So Halloween didn’t used to be popular here in Germany, but that has been changing since the 1990’s and the reason may surprise you! Also, Halloween may look like it comes from the USA but it really doesn’t. Watch the video to learn how it actually comes from Europe, many thousands of years ago! 🧛🏼‍♀️🎃👻

@philippbock3399

Жыл бұрын

Dear Sara, I am not against Halloween - although we did not celebrate it in the 1990ies but I enjoyed movies and liked the TV program on that day including the "Simpson`s" episodes. It is interesting how this tradition "came" from Europe to the US and now it "comes back". And the Bavarians are also a mixture from Celts, Romans and the rests of other "peoples" like Frankonians, Alemanni etc. We are a bit like the "Scotts of Germany" 🙂Philipp

@Nikioko

Жыл бұрын

It is called “Reformation Day”, not “Halloween”. People go to church this day. And the day when children go around and collect sweets, is called “St. Martin” and about two weeks later.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

@@Nikioko yes we have a whole section in the video where we talk about Reformationstag and St Martin’s day. 😉

I'm 36, German, and have never celebrated Halloween. Even today there are only a handful of kids who ring the doorbell for candy. But I have always enjoyed Halloween episodes of US TV shows like Simpsons and Roseanne, even back in the 90s already.

@OchNe926

Жыл бұрын

I was born and raised in southern Germany where at least in some rural parts / villages "ringing the doorbell for candy" is a common thing - BUT during carnival ("Fasching / Fastnacht") season in winter (February or March), not Halloween in fall. "Die gute Frau [der gute Mann] hat uns (et)was gegeben, nächstes Jahr um diese Zeit soll sie (er) auch noch leben", that's what we as kids sang for someone giving us candy - or alternatively, "Die böse Frau (der böse Mann) hat uns nichts gegeben, nächstes Jahr um diese Zeit soll sie (er) nicht mehr leben!", wishing the bad person not being generous be dead by next year ;-)

@neongrau

Жыл бұрын

Would you say a bit more precise from where in southern Germany? In my time we had „Hahn Äppel Hahn, die Fassenaacht geht aan. Gibt us Eier ora Speck sust geh ma ned vo der Diere weg“ - „Give us eggs or bacon/ham or we won’t leave your door“. That was in the Hunsrück area. So south west.

@manub.3847

Жыл бұрын

@@OchNe926 In the north there is "Rummelpot-Laufen" in the early New Year's Eve (mostly in smaller communities). Here is the "Plattdeutsche" text for it": Rummel rummel rusch, Dat Nijahr sit im Busch, Give mi nen lütten Appelkoken oder ne lütte Wurscht! Is de Wurscht to kleen, give me twey for een, Is de Wurscht to groot, smeckt noch mal so god. En Hus wieder wohnt de Snieder, En Hus achter wohnt de Slachter, En hus voran Wohnt de Winachtsmann Prost Nijahr! Hamburg-Blankenese since the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, October 31 has been also public holiday in 9 federal states

Das war wunderschön, Eure "spooky" Show. Klasse gemacht. Lustig und doch sehr, sehr gut recherchiert. 👏 Bravo 👏

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Vielen dank! 🖤🧛🏼‍♀️👻

I *LOVE* Halloween! I decorate the house and turn off the lights in the stairwell.. put only a few candles. There's a speaker behind the door with a spooky soundscape (owls, wolves howling, that sort of thing) and flickering green lights. When the kids are through, the friends come over to watch a horror movie together. So thank you America/Ireland for this Day!

The Irish put ugly turnipfaces with candles in them to scare the devil away. In America they took pumpkins instead as they found them in abundance( also easier to cut). Pumpkins were not popular in Germany for a very long time. Only in recent years their culinary quality is apreciated.

@MichaEl-rh1kv

Жыл бұрын

Actually pumpkins were cultivated in large numbers - but they were mostly used only as pig food. The typical German pumpkin was therefore for a long time of the variety "cucurbita maxima", esp. "Gelber Zentner" or "Roter Zentner" (yellow or red centner / hundredweight), which is also the origin of the "biggest pumpkin" competitions at many places.

@sisuguillam5109

Жыл бұрын

I remember putting up Zuckerrüben for Hexennacht in the 70s/80s.

I do not like Halloween especially because it is so commercialised and basically it is just to pull a lot of money out of people for wasteful things. In Slovakia, we celebrate All Saints Day and Souls Day and go visit graveyards where our family members are resting and put flowers, wreaths and candles on it. It is a very peaceful holiday full of remembrance. In big cities, businesses started to push the Halloween parties and stuff as an opportunity to make money.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah we totally understand that. To go from such a somber and special holiday to buying candy and costumes. It doesn’t have to be commercialized. There are still many Americans who make their own costumes at home, for instance.

@swanpride

Жыл бұрын

It's actually the same in Germany (well, not everywhere, but large parts of it). It's for remembering the dead. Which is why while I don't mind people celebrating Halloween, they should do it in a way that it doesn't disturb those who want to follow this tradition.

@LarsEllerhorst

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife The main issue why older Germans are not fond of Halloween is the commercial exploitation, it was introduced in Germany especially to push sales at a time, when Germans already criticized the commercialization of Christmas in an American way, including the Coca-Cola Santa Claus and Christmas decorations sucking the power of a nuclear plant.

Sara and Kevin, through you I learn things that as a North German I was never aware of. All these festivals that are celebrated in Bavaria don't exist in Bremen. Because Bremen was Calvinist, there was no celebration. But now there is also Haloween, but not very common. St. Martin's Day was only important because there was the first roast goose of the season. Here the children run on St. Nicholas Day and collect donations. Bavaria is a different world for me.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

It’s so interesting how so many things are quite different between the north and south of Germany!

@Anson_AKB

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife north and south, evangelic and catholic, east and west, etc ... lots of differences because of lots of different reasons. there are more evangelic (as i understand, that is completely different from more fundamentalist evangelicals, which many americans seem to understand first if they hear 'evangelisch'; but protestant sounds too political instead of religious in my ears) than catholic people in Berlin, and all these days are no holidays, while eg Brandenburg which surrounds Berlin has one day of holidays. but i remember from decades ago that we got some free hours from school to attend church on Reformationstag. i just looked it up, and currently students have the option of leaving school for going to church, on Reformationstag for evangelic and on Allerheiligen for catholic students. Halloween was pretty unknown when i was a child, and going from door to door was and is not easy in a big town with big and bigger appartment buildings, and also not very rewarding when most people are not prepared with a bucket of candy at the door. in the usa with lots of suburbs and 1-family houses that probably is easier and more common, as well as decorations in and around the house !? ps: in germany, sale of Xmas things (candy, Lebkuchen, etc) used to be only during the Advent time many decades ago, but shifted by a week almost every year until at some point in time, they already began at the start of september which probably reduced the sales during 4 long months. anyway, for quite a long time they used to start Xmas sales exactly 3 months befor Xmas, thus on 24 september, and this year i saw it in supermarkets during the week before that (maybe at the start of the business week on thursday?). being so widely available (and having all those more serious other special days), this probably reduces interest and chances to have big halloween sales during that time.

