German customs and habits: the way of choosing a spouse in Germany

Today, young men and women in Germany have all kinds of opportunities to get in touch. They are introduced by relatives, friends, classmates and colleagues, or get to know each other at dances, trips and other cultural activities, and then they finally decide to get married after a period of love. They enjoy full freedom of love, which is no different from modern western countries. However, in terms of mate selection, Germany has some interesting customs.

1. Old Oak Moon

There is a well-known old oak tree in brid Grom, Dudao Forest. People call it "Old Oak Moon". There is a beautiful legend about this old oak tree. According to legend, more than 611 years ago, a prince was in distress in an encounter with the enemy and was rescued by a beautiful girl. The prince and the girl fell in love at first sight and formed a good marriage. To repay the girl for saving her life, the prince planted this oak tree in the forest. Later generations envy the prince's adventure and come here to watch it one after another, hoping to know the right person skillfully. There are indeed some men and women who pass love waves through oak trees and hold weddings under trees. Over time, the old oak tree played the role of "the elder". Every day, a love letter with the address of "D-2421 Oak in brid Grom, Dudao Forest" is dropped into the hole of the old oak by the postman. These letters are public, and everyone can open them. Young men and women waiting beside "Yue Lao" look for their Mr Right by reading them. If you find a soul mate, you can communicate and make an appointment to meet. It is said that more than 5,111 young men and women have been married through the oak tree. Now the story of the old oak tree is spreading farther and farther, so that young people in other countries send love letters to the old oak tree in order to find a spouse. There are as many as 811 such love letters every year.

2. Chess is a lifelong skill

There is a small town called Hitchobeck in the southwest of Berlin. People here have been very keen on chess for hundreds of years, and even the cap badge of the police on duty has been designed as a chessboard pattern, and a chessboard has been installed on the spire of the church to indicate the wind direction. When people get up in the morning, they can see local officials who go to work with official documents on their chessboards. People here learn to play chess from an early age, and the school has a "chess class" to help children learn to play chess from an early age. It is precisely because of this chess custom that when girls choose their spouses, the level of the young man's chess skills becomes a major condition. A young man must first compete with the girl's father before proposing to the girl. If the young man wins, he will be warmly treated by the girl's family, and the marriage will be assured; If the young man loses, then I'm sorry, but the marriage will have to wait until the chess skills improve.

3. Birch tree sends deep affection

In Bonn, Germany, the young man expressed his affection for his beloved girl by giving a white duster tree as a poetic form. During the warm spring season in bloom, the young man will cut down a small birch tree with tender leaves and branches, and place it on the balcony or courtyard of his girl's house in the middle of the night on April 31th or May 1th to express his deep love through the small green trees. In this season, small white willows can be seen in the streets, courtyards and balconies of Bonn. Some beautiful girls will have several birch trees in the courtyard at the same time. In this case, the girl will be overjoyed, while the boys who sent the birch trees can only wait patiently for the girl's reply and can't rush it. Once the girl's approval is answered, the young man can give the girl another gem ring, and the girl will thank her by kissing and accept the courtship ring. After a while, when the two sides were convinced that they were in love with each other, they gave each other silver rings to show their engagement. Give each other gold rings when they get married, indicating that their love is as pure as gold.

4. Choosing a spouse in movies

In Germany, the marriage management department helps young people solve their marriage problems in various ways, one of which is to help some girls who are "waiting to be married" solve their marriage problems in the form of making movie advertisements. Girls can fully show their talents in all aspects in the film, especially their domestic specialties such as cooking, sewing and cleaning rooms. A very ordinary girl is often a very lovely and perfect girl through the superb handling of photographers and directors. These films were taken to the Lonely Hearts Association, which was composed of lonely men and few women, to be shown, and single men could choose their beloved spouses from the films. Beautiful movies often leave a good first impression on people, but many people feel that they are not as ideal as the characters in the movies after meeting the real people.

German customs and habits: the customs and habits of German birth

The annual birth rate of the German population is always the lowest in the world, and the post-war population growth mainly depends on immigrants. In such a country with a low birth rate, it is really a great event for a family to import more children. In fact, as early as when a woman is pregnant, she will be protected from all sides. There are many customs and habits to protect the health of pregnant women and the healthy growth of the fetus. In the rural areas of Wü rttemberg, Germany, pregnant women are highly respected guests. She can go into other people's orchards to pick fruits and taste them, and she can eat at the table next door. People there think that the arrival of pregnant women symbolizes new life and bumper harvest. In addition, there are some customs: pregnant women should not go out at night, for fear that witches and ghosts in the dark will hurt the fetus; Pregnant women can't look at ugly things, for fear that the baby will grow ugly in the future; Pregnant women can't walk through the cross door or walk under the clothesline, otherwise it will cause dystocia and hurt the fetus. Although these customs are full of feudal superstition, we can also see people's concern for pregnant women. In Germany, which is dominated by Christianity, parents have found a godfather and godmother for the newborn before he was born. As soon as the child is born, the family will make an appointment with the church to be baptized by the priest or priest.

