the
matriarchal cows with their herd – decorated
with floral crowns and large bells – trek down to
the villages at the end of the summer in Upper
Bavaria and the Allgäu.
Berlin
New Year’s Eve at
the Brandenburg
Gate
31st
December
The grand finale of the year is Europe’s biggest
New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate
with its two kilometre long party strip with
stages, marquees, food stalls as well as light
and laser shows.
Brandenburg
Spree Forest
traditional
costumes
All year
round
The Spree Forest costumes, voted traditional
costumes of the year in 2013, are especially
striking due to their colourfully embroidered
head scarves and gaily coloured skirts.
Bremen
Bremen Free
Market
16th October
to 1st
November
2015
Germany’s oldest fair attracts more than four
million people each year to the Bremen
Bürgerweide.
Hamburg
Harbour Birthday
8th - 10th
May 2015
Around 1.5 million people come to celebrate the
world’s biggest annual harbour festival in May
between HafenCity and the Museum Harbour.
Hessen
Cider pubs and
festivals
7th - 16th
August 2015
Apfelwein (cider), also called “Stöffche”, is the
iconic drink in Hessen. The city of Frankfurt am
Main goes so far as to celebrate by dedicating
a festival to it on the Rossmarkt.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Störtebeker
Festival
20th June to
5th
September
2015
Since 1993, Germany’s most successful openair theatre has been showing the adventures of
the famous pirate Klaus Störtebeker in front of
a natural setting on the island of Rügen.
Lower Saxony
Schützenfest fair
in Hannover
3rd - 12th
July 2015
The world’s largest marksmen’s festival has
been taking place in Lower Saxony’s regional
capital for over 500 years with dance, music
and competitions.
North Rhine-Westphalia
Carnival
14th - 18th
February 2015
For over 400 years the costume cult has been
part of the region’s practised tradition and the
Carnival transforms the streets of the two Rhine
cities, Cologne and Düsseldorf, into a colourful
display for five days every year.
Rhineland-Palatinate
Wine taverns
Spring and
Autumn
If a vine wreath is hanging above the door of a
vineyard’s estate, the winemakers may serve
their home-produced wine in their taverns for
four months.
Saarland
Mining and
industrial
heritage
All year round
Numerous museums, visitor mines and
associations commemorate the mining industry
in the Saarland which ended in 2012 and make
it something visitors can experience.
Saxony
Sorbian Easter
Before Easter
Right up to the present day, the Sorbs (the
numerically smallest of the Slavic peoples)
dominate the region of Upper Lusatia and its
annual calendar of events with their customs,
culture and way of life.
Saxony-Anhalt
Walpurgis Night
30th April
Walpurgis Night festivals have been celebrated
for around 1000 years in some 20 towns and
villages in the Harz Mountains during the night
from the 30th of April and the 1st of May.
Schleswig-Holstein
Biike bonfires
21st February
Along the coast, on the islands and Halligen,
North Frisia, the winter spirits are dispelled on
21st February every year with Biike bonfires,
punch and hearty meals of curly kale.
Thuringia
Weimar Onion
Market
9th - 12th
October 2015
In the second week of October, the brown bulb
can be found on cakes, in soups, in bunches of
dried flowers, in the form of “Zwiebelinchen”
(onion-dolls) or in the famous braid – the
Weimar Onion Market is legendary.
Further information about the “Traditions and Customs” campaign theme can be found at
www.germany.travel/tradition.
L'Office National Allemand du Tourisme
L'Office National Allemand du Tourisme (ONAT), dont le siège se trouve à Francfort-sur-le-Main,
est le « syndicat d'initiative » national de l'Allemagne. Il promeut les activités touristiques de
l'Allemagne pour le compte du ministère fédéral de l'Économie et de l'Énergie (BMWi), qui lui
apporte son soutien en vertu d'une décision du Parlement fédéral allemand. L'ONAT élabore et
communique des stratégies et des produits visant à renforcer l'image positive des destinations
touristiques allemandes à l'étranger et à stimuler le tourisme en Allemagne. Pour mener à bien
cette mission, il possède 30 représentations locales dans le monde. Pour plus d'informations,
consultez notre centre de presse en ligne à l'adresse www.germany.travel/presse.