You should be aware by now, that lots of us try to resist the hyper-commercialization the US tries to attach to every single 'holiday'. It's no surprise that children, being the least resistant to ad bombardments, embrace this one more than grown ups.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah we totally understand why you want to resist the hyper-commercialization from the US.

I personally hate Halloween and, yes, it's the Trick or Treat-aspect. All the rest is ok. I just don't like to get forced to participate in anything. And strangers, coming to my house means that I'm forced to interact with them. (They even expect me to be nice!) Even worse if they threaten to pull a trick on me if I don't give them what they want. That's nothing what should be taught to children. I mean my house absolutely doesn't look as if I'd celebrate halloween.. No lights, no pumpinks, no decoration.. and they come anyway? At least go to houses that look like halloween..

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah in the US we don't practice the trick part of Trick or Treat, only the treat part.

I love Saint Martins celebrations so much. It‘s the most important occasion I remember from my childhood. It features a very good cause (Saint Martins pledge), diy working for kids building lanterns the weeks before and finally following the Martin on his horse with music and the lanterns in the dark to the big place where the firemen built the big pile of wood for the fire. Getting the Weckmann in the elementary school with the coupon you bought weeks ago from the firemen coming from door to door which waited on the fridges door for this special day. Later going to sing on the doors and getting candy for it. I don‘t want this most wonderful tradition being sacrificed to a (to me) soulless thing like Halloween. I‘m sorry.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yes we love St. Martin's Day, too, and have a section about it in the video. It is such a sweet holiday with a wonderful meaning. I love that it's part of your favorite childhood memories.

@josi2881

Жыл бұрын

I feel you... I'm from a small catholic region in Thuringia and we also went from door to door, singing Martin Songs and collecting sweets in the 90s. I LOVED that 😄 but I think around 2000 Halloween got more and more popular even here and the kids took their chance to get more candy and a second time of the year for dressing up as they saw it on TV. Sadly this (and the decreasing number of active catholics) led to the slow disappearance of this singing tradition on St. Martins Day. I remember my mother telling the first kids who appeared at our door on Halloween to come back on St. Martins Day 😆 Today she has a bowl of sweets every Halloween (only) because there are sooo many kids coming but sadly none on St. Martins Day. It's truly sad but if a tradition is not lived by the parents why should the kids live it when they don't see it anymore anywhere? And you need prepared people at the door. I remember even when I was a child especially the younger families already didn't know the tradition anymore and we often had to explain why we are at their doors 🙈 As they were not prepared they often gave money, which wasn't a bad thing as a kid 🤣 At least today there is still the tradition of walking around in a crowd with lanterns and eating Hörnchen together organized by our church 😉

You've presented some history and culture with delightful humor. And the old Halloween photos of yourselves and your kids are so adorable! When I was little (early 1960's), I thought Halloween was distinctly American, until a relative of Irish descent told me about the ancient Irish roots of the holiday.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Oh that's so cool that someone told you that the holiday has Irish roots - I literally never knew that!

@mrs.g.9816

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Well, all that I know is that Halloween evolved from the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced "SAA-wn") in Ireland. There's a scary and humorous Irish folk story about how the Jack o' Lantern got started. The soul of a man who tricked the devil was destined to wander the world with a lantern forever. The story's too long to tell here, but I'll bet you can google it or find it on KZread. It would be a great story to read or tell by the fireplace. Have a great day and Happy Halloween! 🎃

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

@@mrs.g.9816 oh very cool! We do say in the video that Halloween comes from Samhain.

Das war ein tolles Video, sehr gut recherchiert und sehr informativ! Danke auch für euer Verständnis, dass wir hier nicht so viel von Halloween halten und viele Menschen sich über die Kommerzialisierung dieses hier früher unbekannten Festes ärgern. Man sieht inzwischen Halloweenartikel in jedem Supermarkt. Das nervt. Ich bin mein ganzes Leben lang auf Allerheiligen auf dem Friedhof gewesen, zur Gräbersegnung. Anschließend gemeinsames Essen mit der Verwandtschaft. Schön, dass ihr auch versteht, dass wir uns zu Karneval verkleiden und die Kinder entweder am Martinsfest oder zu Karneval und außerdem als Sternsinger im Januar von Haus zu Haus ziehen und am Martinstag Laternen tragen. Wir brauchen Halloween nicht. Aber eure Kostüme und die gruselige Atmosphäre eures Videos haben mir gut gefallen. 👍😀

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Hi Beatrix! Okay good, I’m glad you felt we understood the German sentiments around the holiday. I wanted to make sure we got it right! I hope you’re doing well. ❤

@doloresmey

Жыл бұрын

Nicht zu vergessen den 6. Dezember (Nikolaustag) wo Kinder mit Masken verkleidet von Tür zu Tür gehen, einen Spruch oder ein Gedicht aufsagen und dafür Süßigkeiten bekommen. Zumindest war das in meiner Region so. (Eher protestantisch) Ich bin der kleine Dicke, wünsche euch viel Glicke (Glück) Wünsche euch ein langes Leben, müsst mir auch was Schönes geben. 😀

@beatrixpastoors1104

Жыл бұрын

@@doloresmey interessant den Brauch kenne ich als Katholikin in einer überwiegend protestantischen Gegend gar nicht. Bei uns gab es nur den gefüllten Stiefel vor der Tür und manchmal gab es Veranstaltungen mit Nikolausbesuch, wo der 'heilige Mann' aus einem dicken Buch die guten und schlechten Taten der einzelnen Kinder vorlas und anschließend Geschenke verteilte. Als ich zum Studium nach Köln zog, war ich erstaunt, dass dort die Kinder am Martinstag von Tür zu Tür zogen. Denn wir hatten das, verkleidet, an einem der Karnevalstage gemacht. Vermutlich am Samstag oder Sonntag, denn Rosenmontag war hier kein Feiertag, da wurden sogar Klassenarbeiten geschrieben. Und an das Lied, das anfängt mit "Bin ein kleiner König, gib mir nicht zu wenig, ..." kann ich mich auch erinnern.

@doloresmey

Жыл бұрын

@@beatrixpastoors1104 auch interessant. Vielleicht ist es tatsächlich regional. Ich komme aus Nordhessen. Leider hat Halloween diesen Brauch bei uns inzwischen ziemlich abgelöst. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@pfalzgraf7527

Жыл бұрын

@@doloresmey Von diesem Brauch an Nikolaus höre ich zum ersten Mal! Immer wieder toll, Neues im eigenen Land zu entdecken. Ich kenne das bisher nur von Fasching/Karneval. Und wo ich wohne ist auch sehr protestantisch.

Many Germans dislike that Halloween is essentielly educating children how to blackmail.

I am glad Halloween isn't a big thing in our part of the netherlands. My daughter would have been terrified during those days. She is almost 17 but still doesn't like scary things.

Halloween has hier no tradition and it just popped up the last years. Before we only knew it from the movies. I personally don't celebrate it. For the children we have St. Martin on novermber 11th and this has a tradition here. I personally don't like it, that St. Martin is celebrated less and less and Halloween, a thing with no tradition is taking slowly over. For me Halloween is just another thing the companies want to introduce into Germany to sell stuff and another sign of americanizing and lose our traditions. For me it is just another heartless commercial thing I don't like, to be honest.

