German Culture and Families
Culture:
Holidays:
Holidays:
- Christmas (December 25 is the date of the actual holiday) is a big holiday in Germany for Christians and some non religious Germans. The Christmas holiday follows the Advent Calendar. Popular traditions of the season includes Christmas Markets in which hand crafted Christmas decorations and other seasonal things are sold, Advent Calendars with candy inside, gingerbread houses, and Christmas carols. A lot of globally popular Christmas carols including, Silent Night, O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum), Still Still Still, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing, were written by German composers (German Traditions)!
- Karneval is a festival involving parades and parties. This holiday is a celebration of the time before Lent which is six weeks before Easter (German Traditions).
- Oktoberfest is a sixteen day festival in Munich during which much beer, sausages, and other German dishes (and fun!) are consumed. It originally began October 12, 1810 at the wedding of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria. A year later, they decided to celebrate again. Over time, the party expanded and turned into more of a carnival with food stands, horse racing, beer halls/tents, and by 1908, even a roller coaster. Over time the dates of the festival has also changed and is now held in September and October (the end date is always the first Sunday in October) due to better weather. This sixteen day long party is a staple German holiday (German Traditions).
- Easter: Many of the Easter traditions celebrated around the world originated in Germany. The "Easter Bunny" originated in the sixteen century in Germany. The Pennslyvania Dutch brought this tradition to the United States and it is generally celebrated around the world (German Traditions).
German Societal Norms
Germans are often direct, honest people. They will tell it like it is when engaging in a conversation. If you are not an intimate friend of a German, try to respect their personal space. Touching someone or getting too close is generally seen as rude or an infringement on a German's personal space (Germany).
When meeting with a German, it is best to be on time. Punctuality, whether it's business and social related or whether it's the transportation system, is greatly valued. Even for parties, it's seen as rude to show up more than 15 minutes late (Germany).
Germany has some similar social issues with the United States. For instance, the role of women has seen a drastic and positive change in Germany over the 20th and 21st century. Instead of being confined to the home, it is socially acceptable for women to have jobs outside the home, choose not to have families, etc. In both cultures there are still similar problems for women including receiving less money than men. However, Germany's societal norms do differ from the U.S.'s in many ways. For instance, the stigma around drinking alcohol is drastically different. Germans can legally buy low-alcohol content substances (beer, wine, etc) at the age of 16, and can buy any alcohol at the age of 18. However, the biggest difference between our cultures is the attitude toward alcohol. Underage persons who consume alcohol aren't punished, and while those who supply them can be, there is generally a relaxed air about the whole thing and laws regarding alcohol aren't in effect in private. Germans as young as 15 can consume alcoholic beverages in public while in the presence of a parent/guardian. These differences and similarities Germans and American share highlights some cultural values (Germany).
Germans are often direct, honest people. They will tell it like it is when engaging in a conversation. If you are not an intimate friend of a German, try to respect their personal space. Touching someone or getting too close is generally seen as rude or an infringement on a German's personal space (Germany).
When meeting with a German, it is best to be on time. Punctuality, whether it's business and social related or whether it's the transportation system, is greatly valued. Even for parties, it's seen as rude to show up more than 15 minutes late (Germany).
Germany has some similar social issues with the United States. For instance, the role of women has seen a drastic and positive change in Germany over the 20th and 21st century. Instead of being confined to the home, it is socially acceptable for women to have jobs outside the home, choose not to have families, etc. In both cultures there are still similar problems for women including receiving less money than men. However, Germany's societal norms do differ from the U.S.'s in many ways. For instance, the stigma around drinking alcohol is drastically different. Germans can legally buy low-alcohol content substances (beer, wine, etc) at the age of 16, and can buy any alcohol at the age of 18. However, the biggest difference between our cultures is the attitude toward alcohol. Underage persons who consume alcohol aren't punished, and while those who supply them can be, there is generally a relaxed air about the whole thing and laws regarding alcohol aren't in effect in private. Germans as young as 15 can consume alcoholic beverages in public while in the presence of a parent/guardian. These differences and similarities Germans and American share highlights some cultural values (Germany).
