1. A cultural understanding
of Germany
Where language is spoken
Historic events, celebrations, religions
Flags, traditions, customs
What of the language we have adopted
Famous people, industries, buildings, sports stars etc
Costumes, music and dance
Tourism
Introduction
Germany is a large country in Western Europe. It has a population of 81,305,856 (from July 2011).
It speaks the German language and he flag looks like this:
Germany is spilt into 16 states., and each of these states has a separate ruling government.

2. Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, most of Switzerland and Luxembourg all use the German
language. In addition, many other countries bordering on Germany have small German-
speaking communities. As a second language German is quite widely spoken in Eastern
Central Europe. It is also taught in a lot of schools outside Germany as a second language.
Although the written German language is pretty much the same throughout German-
speaking countries there are several large differences in the spoken language.
Cultural differences between Germany and
England
The schools in Germany mainly are half days however in England mostly school days are 7
hours.
In England there is a large binge drinking culture however in Germany the legal age of
drinking is 16, as they have a totally different attitude to drinking. They don’t think it is smart
or fashionable to get drunk with friends.
Germans celebrate Christmas on 6th December as ‘St Nicholas Day’ and this is the main day
of their Christmas celebrations unlike England. Christmas was originally a German tradition
and has spread to the rest of the world.
They don’t start school until 6 in Germany
Historical events
Perhaps the most famous historical event in Germany was the holocaust. The Holocaust was
the mass murder of six million Jews and millions of other people leading up to and during
World War II.
The killings took place in Europe between 1933 and 1945. They were organised by the
German Nazi party which was led by Adolf Hitler.
The largest group of victims were Jewish people. Nearly 7 out of every 10 Jews living in
Europe were murdered.
Most of the victims were killed because they belonged to certain racial or religious groups
which the Nazis wanted to wipe out. This kind of killing is called genocide.
The Nazis also murdered politicians, trade unionists, journalists, teachers and anyone else
who spoke out against Hitler. We will never know exactly how many died but there were
many millions of non-Jewish victims, including:
Civilians and soldiers from the Soviet Union
Catholics from Poland
Serbs

3. Disabled people
Homosexuals
Jehovah's Witnesses
Polish civilians
Roma and Sinti people (Gypsies)
Slavic people
Another famous historical event was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. After World War II
(1939-1945), Germany was left in conflict. The east side (East Germany) was communist,
while the west side (West Germany) was democratic. Since Germany's capital, Berlin, fell
within East Germany's borders, the city was torn between the two sides and also split into
East and West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was built by the East Germans to keep its citizens from
going to West Berlin.
Democratic nations (such as America, Great Britain and France) disapproved of the Berlin
Wall. President Kennedy began to pressure the East Germans to take down the Wall when
he visited in 1963, and President Reagan pressured them even more in 1987. By the end of
the 1980s, communist power had declined, and East Germany's government failed in late
1989. On Nov. 9, it allowed East Berlin residents permission to visit West Berlin. That day,
thousands poured across the checkpoints, and started to tear down portions of the wall to
celebrate as guards watched. German reunification followed on Oct. 3, 1990.
Famous people
Mozart – famous composer in the 17th Century
Bach – another famous composer
Michel Schumacher - 7 time world champion F1 driver
Boris Becker- a six-time Grand Slam singles champion
Claudia Schiffer – world famous supermodel
Hitler – leader of the Nazi party in WW2.
Customs and celebrations
Carnival is also called the “Fifth Season” in Germany; alongside with many colorful
costume balls, the highlight of this festival is the Rose Monday Parade with marching
bands, dancers, and decorated floats parading down the streets across Germany.
Carnival is celebrated throughout the country, and some would say even more so in
Cologne, Düsseldorf, Muenster, and Mainz.
Berlin celebrates its own unique carnival in summer, the colorful Carnival of Cultures
- more than 1,5 million people visit the multicultural spirit of Germany’s capital with
this four-day street festival. It includes exotic food and drinks, concerts, parties, and
a carnival parade with decorated floats, singers and dancers from over 70 different
countries.

4. The highlight of the German festival calendar: Oktoberfest in Bavaria. Every
September and October, over 6 million visitors from around the world come to
Munich to celebrate Bavarian cuisine, music, and traditions. There are many colorful
parades, open-air concerts, and of course many beers to enjoy!
New Year's Day - Many people send New Year's Day cards rather than Christmas
cards. If you go to a candy store or bakery, you will see hundreds of little pigs made
out of sweet almond paste. Sometimes the pig has a penny in his mouth. This is to
bring you lots of wealth in the coming year. You will also see pictures of chimney
sweeps with their long-handled brooms and a four-leafed clover. This means that the
dirt of the old year is swept away and the New Year will be all good luck.
On their first day of school, German children are presented with a big paper cone – the
Schultüte - jammed full of sweets and school supplies to help make their first day a little less
stressful