@larsdittmann8987

Жыл бұрын

100% 👍

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah exactly, and that’s all discussed in the video. Great to hear what you think of it, also!

@scarba

Жыл бұрын

But since it’s a Celtic tradition it belongs to Germany as well since the celts were also in Germany

@grauen1989

Жыл бұрын

@@scarba I don't think so. With a break of thousands of years it's no longer our tradition. But I just want to say, that it's a great video and everybody who like to celebrate it should do it. Another thing, that just popped into my mind, is that we don't have to adopt every foreign celebration just because it's fun and it's cool. It's what makes spaces unique and why we love to travel. I guess to celebrate Halloween in America has a more special feeling to it than to just copycat it in Germany. So let's keep it special and in the places where it belongs. If the whole world gets the same and we drop our own things to be like everyone else it also gets a little bit boring and less colourfull on our planet. I remember when i was in Spain and they celebrated St. Anna Day with a great firework it was something special, a lovely memory on my spain vacation. It wouldn't be if we would celebrate it in Germany aswell, then it would have been just another firework.

@larsdittmann8987

Жыл бұрын

@@scarba an old tradition of the Celts and Germans were also human sacrifices, should this then also be a tradition in Germany today?😏

In my area (protestant northern Germany) there were a few years in the last decade where Halloween actually could have been called a thing and you had to expect children ringing the bell, but that has faded out again in the last years, maybe because of Covid. For the past few years, nobody showed up at our hours for tricks or treats at Halloween. And I actually never ran into or was approached for a Halloween party.

@J.Crime123

Жыл бұрын

Can confirm, at least here in the north, it didnt even have a real chance to establish itself. Now especially since we managed to get the day as a Holiday (Reformationstag) so do not bother people on sunday AND on holidays.

Allerheiligen is only public holiday in mostly catholic regions of Germany. In mostly protestant regions there is Reformationstag ( Oct. 31) to remember Martin Luther instead.

❤st. Maarten is also still celebrated in some parts of the Netherlands like my city Haarlem. But the commercial Halloween is also taken over my country. Nice video as always

You did a very nice research! Loved that video. You look great by the way!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

so informative and so well made! Die Geschichte woher Halloween kommt! Einfach toll! Ich habe einiges gelernt und ich kann mir vorstellen, dass dieses Video ein super Stoff ist für eine Englisch Klasse in Deutschland : )

Very informative. Thank you.

I was born and raised in London, England. As a child , I always celebrated Halloween and my parents would decorate the house.. When I first arrived in Germany 38 years ago , I was shocked and disappointed but it isn't the end of the world. In Germany there are many other celebrations which compensate this. However, in recent years, Halloween is becoming more popular over here. By the way, I really enjoy your KZread channel 🧙‍♀️👻

@red_dolphin468

Жыл бұрын

"American Halloween" is multiple festival or holiday events cluched in one. feel free to have fun with family traditions like movie marathons feel free to costume and go out in bars ... (actually your allowed to do so ur just mb asked 2-3 huundred times why u wear a costume of anything if u do on a random day :) ) feel free to pay respect on sprits and ancestors as everyone should do. but mixing all these events into one is way too much . - . thats my oppinion as a German on it. :)

@alicemilne1444

Жыл бұрын

I was born in Scotland, where Halloween was celebrated by the kids. We did not decorate the house at all and I can't remember anyone else ever doing so either. There were children's Halloween parties with traditional games like ducking for apples, eating sticky buns off a line (no hands allowed), cutting a cake make out of pressed flour with a sixpence in it (yes it was that long ago) - if your slice crumbled, you got the sixpence but had to find it with your nose in the flour. We went guising, the Scottish name for getting dressed up and going round the houses. However, there was none of this "trick or treat" stuff. We sang a song or recited a poem, or did a little dance and worked for whatever we got, mostly fruit and nuts in those days, seldom sweets, and some pennies for fireworks on Bonfire Night only a few days later. And the costumes we wore were all hand-made. There was nothing gory or ghostly about them. Anything from princesses to Daleks went. Personally, I'm not a fan of the American-style commercialised Halloween, and I'm not surprised many Germans aren't either. As you said, there are plenty of other festivals and traditions in Germany.

We are an American/German family living in a village just outside of Munich and last year there were tons of trick or treating houses. People lit candles and pumpkins if they were giving out candy and it meant a lot to my 9 year old to have this tradition both in Germany and the US.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Oh that’s awesome!

Love this - such a cute intro!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

🧛🏼‍♀️🧛🏼‍♀️🖤🖤🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️

I loved St Martin's Day when I was a child, all the Kindergarten Group would go on a night-time walk with parents, singing and lighting self-made lanterns, and there would always be one or two going up in flames.

Great video! Well researched, well presented and such fun costumes!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

So glad you liked it!

REALLY liked your Vlog

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

🖤🖤🧛🏼‍♀️👻

Excellent video! Thank You! Very entertaining ....

This is such a great video and I can totally relate that children are excited about it! We aren't the biggest fans due to the huge commercialisation (a great excuse for the huge companies to earn more money) but we always had treats for the kinds when they came to our house. Where I come, Fasching is a big thing and always has been.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Hi my dear friend! Yeah I can understand the commercializaiton, but isn't Fasching also commercialized now? With everyone buying costumes and candy?

@KirstenJoerg

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife It is though the Halloween candy is so obvious in the shops now. I guess since we grew up with Fasching/Karneval, it just feels like a real tradition for us. Costumes and all for Fasching have been available in shops and for hire for as long as I can think.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

@@KirstenJoerg so the candy doesn’t come out as much for Karneval? In the US they have entire sections of huge stores dedicated to Halloween - with massive decorations, both indoor and outdoor, tons of costumes, tons of candy…it’s on a massive scale to what’s done in Germany for Halloween. So here it doesn’t feel commercial at all to me. Like it’s on a tiny scale in Germany compared to what’s done in the US! So interesting, right? It’s all about what we’re used to I guess and our own perspective. I never bought into the commercialism of Halloween in the US - except to buy costumes and candy. I used to make the kids’ costumes myself, but then they didn’t want them anymore.

@KirstenJoerg

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife No, we don't really have special candy for carnival/Fasching in Germany. Of course, definitely all has to do with what we're used to. What I noticed in the last couple of years that Germany now starts introducing 'things' for Thanksgiving which just feels weird tbh.

Nice Video. for me as a German Halloween is just a commercial thing. it was introduced by the industry and the media to make more money, as you explained it very well in your video. I've been living in Spain for 14 years now and Halloween isn't celebrated here either. For you as Americans, I'm happy and I wish you a happy Halloween

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Ah that’s good to know it also isn’t popular in Spain. Though I would be surprised if it were popular there since the Día de los Muertos is so big in Hispanic countries of central and South America.

@larsdittmann8987

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Here we called it also Allerheiligen .... Thats is a celebrating day also in Spain, here we called it Todos los Santos. Día de Muertos originated thousands of years ago in the cultures of the Aztec, Toltec, and other peoples and is is an old tradition in Central America/ Latin America not a tradition in spain

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

@@larsdittmann8987 oh! Okay thanks for clarifying that.

