There are several famous celebrations and festivals during springtime from Easter to Feria de Abril but Spring is such a versatile month in terms of food, weather, flora and fauna that within just one country, it can have highly varied particular regional, local as well national significance – in this case, Germany! This country has a wide range of spring festivals from the fun to the quirky and we have drawn up a few to give you an insight into Germany’s rich history and culture.   

Kirschblütenfest

If you are not able to make it to Japan for the cherry blossoms, worry not! There are also Kirschblütenfeste (“cherry blossom festivals”) across Germany where you can see these blossoms bloom. From early to mid-April, the best cities to visit are Bonn in its lovely Old Town, Munich (especially the Olympia Park), Hamburg and Berlin. One of the main reasons behind the strong flower power is the Japanese Sakura Campaign which took place shortly after the German re-unification in 1990.  To celebrate and support this transition, Japan collected donations to fund the delivery and planting of over 10,000 cherry blossom trees from 1990-2010. Popular for picnics, strolls and photos, this event is just as temporary as it is in Japan, but equally as much of a favourite among Germans and tourists.

Frühlingsfest

In celebration of the end of Winter, the Germans have a “spring festival”. The mirror image of the internationally renown Oktoberfest (it is sometimes also known as the “Kleine Wiesn” – the “Little Oktoberfest”), the festival is made up of several beer tents, craft markets, food stalls, live music and lots of other entertainment – it is also one of Europe’s largest Spring festivals! On the final day of the festival, which occurs in late April, there is the “Brauchtumstag” (the ‘Day of Traditions’) where people dress up in traditional “Trachten” (costumes) such as “Dirndl” and “Lederhosen” and sing traditional folk music. Take a look below to see the fun and hear some different German accents – try and see if you can spot the “Trachten”!

Hexennacht

On the cusp of April and May, witches are meant to gather on the “Brocken” – the peak of the Harz mountains in the North of Germany to speak with the devil and often prevent the coming of Spring. Much like Halloween, German towns and villages dress up in costumes as “Hexen” (‘witches’) and “Dämonen” (‘demons’) to confuse evil spirits and to bring on the new seasons. A bonfire is lit and everyone has to celebrate loudly with a “Tanz in den Mai” (‘dance into May’).  Take a deeper look into the legends and learn some more supernatural words for future spells…

Spargelfest

The list would be incomplete without the German festival dedicated to asparagus! Across Germany, restaurants will have asparagus-themed meals, farmers mark out a “Spargelstrasse” (an asparagus-farm route) and the vegetable becomes a staple of food markets even just for a few weeks. The southwestern town Schwetzingen (often referred to as a “Spargelstadt”) is a well-established host of this festival. This city as well as others hold asparagus-related events during April and May, spanning art classes, exhibitions, tours around the cities, cooking workshops. A small town off Berlin, Beelitz, is also a huge producer of white asparagus which is so treasured that it has been added to the list of protected European products! You have groups of Spargelfrauen (women who sing and dance during the festival) and one lucky woman can be crowned “Spargelkönigin” (an ‘asparagus queen’). Asparagus farmers also drive through the crowds in their tractors, handing out baskets of asparagus. “Weißspargel” (white asparagus) is a great source of pride for Germans – see below to learn more about the unique events and build some great cultural vocabulary!

What new words and sayings can you find in these videos? Are there any similar Spring festivals that you have celebrated locally? If you want to learn even more about Germany’s culture, sign up to our German courses here.