In German, the phrase "Frohe Weihnachten!" which translates to "Merry Christmas” is commonly used. If you prefer a more neutral expression, say "Frohes Fest!" ("Happy Celebration!") or "Schöne Feiertage!" ("Beautiful Holidays!").
Updated on January 17, 2019. The most common way to wish someone a merry Christmas in German is to tell them, "Frohe Weihnachten." Directly translated, that means merry Christmas.
The term Weihnachtsmann is a very generic German term for Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. The German Weihnachtsmann is a fairly recent Christmas tradition having little if any religious or folkloric background.
How to Say "Merry Christmas" in German | German Lessons
Why do Germans call Christmas Weihnachten?
In Germany, Christmas is called “Weihnachten” which is a compound of the verb “weihen” which means consecrate, and the noun “Nacht” which means night. As a consequence, the word “Weihnachten” means consecrated night.
Treat guests to a traditional German Christmas dinner with classic dishes like roasted goose legs, braised red cabbage. and dumplings, and don't forget the mulled wine and platter of gorgeous, festive cookies.
What is the difference between Fröhliche and Frohe?
The online dictionary Leo.org lists several meanings to froh and fröhlich, yet only happy, cheery, and merry are common to both, suggesting that they have a clear difference in tone. Fröhlich means things like festive, jolly, and mirthful, whereas froh means pleased.
If you have the opportunity to spend Christmas in Germany, there is one phrase that you will see and hear all over. People will say "Frohe Weihnachten" (Merry Christmas) to you even on the street, and it will become more frequent as Christmas Eve gets close. Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas!
What is the difference between Fröhliche Weihnachten and Frohe Weihnachten?
How to say Merry Christmas in Germany？ What's the different between Frohe Weihnachten and Fröhliche Weihnachten? There is no difference between Frohe Weihnachten and Fröhliche Weihnachten , either is acceptable.
First, the presents are not delivered by Santa Claus, but by the Christkind (originally the Christ Child Jesus, nowadays an angel like figure). Since Germans celebrate his birthday that day, they receive presents and joy in return. That is why secondly, the opening of presents occurs on the evening of Dec.
Christmas celebrations start in Germany on 24th December (Christmas Eve) when Christmas gifts are exchanged. On 25th December (Christmas Day) and 26 December, usually the family gets together for celebrations and also the religious Christians will visit Christmas mass during these days.
If you are like me, you may have wondered why you put a fairy on top of your Christmas tree! This tradition can be traced back to Germany where it's believed that fairies bring good luck to new babies and are a symbol of fertility. It also represents the Angel that announced the fore coming and birth of Jesus.
6 December is Saint Nicholas Day, better known as Nikolaus in Germany. While the day may not receive the full religious celebration it does in Southern Germany and other traditionally Catholic regions, children across Europe look forward to this day each year.
Nikolaus Day — still celebrated Dec. 6 every year — is a preliminary round of Christmas gifts and holiday cheer in Bavaria. During this holiday, St. Nikolaus visits towns to read from his book and hand out small gifts of nuts, fruits and chocolate from a burlap sack.
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.
For starters, it's important to note that "Happy Christmas" hasn't faded completely—it's still widely used in England. This is believed to be because "happy" took on a higher class connotation than "merry," which was associated with the rowdiness of the lower classes.
It stuck around, though, in phrases like “the more the merrier” and—you guessed it—the now increasingly popular “Merry Christmas.” But, because of the potentially rabble-rousing connotations of “Merry Christmas,” high-class Brits—including the royal family themselves—chose “Happy Christmas” as their default greeting.
Many people do say Merry Christmas. Some don't. In the past, when Christianity dominated the culture, it was just assumed that you were greeting a Christian. As the culture became more religiously diverse, that assumption was more likely to be wrong, so some people switched to happy holidays or seasons greetings.