@miriams.5893

Жыл бұрын

Why should Germans celebrate Halloween. Its an US american Tradition. Obviously the kids Watch too much american Films and now run around and asking for Sweets too. Luckily its only one or two times they Ring at our door. So I could quickly search and find enough sweets until now. But now my kids also want to run around and I‘m the Bad mom not to allow such a nonsense. Thanks america for such horrible tradition and nightmares for the kids

As you said - people like me who grew up in the 70s & 80s knew Halloween only from American movies. It was not that I didn't like it - it just not a thing here at all. I would have loved if it were! I love the video - so entertaining and informative! Also love the costumes and spooky vibes!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

So glad you enjoyed our spooky vibes! ❤🎃🧛🏼‍♀️ Good to know that you would’ve liked it. Most kids love knocking on doors asking for candy! Haha

@CHarlotte-ro4yi

Жыл бұрын

I think even me as a 90s baby never experienced Halloween as a childhood tradition. I only remember that me and my girlfriends made it a tradition in our teenage years to watch horror films on the 31st because luckily the next day (all saint’s day) was a holiday so we were able to stay up really late 😅

Sara, I was suprised, how good your acting skills are! Really talented! 😇👻

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! It was so much fun!

This is one of my favs🎃❤ 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I watch every week and this week was so much fun!!! Entertaining and educational. I guess I found this so much fun due to my American viewpoint and childhood memories. I discovered your channel because I love Christmas in Germany and I also have German grandparents very close on both my maternal and paternal lines. Please keep up the great work, 👍🏻

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

So glad you enjoyed our silly production, Diane! 🖤🎃🧛

Such interesting facts about Halloween 🎃. We are vacationing in Bavaria in early November from the US- we almost went during Halloween but we schedule for later. We went to Germany for Christmas once and was interesting how the holiday is celebrated a bit differently 🎄

Thank you so much for all these tons of information! I knew some basics. But THIS is outstanding! A lot of work, a lot of research it must have been to put this all together. Hat's off! I'm in awe of your fantastic work! Gonna share this a lot. As: 2the ultimate guide to Halloween! This video is a treat! Thanks again from the far north of Germany!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, Peter!

I love St.Martins-day. The Story with the learning ( share with others!), the laterns, come together to wach the Story and sing together...🥰.... but i don't know the part with to ask for sweets 😄💁‍♀️ Thanks for this video. You are so funny 😃 Greetings from Ulm

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Saint Martin’s day is so lovely - I agree!

Great video keep going on

Wow 👍🏻🤗 ein wunderschönes Intro ❤️❤️ Respekt,,sehr kreativ.. Toll 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@olafwohltjen3087

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Yes, I liked it very much. Overall it was an interesting video. We have a few festivals in Germany that, roughly speaking, have a lot in common with Halloween.. Fasching, Karneval where you also dress up, New Year's Eve or New Year's Run or St. Nicholas Run, where children ask for sweets at the door. Sing a saying or a song.. Something like that is common, especially in the villages... Have a nice Sunday

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

@@olafwohltjen3087 yeah we mention Karneval and St. Martin’s Day in the video.

Perfect intro 😄

I‘m 48 years old and I have never celebrated Halloween. But my kids 15 and 12 years old, started to celebrate Halloween in their elementary school and loved it so much that Halloween became a day which they are looking forward to. So we did our scary pumpkin and all the scary decoration yesterday. Especially my daughter loves it so much! Even though I‘m not really into it, I’m at least getting used to it 😉. Thank you for the Burg Frankenstein tip. I think the Halloween party at this location would be a great idea for next year. Liked your video 😊👍🏻

Hi Sara 🙋‍♂. Because I´m a member of the generation "over 35 years old" 😉👨🏼‍🦳and grown up WITHOUT Halloween 🕷🕸🍬🕯, I don`t want and can`t send you a comment to Halloween. But I want to send you a reply to your video, which was planned / managed and presented very professional and amusing. Thank you for your great job ! In the meantime, watching your "sunday-video" is like a weekly habit for me. Until next week 🙋‍♂.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Love that you enjoyed our spooky production, Klaus! And we are honored to be a part of your Sunday tradition, thank you. ❤

Nice video. Really well done and entertaining. I always considered Halloween a great holiday for the children. Them going from house to house and asking for candy is a great way of interacting within the community. Turning a scary day into a day of fun is also a good thing.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

I love that, great point that it can bring the community together.

@tuja1986

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife In the Norht of Germany we have Mattenherrn. Kids are going from house to house sing and get than Candys. The different is this is without costumes. This is the Prostetanian way to celebrate St. Martin.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

@@tuja1986 ahhh the Protestant way to celebrate St. Martin! I didn’t even know that existed. Good to know.

@norbertkuhn4072

Жыл бұрын

@My happy messy life I grew up in North Rhine Westphalia, in the Catholic part, now I live in Berlin. Here in Berlin the kids come to the door for candy, but Halloween is not a big thing for me. However like you said carnival was a big thing for me as a kid. We would go door to door dressed up and sing. We then got our candy, in the bars it was even better, there we got money from the drunks.

What I've noticed over the years is that German Halloween costumes are almost exclusively scary-themed. The costumes are not as diverse as in the US. I believe this is because Germans have Fasching for dressing up, so they seem to differentiate these two holidays. Thus reserving the more spooky costumes for Halloween.

@Anson_AKB

Жыл бұрын

yes, and it was explained pretty well in the video with the different origins and other "surrounding holidays" and more religious days (at least in several regions, probably most in the most catholic region or generally the south, like bavaria)

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yes you’re right and we actually discuss this in the video 😊.

@peggiescraftcafe7117

Жыл бұрын

I'm 69 and when I was growing up the costumes were mostly more scary or Halloween themed. Like ghosts, witches, cats, monsters. It wasn't supposed to be just a regular dress up costume. Nowadays everyone just puts on anything and calls it a Halloween costume. But it really isn't. Sadly. Just not as much fun.

@Malakina1964

Жыл бұрын

No, the scary things are from not from Germans and not Europeans.

Very funny Video, but very informative as well! I Loved it!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! So glad you loved it! 🖤🧛

Nicely done! Now I'm scared.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

🤣🤣

I am German and to be honest... I learned more in your Video, then in School about all this Traditions. Thats intresting for me and i loved it very much. So thank you for that.

Fun!

Amazing video 🕷🎃 My family and I love Halloween for years now. In Berlin the day is quite popular, los of kids go trick or treating. I think the dislike comes more from south germany (lot of religion) or west germany (they have their carnival). We went to a Spooky Night at Karls Erdbeerhof im Elstal yesterday and it was crowded but absolutely fun. There were even adults in crazy spooky costumes. Loved it. 🧙‍♀️

Hi, you went all out with the intro. I am impressed. It is realy good. Greetings Juy Juka

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

…well done - Happy Halloween 🎃

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

🖤👻🧛🏼‍♀️🎃

Interesting stuff! I am sure there will be many people who want to correct things you said - but for me it is another version of how this all came about. Everyone does their best in their research and there are certainly base points which remain the same. But somehow every place I look, the story of Halloween is told a little different. There were new aspects and things I've heard before in your version, and I have to say, it all sounds pretty coherent. So, thanks for an interesting video!

