Information on Christmas (Weihnachten)
Weihnachten
In German the word for Christmas is “Weihnachten”.
The name comes from the words “geweihte Nächte” which translated mean the
sacred nights that occurred at the time of the winter solstice.
The “geweihte Nächte” are now regarded as the twelve days or nights of
Christmas, starting from the 25th of December and ending on the 6th January,
which is the Feast of the Three Kings (Epiphany). Gradually the
words “geweihte Nächte” were simplified to Weihnacht or Weihnachten.
Weihnachtstage
(Christmas days)
The 25th and 26th of December are known
as “die Weihnachtstage” with the 25th of December being “der erste
Weihnachtstag” (the first Christmas day). The 26th December being “der
zweite Weihnachtstag” (the second Christmas day). The
twelfth Day of Christmas is then Epiphany. 
Weihnachtsfeier
(Christmas celebration)
There appears to be no festival to celebrate the
birth of Christ in the very early stages of the Christian Religion.
The only traceable accounts of a festival to celebrate the birth of Christ occur
in Rome around 336 in the 4th century. In Eastern Europe, the 6th of
January (Epiphany), being the baptism of Christ, was considered more important.
Some scholars believe the Christmas festival on
the 25th of December was derived from the pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic
tribesmen to celebrate the winter solstice. Pagan customs such as the use
of holly, mistletoe and yule logs have been observed in Christmas festivals
since the 4th century.
Vocabulary
24th December (Christmas Eve) - Heilige Abend,
Weihnachtsabend. Christabend
25th December (Christmas Day) - Erste Weihnachtstag
26th December(Boxing Day) - Zweite
Weihnachtstag
6th January (Epiphany or Feast of the
Three Kings) - Heilige Drei König
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