Samstag, 5. Januar 2013

A wet start to the year


Nass ins Neujahr

Click on the link above to hear a very short report about Germans (and others) whose idea of a great start to the year is to take a dip in icy waters. Berliners are disappointed in mild weather as they do not get the chance to hack a hole in the ice before taking the plunge. This traditional dip happens in other countries as well, including the UK.

Some bold Germans braving sub-zero temperatures as they enter the waters of Orankesee in Berlin .

Participants take a quick dip in the frozen Orankesee lake at the 26th annual Berlin Seals winter swim on January 9, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Approximately a dozen ice swimming clubs joined the annual event as a chilly snowstorm swept across Germany.

Freitag, 4. Januar 2013

Frohes Neues Jahr 2013



Frohes Neues Jahr 2013. Ich wünsche euch viel Glück und Zufriedenheit im kommenden Jahr.

There are plenty of New Year's Eve traditions that take place in Germany and Austria. Feuerwerke are typically used to welcome in the new year and drive away bad spirits.

At the stroke of midnight on Silvesterabend  people clink glasses filled with Sekt and wish each other Prosit Neujahr!

When they wake up on New Year's Day (Neujahrstag) many people make a Neujahrsvorsatz. This might be a promise to live more healthily or to be friendlier to others.