Very well done and enjoyable!!!! Greetings from Southern Ontario! Where we do indeed celebrate Halloween 🎃!!!👻🍂🦇 Boo!!!!

Halloween fand zu meiner Kinderzeit in den 70er Jahren nur im TV statt: Die Peanuts mit Linus und dem Warten auf den großen Kürbis. ;) Halloween hat sich mir nie erschlossen. Ich kann damit nichts anfangen. Unsere Kinder haben es dagegen gerne gefeiert. Ist hier wohl eine Generationssache. Karneval ist hier im Norden Deutschland aber auch meist nicht vorhanden. Nur wenige (meist Katholische) Gegenden feiern Karneval.

@stampcollector74

Жыл бұрын

Ich kann damit auch nichts anfangen = Du bist nicht allein. Hier ist Reformationstag bissel südlich von hier einen Tag später Allerheiligen. (Demnächst kommt auch wieder so'n Scheintag aus "the good old USA" - aka: "Black Friday" - was soll der Scheiß?

The "Saures" in "Süßes oder Saures" actually has a double meaning. Besides meaning "sour", "Saures" is also the "Verballhornung" of the yiddish word "Zores", meaning trouble.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Oh very cool! Thanks for sharing.

Yeah we went all out last night! But today kept it quiet

Hello dear McFalls, nice to see a new video from you. Ultimately, everyone should celebrate what they want and what they like and if someone enjoys dressing up in a spooky way, that's nice, even though I don't celebrate Halloween myself, but I give everyone their fun and a little fun never hurts. It's just big business like many of these holidays, that's the way the world is and if you don't want it, just stay out of it and let other people celebrate, there are alternatives. Happy Sunday and a spooky week 🎃🕷️🕸️🧟🧙🎃

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Hi Robert! You always leave the kindest and most compassionate comments. I agree with you - we should all feel the freedom to celebrate what we want and to not celebrate what we want. It’s about enjoying our lives. I do understand why many Germans and Europeans don’t like Halloween, and respect everyone’s freedom to choose.

@agn855

Жыл бұрын

Ich bin da nur bedingt deiner Meinung. Wenn z.B. das Schächten von Tieren als Teil eines sozialen "Events" im öffentlichen Raum stattfinden *würde*, was ich als kulturelles Erbe eines Teils einer multikulturellen Gesellschaft ja durchaus tolerieren *könnte*, würde ich dein "musst ja nicht hingehen" nicht unterschreiben. Weniger blutrünstig? Bekennende Satanisten ziehen kopulierend durch deine Straße um irgendwelche Geister zu vertreiben/zu huldigen… Nicht alles was geht muss gemacht oder gutgeheißen werden.

I have to admit that I don't have anything to do with Halloween, but it's becoming more and more popular in Germany too. Many greets from the Southwest of Germany 🙋‍♀️

@zwiderwurzn5908

Жыл бұрын

ich habe eher den Eindruck, dass Halloween hierzulande wieder völlig am Einschlafen ist. Vor ca. 12 Jahren klingelten hier auch mal Kinder an der Tür (ich kenne das eigentlich nur von den Martinsumzügen) und gerieten an eine völlig aufgelöste Nachbarin: "Oooh, ich hab nichts für euch. Was feiert ihr - Hello Wien? Was ist das denn?" Erklären konnten ihr die Kinder das auch nicht und kamen danach nie wieder 😂 Ich kann dem nichts abgewinnen; auf mich wirkt das alles sehr aufgesetzt.

@anna-ranja4573

Жыл бұрын

@@zwiderwurzn5908 Für mich wäre es auch nur ein Partythema sonst nichts. Nicht das ganze drumrum. Bei uns ist leider St. Martin nicht mehr wie in meiner Kindheit. Heutzutage dürfen die Kinder nicht mehr betteln gehen, weil es Ärger geben könnte oder ebenfalls überraschten Nachbarn oder wer weiß, was ihnen passieren könnte ... * Dramamodus aus* Sie bekommen dann vor dem Laternen Umzug einen Wegemann (Hefekerl mit Pfeife). Vielleicht kommt auch ein St. Martin zu Pferd zum Umzug, das war es.

@anna-ranja4573

Жыл бұрын

Naja und Verkleiden, das machen wir zu Karneval, sogar in gruseliger Version samstags beim Geisterzug in Köln. Da liebe ich lieber die kleinen Rituale und Zeichen, die aus der alten Zeit noch in der Gegenwart auftauchen, die mit den Rauhnächten oder anderen dieser Dinge zu tun haben, und wo nicht jeder sofort die Hintergründe kennt aber sie doch macht wie Deko mit Stechpalmzweigen oder überhaupt Tanne im Wohnraum, Mistelzeigen etc. Am Rande, war das Gesteck nicht für Allerheiligen und nicht Allerseelen?

@leDespicable

Жыл бұрын

@@zwiderwurzn5908 Ist wohl wie im Video gesagt eine Frage der Nostalgie. In unserer Nachbarschaft im kleinstädtischen Südbayern war Halloween in den 2000ern recht beliebt, und wir sind damit aufgewachsen. Es war wirklich ein Highlight des Jahres und man hat sich als Kind immer darauf gefreut. Da sind diese ganzen miesepetrigen Erwachsenen, die einen wegen Halloween angemault haben echt unmöglich gewesen. Aufgesetzt empfand ich das jedenfalls nie. Es gibt bei uns auch keine vergleichbare Tradition, bei der Kinder nachts um die Häuser ziehen, also war Halloween ein willkommener Anlass, diese Lücke zu Füllen. Karneval ist ja nicht für gruselige Kostüme, und Fasching ist in Bayern zwar durchaus auch eine große Sache, aber nicht so extrem wie in anderen Regionen.

@zwiderwurzn5908

Жыл бұрын

@@leDespicable Das ist wohl der springende Punkt: Wenn man mit etwas aufgewachsen ist, betrachtet man das (ganz gleich, um was es geht) als völlig normal und natürlich und ist ganz überrascht, wenn andere Menschen - die nicht damit aufgewachsen sind - diese Sache als belanglos oder unwichtig oder als vergängliche Modeerscheinung abtun oder sogar negativ kommentieren. Je älter man wird, um so mehr Dinge sieht man kommen und gehen (manche gehen auch nicht mehr, aber das weiß man vorher nicht 😜), die für jene, die damit aufgewachsen sind, bedeutungsvoll sind und nicht in Frage gestellt werden. Das geht wahrscheinlich seit 150 oder mehr Jahren so 😂

Very interesting

Nice fun you had there. Regarding "Sußes oder Saures": "Saures" is not meant literally. "Gib ihm Saures" is also figure of speech for "Beat him up"

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Okay good to know 😊. Glad it’s not literal!

Aww you look really pretty in your costume Sarah 💕

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

When I was a child in 90ies Halloween hardly was a thing in germany

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah that’s when it first started to be made popular, but that’s in the video. 😊

@Alexander-dt2eq

Жыл бұрын

I Seen first commercial side of Halloween in France 1998.

I like it! We are celebrating biiig!

Halloween is not a traditional custom in the German-speaking world. It spilled over through U.S. movies and TV series just like this unspeakable coffee drinking from paper or plastic cups or starbucks.😬 And at some point, the candy industry discovered that it could also be introduced in Europe. We've also had Halloween-themed parties as adults - which can be quite fun. But this trick-or-treat thing is - for me personally - annoying.