(1) Godfather and Godmother

In Germany, parents of newborns will look for godfathers and godmothers among their relatives and friends long before their children are born. Because the godfather and godmother are closely related to the child's life, the parents of the baby are very cautious in their choice. Parents of children don't have to choose a couple when choosing a godfather and godmother for their children, but they should be honest, reliable, respectable and reputable. Of course, we must first obtain their own consent. Generally, people who are invited to be the godfather and godmother of their children will think that this is a trust in themselves and an honor, and they are willing to take on this responsibility. The original intention of recognizing the godfather godmother is to help children in their religious beliefs. Nowadays, the responsibilities of godfathers and godmothers are not limited to religion. They can make a child have many elders who care about his growth after birth and take care of him when he is in trouble. In case both parents die young when the child is underage, the godfathers and godmothers have to shoulder the obligation of raising him as an adult.

(2) Newborn Baptism

Baptism is an important ceremony held when Christianity is accepted. Christianity believes that people who are born guilty must be baptized to remove dirt and become pure before they can be accepted as Christians, and then they will be eligible to enter heaven. People who are baptized are not necessarily babies. Jesus himself was baptized by "John the Baptist" as an adult. However, in Christian countries, the vast majority of people are baptized by their parents when they are babies. The baby's formal naming and baptism are carried out at the same time, so baptism is also called "naming ceremony". After the baby's parents set a date in the church, they will send invitations to invite relatives and friends to participate. Generally, only close friends are invited, and the number will not be too large. When the baby is baptized, the godmother holds it and stands beside the "holy water basin" in front of the altar in the church. The children's parents and others gather around, and the priest or priest reads the relevant chapters in the Bible, recites the prescribed etiquette, takes the child, dips the holy water drops on the child's head with his hand and says, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Then, say a few more words about wishing the children to love humanity and serve God when they grow up, and the baptism will be over. After the baptism, it is natural to celebrate. The parents of the baby will hold a luncheon or tea party, and invite the priest or priest, the godfather and godmother of the child, and relatives and friends to attend. The invitee should bring some gifts to the children, such as toys, clothes, children's picture books and so on. Godfather's godmother's gift is more expensive as usual. In Bavaria, on the day of baptism, the godfather not only wears rosemary on his chest, but also puts rosemary in the baby's cradle. According to this, this fragrant herb can get rid of diseases and evil spirits, and the godfather uses it to express his love. At the same time, he will put some money under his godson's diaper or pillow as the principal of his child's future marriage. Some godfathers send books and pens to their children, hoping that they will be smart and diligent. Nowadays, the fashionable gift is to give a boy a small silver beer cup and a girl a necklace or a silver coffee cup with the child's name and baptism date engraved on it. In rural Bavaria, there is a habit of children's baptism dinner, that is, there should be leftover bread on the table after dinner, and some food should be packed for the guests to take away after dinner. Bring sausages and spirits to the male guests, cakes and sweets to the female guests, and give gifts to the godfather to show that life is rich and more than enough. In Germany, candles for baptism should be carefully collected, which is of special significance to children's life. It is said that lighting the baptism candle can turn evil into good luck and eliminate all diseases. In some rural areas of Germany, this ancient custom is still followed devoutly. In Germany, a woman can get a year's leave after giving birth to a child, but she can take a leave by herself, or both husband and wife can take a leave of six months, so they can take the responsibility of raising the child together.

German customs and habits: German dying comfort and funeral arrangements

In the Rhine region of Germany, an ancient custom handed down from the Middle Ages is still followed: drinking dying wine. When one is dying, one must take a sip of old wine. It is said that this wine is holy wine, which can awaken the dead, dispel the evocation devil around the hospital bed, and make the dying get peace. Before people die, their families will light the baptism candle, the Eucharist candle and the holy light candle, and at the same time light a big red candle and put them beside the dead. First, they will bless the dead with candlelight. The second is to light the way to heaven for the dead.

In German folklore, the mirror is regarded as a tool of the devil and a hidden place for death. The devil uses the mirror's reflective ability to disturb people. Therefore, people should cover the mirror with cloth before dying, so that the dead can peacefully get rid of earthly sins and ascend to the western paradise. In the mountains of southern Germany, when people die, their families have to open the windows and uncover the bricks on the roof. The purpose of this is to open a passage to another world for the dead, because they believe that people will live in another world after leaving the mortal world. Through these dying comforts, people can make the dead leave peacefully.

