Culture

How to introduce yourself politely in Germany

At first, you need to know that there are different ways to say the word YOU in German. There is the you which you can only use with family, friends and children. This you would be translated with du. The second you is translated with Sie (it's important to write the first letter as a big letter). Sie is the formal form of you, and is used for people in businesses, people you don't know very well, and people that are older than you.
Besides, people shake hands everytime when they meet in Germany. It's impolite to keep your hands in your pockets and you should make eye contact with the person you're shaking hands with.

Businesses and Restaurants

For Americans it will seem uncommon to have strict business hours, but for Germans it is usual. For example, only bakerys will be open early in the morning, all other stores will open at 9am or 10am. All businesses are also required to close during lunch time for one or two hours to eat with their family. The businnesses will reopen at 1pm or 2pm and stay open until 6pm to 7pm. Exceptions are reastaurants or other eating establishments which can stay open for a longer time. Pubs and discos usually close between 3am and 5am. In addition to this Saturdays are only half days - what means every store will close earlier - and on Sundays is mostly nothing else open except gas stations and McDonald's.

When you come to a crowded restaurant, it won't be uncommon to share a table with complete strangers. You don't need to start a conversation with them, the only thing you need to do is saying "Guten Appetit" ("Enjoy your meal") when the meals are served.
Especially in summertime, you will see Germans eating outside of the restaurant. It's also not unusual to see the dog the family brought along underneath the table - of course with its leash. When you're eating out with your friends it's also common to pay seperate. Another interesting thing to know is that the tip is already included to the price of the food you ordered. Still you should round up to the nearest price when you pay your bill.

Privacy

Privacy is a big topic in Germany you should respect. On the first sight a stranger might think that Germans like to be alone and they are very private people. But when you look closer it is just that Germans respect the privacy of each other more. For example the doors are always shut, even the bath room when nobody is using it. A closed door in Germany is a statement of order and doesn't always mean that you can't go in. Moreover almost all private homes have a fence or a hedge around it to keep out the noise and curious looks from neighbours or strangers.

German Holidays

Germany also has special holidays. Some are on a fixed date, others change because of the moon every year. In a table, I want to show the important holidays of Germany and at what time we celebrate them.

HOLIDAYS	DATE
New Year's Day	January 1st
Three Kings	January 6th
Candlemas	February 2nd
Valentine's Day	February 14th
Carnival	depending on the date of Easter
April Fool's Day	April 1st
Good Day	Friday before Easter
Easter	in March or April, like in the USA
Walpurgis Night (Celebration of witches)	April 30th
May Day/ Labor Day	May 1st
Mother's Day	2nd Sunday in May
Father's Day	2nd Sunday in June
St. Swithin's Day	June 27th
Assumption	August 15th
Oktoberfest	beginning in late September and ending on the first Sunday in October
Day of German Unity	October 3rd
Day of Reformation	October 31st
St. Nicholas Day (Nicholas will put gifts in the shoes of the children)	December 6th
Advents	celebrated on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Sunday in December
Christmas Eve (children receive their gifts around the christmas tree)	December 24th
Christmas Day	December 25th
2nd Day of Christmas	December 26th
New Year's Eve (celebrated with fireworks)	December 31st

Germans celebrating the Walpurgisnight