@pinkhope84

Жыл бұрын

Yes it is annoying for us, but look through the eyes of the children. They are so happy and excited dressing up and getting some candy. :) with just a little peace of chocolate you makes someone‘s day Special 😊

When I was a child we watched "Der kleine Vampir" (The little Vampire) written by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg on TV. I liked it because it was a bit spooky and funny at the same time. In on episode the family of "Rüdiger" has to move away because the old cemetary in which Rüdiger and his family are living in a burial vault has to be demolished ... After they found a new home the vampire family had the problem how to organize the move without being "discovered as vampires". Anton suggests to move on Halloween because everybody is in costumes so no one would recognize the "Schlottersteins" as real vampires. But as Halloween was widely unknown in Germany Anton calls it the "fancy-dress party" and the parade. When we watched it my family and I wondered about the people walking around in the evening in costumes and my mother said: "Oh, what a funny movie why are they walking around at Fasching in the night in costumes? And why are the children not in bed so late in the evening?" We were very surprised found it weird and didn`t know about the "Halloween-tradition" in the US. I think Halloween in Germany became more and more in fashion around 2000 because even in the 1990ies when I was a teenager hardly no one knew about it in Germany. Meanwhile we knew Halloween parties from American films or series but no one of my friends really celebrated such a party or walked around asking for some sweets ... See also "Der kleine Vampir" - link to "Wikipedia" de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_kleine_Vampir_(1985) In Germany one day after "Allerheiligen" there is the day "Allerseelen". I heared that in rural areas poor people used to walk from farm to farm asking for some food or money "Allerseelengehen". In some regions in Swabia/Lake Constance the bakeries have a special kind of white bread a "Seele" (or Seelenbrot). If you go to a bakery there you still can buy it - it looks like a small, light "baguette". In formerly times the farmers prepared such breads to give it to the poor people to support them because of mercy. The German saying(s) "Da kommt schon wieder so eine arme Seele" oder "Du kommst daher wie eine arme Seele" have its roots from that tradition - may the parades on Halloween or begging for sweets have a "common root"? Thank you for your new video and many greetings from Lower Bavaria, Philipp

@hildegardkhelfa5358

Жыл бұрын

Das mit der "armen Seele" und der Herkunft des "Seelenbrotes", etc. war mir jetzt selbst neu. Vielen Dank für den interessanten Beitrag. Sehr spannend. Grüßle aus Augsburg.

@philippbock3399

Жыл бұрын

@@hildegardkhelfa5358 Ja, ich fand es auch interessant. Meine Verwandten leben in der Nähe von Konstanz und auch dort gibt es die "Seele". Vor einigen Jahren gab es einmal einen Bericht darüber im Fernsehen und so habe ich mir das gemerkt ... VIele Grüße aus dem Landkreis (vom bayerischen) "LA" - Philipp

your best video ever.

Seit meine Tochter alt genug war (4 Jahre) haben wir begonnen, halloween zu feiern. Ich liebe dieses Fest mittlerweile und freue mich jedes Jahr aufs neue darauf. Für meine Tochter schaffe ich damit eine Kindheitserinnerung. 😊

Never did the tricks or treats thing as a child, but liked dressing up and going to Halloween parties as a teenager.

where I came from children go from house to house and sing oder say a poem, wish a happy new year and get treats in return. Here in Bavaria this isn't used so I was glad that my daughter on Halloween lerned to know who is living nearby, who is friendly .... And now I will stand at the door on Halloween with treats to make sure that I am a friendly person 😁

Schönen Refornationstag und einen schönen Allerheiligen!

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Du auch! 🕯

The pagan kelts had two seasons winter and summer. Summer starts at Beltaine (30.4./1.5.) The summer ends at Halloween by sunset, and winter starts at sunrise the next day

Thank you so much! That really helped understand it better. I'm also not a big fan of Halloween but my kids (5 and 3) want to celebrate it for the first time. I don't like the idea of basically demanding candy from others espacially without offering anything on their side. So we at least learned a little Halloween poem together so they won't say "Süßes oder Saures!" ( which sounds a bit like a threat - not very polite) and we will probaby only go to friend's and family's houses. They are looking forward to it and I'm fine with it.

Sarah and Kevin, make a video about the difference between taxes in Germany and the USA for families. It would be very interesting. I think you have something to say. We are also going to move from the USA to Bavaria. Found on your channel. It's just amazing. Keep going, you are doing so well, such a wonderful family!

…Happy, happy birthday and many, many more …💚

Hello, dear Mc Falls, you are most definitely fun! I was enjoying your video so much, smiled, giggled and laughed simply because you visibly had so much fun by yourself and were acting so great. Same time, it was very interesting and a well done video. I for myself am quiet neutral towards Halloween. My motto is: to live and to let live. If people have fun, then may they have fun. When my son was younger, for three years he desired some costumes and I made him some joy with spooky foods, drinks and a little deco (small version), but I had to do some research before. Found something like "bloody fingers with sausages and almond nails" and so on. There was no trick and treating because the neighbourhood and people love their private sphere and are not really fond of strangers knocking and ringing their door bells. Also, I would have never let my son walk around at night by himself. With all independence for our kids, there was simply no culture for that. Of course I watch the slow changes and there may be regional differences; depends also if you live urban or sub-urban. There may be more parties now, where you can go and have fun. I can enjoy watching others having their fun and there are really cool costumes, like yours for example. I for myself have no real desire for that but must admit that I am also no Fasching person, since I am also not so fond of crowds, noise and all that drinking and still: when others have their fun with that, why not? Let them have their ways and let me have my way, which is mainly: To enjoy my calm strides through nature, to do my art, to dive into books whenever possible or to do my writing. (You see, I am quiet boring but just happy and content that way). The wonderful thing in life is (together with many more) that there is space enough for all of us with all our different likes and ways of living. So, I wish you just so endless much fun and joy and will surely watch your spooky videos with as much joy as always. When I was younger, I enjoyed spooky stories and movies, while nowadays, my over active fantasy makes my hair stand and drives me short before heart attacks too easy ;-) Getting old, I guess ;-))) Thank you for your funny and well done video, enjoy Halloween, keep us up to date and thank you for bringing an enrichment to my day. Hugs and love.

15:50 The day for the toiletpaper thing and similar "pranks" would be in Germany the evening (and night) before May 1st. In many rural regions you could also find "may trees" - not the big ones like in Bavarian villages, but "private" ones, where the suitors of pretty maidens would decorate a young birch (or other) tree and put it secretly in the night before her window, while young women not as popular got a straw broom. (In case of multiple suitors the last one would often remove the trees brought by his predecessors, so it was or paramount importance to position it only in the early hours before dawn.)

@dude988

Жыл бұрын

We have the may trees in NRW, but the hated girls would get a whole Tanne (my mental dictionary say Christmas tree, I bet it has a real name in English. Anyway...) One year a girl in my class got four Tannen. She had a bad fight with her friends and they were so pissed that they borrowed a truck, bought the trees and put them all up by her window.