German Families
Families in Germany are somewhat similar to families in the United States. In the last century, Germany has moved away from the traditional marriage/family unit. Men are no long the sole "bread winners," and many mothers work outside the more (about 65%). Family sizes are also smaller. Most families are two-children families, but one-child families are becoming more an more popular. An ever growing trend in Germany is to not have "families" (this generally means not getting married and having children) at all. As of 2008, 20% of women between the ages of 40 and 44 did not have children (Society).
The social acceptance of non-married couples with children, divorce, and homosexual relationships/families is on the rise. A non traditional family is globally increasing and this is true in Germany as well. Twenty-first century German society tends to be accepting of different types of families (Society).
Discipline:
Germany is a diverse nation and has many different styles of parenting. However, as a whole, the culture of Germany is moving away from an authoritarian, disciplinarian, and subordination style of parenting and towards more independence (Society).
Attitude Toward School:
As mentioned above, Germans are diverse and so are their attitudes toward education. This can vary based on religion, socioeconomic status, or politics. However, as a whole, German parents tend to be very involved in their children's education. They see education as very important and recognized that they have a role in their child's future success (Flower, 1997).
Families in Germany are somewhat similar to families in the United States. In the last century, Germany has moved away from the traditional marriage/family unit. Men are no long the sole "bread winners," and many mothers work outside the more (about 65%). Family sizes are also smaller. Most families are two-children families, but one-child families are becoming more an more popular. An ever growing trend in Germany is to not have "families" (this generally means not getting married and having children) at all. As of 2008, 20% of women between the ages of 40 and 44 did not have children (Society).
The social acceptance of non-married couples with children, divorce, and homosexual relationships/families is on the rise. A non traditional family is globally increasing and this is true in Germany as well. Twenty-first century German society tends to be accepting of different types of families (Society).
Discipline:
Germany is a diverse nation and has many different styles of parenting. However, as a whole, the culture of Germany is moving away from an authoritarian, disciplinarian, and subordination style of parenting and towards more independence (Society).
Attitude Toward School:
As mentioned above, Germans are diverse and so are their attitudes toward education. This can vary based on religion, socioeconomic status, or politics. However, as a whole, German parents tend to be very involved in their children's education. They see education as very important and recognized that they have a role in their child's future success (Flower, 1997).
Citations:
Flower, David. (1997). Parents as Partners- A Global Perspective. The Learning Team, Volume 1 (Number 2).
Retrieved from
http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/The%20Learning%20Team/Volume%201/Number%202/Pages
/Parents%20as%20partners%20A%20global%20perspective.aspx.
German Traditions. (n.d.). Destination Germany. May 27, 2013. From
http://www.germany.travel/en/ms/german-originality/heritage/german-traditions/german-traditions.html.
Germany. (n.d.) Culture Crossing. May 27, 2013. From
http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student_details.php?Id=27&CID=79.
Society. (n.d.). Facts About Germany. May 27, 2013. From
http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society/main-content-08/families.html.
Image Locations:
*Image accompanying holidays: http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2012/09/bavaria-oktoberfest-begins/
*Image accompanying societal norms: http://www.ely.anglican.org/mission/local_mission.html
*Image accompanying families: http://mckaysphotography.com/2011/09/family-portraits-for-the-urbans/
Flower, David. (1997). Parents as Partners- A Global Perspective. The Learning Team, Volume 1 (Number 2).
Retrieved from
http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/The%20Learning%20Team/Volume%201/Number%202/Pages
/Parents%20as%20partners%20A%20global%20perspective.aspx.
German Traditions. (n.d.). Destination Germany. May 27, 2013. From
http://www.germany.travel/en/ms/german-originality/heritage/german-traditions/german-traditions.html.
Germany. (n.d.) Culture Crossing. May 27, 2013. From
http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student_details.php?Id=27&CID=79.
Society. (n.d.). Facts About Germany. May 27, 2013. From
http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/society/main-content-08/families.html.
Image Locations:
*Image accompanying holidays: http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2012/09/bavaria-oktoberfest-begins/
*Image accompanying societal norms: http://www.ely.anglican.org/mission/local_mission.html
*Image accompanying families: http://mckaysphotography.com/2011/09/family-portraits-for-the-urbans/