Funeral

In western Christian countries, funerals are usually held in churches. If someone dies in the family, we should first agree with the church on the date of the funeral and inform our relatives and friends in an appropriate way. In addition, the body should be washed with clear water, which they think has infinite power. It can purify people's bodies, hearts and souls, and dispel evil spirits. People come to the world to be baptized, and when they leave the world, they have to wash their bodies and wash away all the sins in the world.

On the day of the church funeral, relatives and friends came to the church with flowers or wreaths. First of all, the priest or priest presides over the memorial service, and the funeral participants sing hymns, play funeral music, pray and read out the life of the deceased provided by the funeral home according to the prior arrangement. The church funeral is only the first half of the whole funeral, and the second half is held in the cemetery. Only the family members, close relatives and close friends of the deceased attend.-Friends can leave after attending the church funeral without going to the cemetery. In Germany, burial is the main funeral, and relatives and friends watch the coffin buried in a pre-designated grave. People gathered around the tomb and prayed for the dead, wishing him rest in peace and his soul ascend to heaven. When invited to attend the funeral of relatives and friends, the only gift that can be given is flowers. You can send bunches of flowers or wreaths made of flowers (Germans don't use paper flowers to make wreaths). Write the names of the dead and mourners and inscriptions such as "Rest in Peace" and "Farewell" on the ribbons of flowers.

The most important thing to pay attention to when attending a funeral in Germany (and even in the whole western countries) is to wear black clothes as much as possible. Men should wear black ties without flowers. If there is no black clothes, they should wear dark and dark clothes, and should not wear bright clothes. At the same time, we should keep solemn and quiet at the funeral, and never talk and laugh loudly, otherwise it will be regarded as disrespectful to the funeral, and it will also show our lack of education. The whole funeral was immersed in a solemn atmosphere from beginning to end, and there was no scene of beating one's chest and beating one's feet, wailing Tao and crying. Except for the quiet sobs, most people were in meditation and silently seeing the dead off. Contrary to people's solemn expression and dim clothes, the cemetery in Deyu is full of colorful flowers. The cemetery is surrounded by lush trees, mainly evergreen pines and cypresses. In the warm season, a hundred flowers blossom, and flowers not only represent people's remembrance of the dead, but also comfort the living. Whenever people think of the dead, they will go to the cemetery to sweep graves, offer flowers and stay quietly for a while to express their grief.

after the funeral, there is still a mourning period for the bereaved. Although the requirements in this respect have been less strict in recent years, as a newly widowed woman, it is inevitable that she will not be criticized for dressing up and socializing frequently after her husband's death. Generally speaking, newly widowed women are required to wear simple and elegant colors. Except for small parties, they should not participate in dances, banquets and large-scale entertainment with lively scenes. Relatives and friends should also be careful not to invite her to festive parties and spend a quiet life in mourning. The requirement for a man with a value-added couple is not as strict as that for a widow, but he is also required to dress properly for a certain period of time to avoid partying and socializing.

German customs, it is very important for people who go to Germany to study, work or visit to know and know German living habits. If you don't know anything in advance, you will inevitably make a joke or bring inconvenience to yourself. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, that's the truth. But how can we get along well? This needs to be known in advance.

* Be disciplined and tidy *

Germans attach great importance to rules and discipline and take everything seriously. Where there are express provisions, Germans will consciously abide by them; Germans will never touch anything that is explicitly forbidden. In the eyes of some people, in many cases, Germans are almost inflexible, inflexible and even a little unreasonable. But when you think about it carefully, this kind of "inflexibility" is very beneficial. Without discipline, how can there be order? No rules, no seriousness?

Germans pay great attention to cleanliness and neatness. They not only pay attention to keeping the small environment where they live clean and tidy, but also attach great importance to the cleanliness and neatness of the big environment. In Germany, no matter parks, streets, theaters or other public occasions, everything is clean and tidy. Germans also attach great importance to clothing. Wear work clothes at work. Although you can dress casually when you get home from work, you will definitely dress neatly as long as there are guests visiting or going out for activities. When watching a play or an opera, women should wear long skirts, and men should wear formal dresses, at least dark clothes. This is especially true when attending social activities or formal banquets.

* punctuality likes quietness *

Germans are very punctual, agree on a good time, and never change it easily without special circumstances. When Germans are invited to other people's homes or go out to visit friends, they will arrive on time, and will not let the host waste time.