This was such a fun learning video. Awesome thank you.... ps my son who going to be 40 this year!!!! ( not possible with me only being 39 lol ) Was a October 29th baby and we did the Halloween party every year until his 17th year. Fun memories.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Oh fun! You have the same birthday as Kevin!

For Halloween you can also try the Europapark in Rust. It is lot of fun for the whole family. If you visit the park, don't forget to visit the Schwazwald open air museum and Freiburg. Very nice area.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Hi! Yes we are actually going on Saturday to Europapark! We are so excited. But first we will go to Colmar.

@uteemde2802

Жыл бұрын

Colmar is stunning! Have a wonderful family time

Guys this was another fantastic and fun video 👏🤗. Last week was school half term holidays where I live in north Germany and then Halloween so I didn't get to watch you tube or this video☹️... so I watched your second Halloween video from this week first..so some of my comment in your 2nd video is obsolete after watching this one🤣.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it!

1:25 "A cat, tow hamsters and... how many ghost?? I DONT KNOW??!!!" LOVE IT KEVIN :D

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

🤣🤣

Halloween comes from the gealic Britain and because of its roots, it quasi doesn't belong to the continental European tradition (there were here other pagan celebrations), especially that thesedays it is more a commercial holiday and has nothing to do with the All Saint's Day. Yet...We live in NRW and here our neighbourhood is very open minded and like dressing up in fancy costumes during the parties, some houses' decorations are pretty spooky and done with a great effort. Of course kids go from house to house collecting the sweets. In Poland the situation is similar to the german one. Young people like the commercial side of the Haloween, going to the parties etc, but the church condemns it.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah we talk about the how Celtic roots of Halloween in the video and you’re right, it only quasi belongs in continental Europe since the Celtic traditions left continental Europe once the Catholic Church began to rule. And the traditions only remained in Scotland and Ireland, and then were brought to the USA. History is so fascinating and really explains why so many things are the way they are today.

@nynkeinkerijager4013

Жыл бұрын

In the Netherlands and germany a long the north sea were the Frysians from before the romans came. No celts here. But also harvest feest here. The whole of Europe had feest according to the seasons. Just other names but the same feasts.

Fun Fact: when I was a child we made Rübengeister (hollowed beets in which we put candles).Then somehow in the 70ies this tradition got lost and came back with Halloween and pumpkins. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCbengeistern

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Ahhh! Okay. Yes I was reading that is also what the Celts did. So cool!

I loved this video

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! 👻🧛🏼‍♀️🖤

@mymessymidlifecrisis

Жыл бұрын

@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife your welcome, I honestly love you channel and your families energy is so awesome

Austrian here (living in vienna and in my 30s). I went trick or treating a few times as a teenager. But only every 10th door would open. We never celebrated November 1st a lot, but we did go to the cemetry at put a candle on the graves of our loved ones. A lot of people are "celebrateing" the autum time with pumpkin decoration and so on, but it's not necessarily halloween decoration. The important things for Halloween here are: The costume has to be scary (otherwise it would be a faschings or carneval costume), and you can't be upset if nobody opens the door.

Everyone celebrates what pleases them. Isn't that great? For example, I wouldn't say that people in Germany don't like Halloween. It has little meaning here, really, that is the big difference. Nevertheless children come to my place every year with absolutely cute costumes and of course I always have some sweets for them. But I might as well live without this custom, in fact. 🎃

On Halloween - or Allerheiligen most Germans decorate their graves with a decoration we call an "Allerheiligengesteck" or just a "Gesteck". It replaces the flowers we put on our graves in the summer. It is kept on the grave until spring and the time you get new flowers. In winter new flowers on a grave do not make sense as they are freezing so we have the "Gesteck" instead of. The Gesteck consists of fir brances, fir cons blossoms of a Protea (sugar bush) and other materials similar to the decoration of an "Adventskranz" or you use for Christmas. Most nurseries or flower shops and even supermarkets offer "Gestecke" (plural). Some creative people design it on their own and collect fir brances, fir cons and dried flowers etc. when they go on a walk. Generally Allerheiligen is a "quiet" holiday and after we "visit" our graves on the cemetary many families go out for lunch at a restaurant. Some have special offers for meals at "Allerheiligen". On many cemeteries you can meet members form the "Stiftung Deutsche Kriegsgräber e. V." who collect donations to support "war graves". You will find many remembrances against the war and admonitions to avoid war and think of the victims of war especially WW 1, WW 2 and wars that are still today ... I think many mostly older people in Germany ecpecially in "catholic" Bavaria think that such a "loud" tradition like Halloween (which is seen as a kind of a carnival from many people) does not fit to that special days of contemplativeness and mediation about caducity of Life ... Many greetings from Philipp

@emilwandel

Жыл бұрын

That tradition is specific a Catholic one. Lutheran have other traditions and do the contemplating on Totensonntag. Open your eyes to the broad range of German culture. It is very diverse. Don't say most Germans when this just holds true for your region and religion.

@philippbock3399

Жыл бұрын

@@emilwandel Dann sage ich "viele Bayern" 🙂Wir haben auch evangelische Verwandte (Cousins meiner Mutter) und auch sie dekorieren ihre Gräber an Allerheiligen. Wenn es sich ergibt, treffen wir uns auf dem Friedhof, besuchen unsere Gräber und gehen danach zusammen essen, also ganz ökumenisch 🙂

There is a regional divide on Halloween. I’ve always celebrated it (29, from Northern Germany). When I moved to Ostfriesland for university a decade ago, I found out they didn’t celebrate Halloween but instead has this tradition in November of going around houses and singing and getting candy which confused the heck out of me. I now live in Bavaria and it seems a bit split here. I surveyed a few teenagers I work with and they all celebrate it but older adults don’t seem to be particularly interested.

@leDespicable

Жыл бұрын

In our small town neighbourhood in southern Bavaria, a lot of kids went trick or treating and celebrated Halloween back in the 2000s, and there were quite a few houses participating, mostly those where younger families lived. Older Germans tend to be very against newer stuff, and Halloween is one of those new things they don't like lol

Guten Morgen Familie McFalls Halloween wird auch sehr groß in der Mittelalter Szene gefeiert. Ich finde eure Erzählungen der Entstehung von Halloween sehr gut.

Our neighbourhood loves it, they Trick or treat like crazy. Its very different from street to street, neighbourhood to neighbourhood...

Very nice video regarding your costums, the look and the information. I don't celebrate Halloween. One of my siblings does with her family. I don't think trick or treat is so common, because all the people I know only ring the bell at house of people they know and they are aware, the people will give sweets. That's at least how I know it from friends and collegues.

