The official language of Germany is German, with over 95% of the population speaking German as their first language. Minority languages include Sorbian, spoken by 0.09% in the east of Germany and North Frisian spoken in Nordfriesland by around 10,000 people, or 0.01%, who also speak German. Danish is spoken by 0.06%, mainly in the area along the Danish border. Romani, an indigenous language is spoken by around 0.08%.
Immigrant languages include Turkish which is spoken by around 1.8%, and Kurdish, by 0.3%.
Religion of Germany: Christianity is the largest religion in Germany ,with an estimated 61% of the country's population (66.8% at the 2011 census). The two largest churches are the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany. In 2014 the Catholic Church accounted for 29.5% and the Evangelical Church for 27.9% of the population. Other Christian churches and groups summed up to 3.3% with estimations for the Orthodox Church between 1.3% and 1.9%. Religion in Germany – Christianity. About 65% to 70% of the population are followers of the Christian Religion in Germany. They are more or less evenly split between the mainstream denominations of Lutheran- Protestantism and Calvinism united in the EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany) and the Roman Catholic Church. Apart from these smaller Christian congregations, important minority religions in Germany are Islam (about 4 % of the German population), Judaism, and Buddhism (both of which represent less than 1% of Germany’s inhabitants). |
Music in Germany: Between World War I and World War II, German music branched out to form new, more liberal and independent styles.The first form of German pop music is said to be cabaret, which arose during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s as the sensual music of late-night clubs. After World War II, German pop music was greatly influenced by music from USA, Canada, and Great Britain. Apart from Schlager and Liedermacher, it is necessary to distinguish between pop music in West Germany and pop music in East Germany which developed in different directions. Pop music from West Germany was often heard in East Germany, had more variety and is still present today, while East German music has had little influence. Considered one of the most important composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach is best known for his contributions to Baroque, a style of music that features ornate compositions formed around strong tonal chord progressions. Though his music was mostly written for organ, he also wrote pieces for the harpsichord and clavichord, along with sonatas and suites for orchestral and chamber groups, and even pieces that were meant to be performed by choral groups. In contrast to the Gebrauchsmusik (utility music) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cabaret music first appeared in Germany in the club scene of the 1920s, serving as a culturally fun and racy form of music that gave its performers room to experiment. Marlene Dietrich was one of the more popular figures after she rose to fame in the film “The Blue Angel,” which featured her as a cabaret singer. She sang in both English and German.
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Sports in Germany:Together with football, ice hockey and handball, basketball in Germany is among the most popular spectator sports. One of the most popular non-football athletes to come out of Germany is Dirk Nowitzki, who plays power forward for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.With a total of 26,000 clubs and 178,000 teams the German football sport is financed by means of state funding and state contributions, voluntary service, private sponsors and membership fees. Football in Germany is the number one attended and practiced sport. Besides the national league, the Euro cup and the FIFA World Cup has much attention among its population.Together with football, ice hockey and handball, basketball in Germany is among the most popular spectator sports. Germany is one of the most successful winter sport nations. Its dominance in sledding disciplines can be attributed to it being the only country in the world to have four bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks. These tracks are located in Altenberg, Konigssee, Oberhof, and Winterberg. |
Festivals in Germany:Some of the traditional German celebrations include Bayreuth's Richard Wagner Festival, Munich's restrained commemoration of beer,Oktoberfest the world's largest trade fair for books in Frankfurt and the Munich Opera Festival .With over 10,000 German festivals, including some of the world’s biggest and strangest, Germany is certainly a place sagacious souls can appreciate. From the raucous parties of Karneval to the acclaimed Berlinale film festival to the famously merry Christmas markets, there’s something in Germany’s festival calendar to suit everyone’s tastes.Some of the traditional German celebrations include Bayreuth’s Richard Wagner Festival, Munich’s restrained commemoration of beer, Oktoberfest, the world’s largest trade fair for books in Frankfurt and the Munich Opera Festival.Whether you’re just visiting Germany or have lived here for a while, attending a festival can be an easy and exciting way to discover German culture.To help get you started, here are some of the most important and interesting German festivals, carnivals, music, film, art and cultural events in Germany.
Food in Germany: German food is rich, hearty and delicious and many top German dishes make great comfort food. Each region has its own speciality dishes and traditional cuisine, and your list of top 10 German foods can easily change from one city to the next.Many German foods are easier to make than you think, and you'll find it's not too difficult to incorporate one of these dishes into your weekly meals. Food has always been a major part of German culture. Even the well-known German fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, makes reference to food. Hansel and Gretel, brother and sister, discover a house in the forest made of gingerbread and candies. King Frederick II (King Frederick the Great, 1712–1786) introduced the potato, a staple in the German diet. He gave away seed potatoes and taught the people how to grow them. Germans tend to eat heavy and hearty meals that include ample portions of meat and bread. Potatoes are the staple food, and each region has its own favorite ways of preparing them. Some Germans eat potatoes with pears, bacon, and beans. Others prepare a special stew called the Pichelsteiner, made with three kinds of meat and potatoes. Germans from the capital city of Berlin eat potatoes with bacon and spicy sausage. Sauerbraten is a large roast made of pork, beef, or veal that is popular throughout Germany, and is flavored in different ways depending on the region. In the Rhine River area, it is flavored with raisins, but is usually cooked with a variety of savory spices and vinegar.