I'm an older German from Northrhine-Westphalia. The region I grew up in was occupied by the Belgians, who - at least in my vicinity - integrated their Carnival-customs into ours quite nicely. The first time I came into "real life" contact with Halloween was in school, when our American English teacher did a bit of a small celebration, we carved a pumpkin and read some Edgar Allan Poe, and I remember I very much liked that. Also, I'm from a liberal protestant family (some of which came from Hugenots who had to flee from prosecution some time earlier), who had to integrate into a very Catholic vicinity at a time when there still was quite a bit of hostility between those going on - so, what they did was re-scheduling "Totensonntag" on All Soul's Eve, and so that's become a traditional evening of quiet thoughtfulness to me. I'm rather glad I've now moved back to a place this "new" way of celebrating Halloween hasn't taken hold yet - when I was living in a bigger city some years back I got "invaded" (via a ringing doorbell) by some very loud and disrespectful kids screaming and shouting and DEMANDING to get their treats, NOW!!! - they might as well have danced and gotten drunk and thrown up on my grannie's grave. It hurt. I respect those who want to enjoy celebrating Halloween, but it's just not for me, and maybe - seeing how two traditions clash here - it might be a good idea to limit "trick or treat" doorbelling to those who indicate their willingness to participate by decorating their doors accordingly. The other issue that's personally not giving me much positive thoughts is exactly that "trick or treat" mentality (you could call that "blackmailing" ;-)) - I grew up with the St. Martin's Tradition taking place just a couple of days later, and the message here is "if you have something, share it with those who are in need". If we think about the values we want to install in our children, that latter one is the one I personally prefer, even if the first one might prepare them better for living in today's world.

As a German 90s kid (I'm 32 now) I don't even remember how I learned about Halloween. Trick or treating wasn't a thing where I live when I was little. I went once when I was 13 with a couple of friends and some of the people who opened the door expected us to sing for them to get candy and we were very confused. 😂 we didn't go again after that year because we thought we might be considered too old, but I was always a little sad that it wasn't done when I was younger. But when I was a teenager and up was usually always someone in the friend group who'd throw a halloween party. I also try and remember to buy candy every year and sometimes I dress up a little in case kids come around, but it's rare. The last few years I mostly haven't been home anyway, though, because it's also my nephew's birthday and since it became a holiday because of Reformationstag in the north my sister usually invites the family for celebrating the little one's birthday then because none of us has to work.

I sent you our recipe for sweet-sour pickled pumpkin cubes to your FB-channel.

Hey there! Here's some perspective on this from the north of Germany, where we have a similar tradition to the trick-or-treat thing you do on helloween. So we have that tradition called "Rummelpott" especially in former danish regions like Schleswig-Holstein and the west of Hamburg and parts of Niedersachsen. This is celebrated on new years eve and involves children in disguise knocking on doors making a lot of noise with the Rummelpott (kind of a rumbly drum thing) asking for some goodies by singing a specific poem in 'Plattdütsch'. These poems vary a lot from village to village. So this is the version we sang as kids in the west of Hamburg and I'm curious about how much of it you can decipher: "Rummel rummel rusch, Dat Nijahr sit im Busch, Rummel rummel rogen, Give mi 'n lütten Appelkogen oder eene Wurscht. Is de Wurscht to kleen, give me twey for een, Is de Wurscht to groot, het dat keene Not. Een Hus wieder wohnt de Snieder, Een Hus achter wohnt de Slachter, Een Hus voran, da wohnt de Wienachtsmann. Prost Nijahr!" This will be followed by more chants and good wishes when people are generous. When they are not, a whole lot of mockery and noise will happen ("Giezich Lüüd de geevt nich geern!"). Now when Helloween came up, and the trick-or-treat-thing started everywhere the Rummelpott tradition was overlooked more and more. Today's kids here often don't even know about that. When kids start rumbling at people's doors on new years eve people may look at them with bewilderment. That's kind of sad I think. We had whole performances going on back then: every group of children came up with special ideas so they would be more spectacular than the next group. But all they do today for helloween is getting a ready-made costume and say "Süßes, sonst gibt's Saures" when a door opens. And that's it.

The truth is, we don't need Halloween and it's just implemented for commercial reasons. For dressing up we have Fasching, which is a big thing especially in the rhineland region and to some extend in Baden Würtemberg and for the trick or treat thing we have the Freinacht or Hexennacht, which is basically trick or treat without the treat. Since Halloween is pressured on us for commercial reasons, i really developed a huge dislike to it, and i think iam not the only one. Fasching and Hexennacht have a long history and therefore are part of german culture. It's the same as if we started to celebrate 4th July. Why? Because we have to push the turkey industry?

Until at least the late 90s the German equivalent for Halloween Trick or Treating was „Rummeln“ on New Years Eve. (Might be a Northern Germany tradition). It has also a pagan origin I believe. And the you have Osterfeuer (bonfire around easter) in which the pagan tradition of saying goodbye to Winter was merged with Christian Easter.

What a cool Video! Love it! Especially the dripping blood from the mouth and the bloopers! 🤩😁 I can also think of another reason It's not celebrated so much is because We have in the more protestant north of Germany the St.Martins das a couple of days later, which is very big and all Kids go to the houses with lanterns and ask for sweets. So many parents think it would be Teile the same thing within a few days. So most people stick to the original. 🙂

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

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So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, St. Martin's Day, we mention it in the video. And we LOVE this holiday! It has become one of my favorites!

Many theme parks here in Germany do Halloween specials with haunted houses and actors dressed in spooky costumes :) Unfortunately we don't have candy corn in Germany :( oh and St. Martin ist also a thing in NRW (I live in the Düsseldorf area)

Hallo liebe McFalls-Vampire, ihr seht super aus! Ihr habt ein schönes und interessantes Video gemacht. Und was ich an meinen Nichten sehe: Für sie ist Halloween mittlerweile so normal wie Fasching, Weihnachten oder Ostern. Sie sind 11 Jahre alt, wohnen in München und sie (bzw. ihre Eltern) machen seit dem Kindergarten jedes Jahr eine legendäre Halloween-Party mit ihren Freunden. Ich freue mich auf Euer nächstes Video!

Our town has a big Halloween party for kids in an old castle. With music, games, pumpkin carving and food. In our part of town many neighbors are prepared with tons of candy. We've been going door to door for the last 10 years and it's become a normal thing here.

@MyMerryMessyGermanLife

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Oh very cool! Which part of Germany are you in?

@NoobsyPoopsy

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@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Bad Vilbel, right next to Frankfurt 😎

There's a lot mixed up about different (or same?) traditions in Germany. Have a look on the 'Alemannische Fasnacht' and you find similarities to halloween. Also look on older traditions in the south, spinning around 'Rübengeister', which belongs in the same realm. Also Karneval starts at 11th of November, not in February. There are a bunch of forgotten traditions, that fit quite well with halloween, even 'Erntedankfest' at the end of harvest. If you like to dive in, you"ll find funny stuff in the alp region, too. So the whole traditional things around 'Nikolaus', the 'Rauhnächte' and so on. To summarize: a lot of crazy, spooky things were going on in the dark times of the year in Europe, in the German regions. And they were different. Some have been overcome by catholic ambitions, some still shine through. I think, Halloween is a fair enough mix of some of them and for that, not so strange and artificial, as some people feel. Not so far away. So, feel free to do yours, as anybody else does. Not so ok to disturb mourning at a craveyard by "trick and treat", but that's not, what I expect you to do anyway. I liked to costume for halloween as a teenager and party, just because why not - partytime is a good time. And I used to costume my kids, till they didn't want it anymore. I live in Berlin in a multicultural neighbourhood, so there is always a bunch of costumed kids on the search for treats. I put some decorations around my house, to sign it. And I am sure, there will be some ghosts and vampires this year, that are in need of sweet stuff. I will be prepared. Because why not.