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Eintopf is A steaming bowl of eintopf will warm anyone on a cold day. The name of this traditional German stew literally means ‘one pot’ and refers to the way of cooking rather than a specific recipe. However, most recipes contain the same basic ingredients: a broth, vegetables, potatoes or pulses and then some meat (commonly pork, beef or chicken) or sometimes fish. There are many eintopf regional specialities, such as lumpen und fleeh (which means ‘rags and fleas’) in the Kassel area, similar to Irish stew, or with lentils (linseneintopf) typical in Thüringen. |
Clothing in Germany: Lederhosen, which means "leather trousers" in German, are the short, leather pants worn by men. These are usually knee-length and are the historically worn by working-class German men. The dirtdl is a ruffled apron dress worn by German women that consists of a bodice, or blouse, and a skirt.For the ladies, a soft, felt shoe with clunky heels and decorative buckles would typically accompany the dirndl.Men would usually opt for the haferl shoe, a thick leather or rubber sole invented in Bavaria for farming.Shoemaker Franz Schratt based the design on that of animal hooves, and the word heferl, roughly translated, means "half a shoe." These were also easy on the feet, and men took great pride in the care that went into handcrafting their haferl. |
Eduction in Germany:The educational system in the German-speaking countries generally follows the European model of free public education and a variety of secondary schools for academic and vocational education, rather than the American model of a single comprehensive high school for all students. Although there are some differences among them, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland all have a primary school (Grundschule or Volksschule) that begins at age six and lasts four years (five or six in some places), a secondary level that generally starts at age 11 (grade 5) and is divided into a less academic Hauptschule (to grade 10) leading to vocational education, an intermediate Realschule (not in Austria) leading to a technical or business school, and the academically oriented Gymnasium that leads to the Abitur or Matura diploma and a university education. Special education classes or special schools are offered for students with mental or physical disabilities.
Etiquette in Germany: Germans are great hand-shakers, and they like to do so both when arriving and when departing. It is common for a person who is joining a group to shake hands with every single individual. Don’t turn up late for an appointment or when meeting people. Germans are extremely punctual, and even a few minutes’ delay can offend. Be five to 10 minutes early for important appointments and be sure to call the people you are meeting if you really cannot make it in time. Bring flowers if you’re invited to a German home for some social occasion. If the flowers are wrapped in paper, remember to take off the wrapping just before you enter the home. When close friends greet each other, it is common to kiss both the left and right cheeks. However, this is considered inappropriate in a business setting. When entering an office, it is common to knock first and then enter the room immediately. It is polite to address everyone by their family name and "Sie." Do not leave off double-barreled names, such as Frau Müller-Weber. Names are inserted into conversation after every few sentences. Germans enjoy quietness and privacy. They may thus often close their doors but will be happy to receive you if you knock on the door. A closed door doesn’t necessarily mean that the person cannot be disturbed. Likewise a closed bathroom door in somebody’s house does not mean the bathroom is occupied.
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Beliefs in Germany: Germany was the homeland of the Protestant Reformation, but, in the politically fragmented Holy Roman Empire of the sixteenth century, many territories remained faithful to Roman Catholicism or reverted back to it, depending of the policy of the ruling house. Today, 34 percent of the population belongs to the Evangelical (Protestant) Church and a further 34 percent belongs to the Catholic Church. Many Germans have no religious affiliation. This is especially true of former East Germany, where, in 1989, the Evangelical Church had 4 million members (out of a total population of 16.5 million) and the Catholic Church had only 921,000 members. Since 1990, the Evangelical Church has lost even more members in the new federal states. From the smallest village to the largest city, the local church dominates the central area of nearly every German settlement. German churches are often impressive architectural structures, which bear witness to centuries of growth and renovation. In predominantly Catholic areas, such as the Rhineland, Bavaria, and parts of Baden-Württemberg, the areas surrounding the towns and villages are typically strewn with shrines and chapels. The processions to these shrines, which were common until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, have now been largely discontinued.
Arts in German: The German B.A. is designed to acquaint students with the development of the literature and cultures of German-speaking countries, while also strengthening students’ German proficiency. This program is designed to serve as a student’s primary major, or to be combined with other B.A. majors, such as political science, international studies, history, philosophy, comparative literature and the performing arts. The interdisciplinary approach of the B.A. in German provides a general background and specific language skills that can serve as a basis for careers in business, civil service, journalism, law, and graduate work in many areas.Even more than in other countries, German art in the early 20th century developed through a number of loose groups and movements, many covering other artistic media as well, and often with a specific political element, as with the Albeitsrat fur Kunst and November Group, both formed in 1918. By the 1920s a "Cartel of advanced artistic groups in Germany" (Kartell fortschrittlicher Künstlergruppen in Deutschland) was found necessary |