Living traditions Regional highlights during the course of the year

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1 Traditions and Customs campaign theme 2015 Living traditions Regional highlights during the course of the year Baden-Württemberg Swabian- Alemannic Carnival From the 6th of January to Ash Wednesday At the Swabian-Alemannic Carnival (also known as Fasnacht, Fasnet or Faschenacht depending on dialect), mythical figures dressed as jesters, devils and witches with traditional names like Narros, Spättli, Bobbele, and Jokili take over the streets in the Catholic parts of Baden-Württemberg. Bavaria Alp to Valley Cattle Drive/Viehscheid September/ October As a symbol and offering of thanks for the summer on the mountain pastures, the matriarchal cows with their herd decorated with floral crowns and large bells trek down to the villages at the end of the summer in Upper Bavaria and the Allgäu. Berlin New Year s Eve at the Brandenburg Gate 31st December The grand finale of the year is Europe s biggest New Year s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate with its two kilometre long party strip with stages, marquees, food stalls as well as light and laser shows.

2 Brandenburg Spree Forest traditional costumes All year round The Spree Forest costumes, voted traditional costumes of the year in 2013, are especially striking due to their colourfully embroidered head scarves and gaily coloured skirts. Bremen Bremen Free Market 16th October to 1st November 2015 Germany s oldest fair attracts more than four million people each year to the Bremen Bürgerweide. Hamburg Harbour Birthday 8th - 10th May 2015 Around 1.5 million people come to celebrate the world s biggest annual harbour festival in May between HafenCity and the Museum Harbour. Hessen Cider pubs and festivals 7th - 16th August 2015 Apfelwein (cider), also called Stöffche, is the iconic drink in Hessen. The city of Frankfurt am Main goes so far as to celebrate by dedicating a festival to it on the Rossmarkt. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Störtebeker Festival 20th June to 5th September 2015 Since 1993, Germany s most successful openair theatre has been showing the adventures of the famous pirate Klaus Störtebeker in front of a natural setting on the island of Rügen.

3 Lower Saxony Schützenfest fair in Hannover 3rd - 12th July 2015 The world s largest marksmen s festival has been taking place in Lower Saxony s regional capital for over 500 years with dance, music and competitions. North Rhine-Westphalia Carnival 14th - 18th February 2015 For over 400 years the costume cult has been part of the region s practised tradition and the Carnival transforms the streets of the two Rhine cities, Cologne and Düsseldorf, into a colourful display for five days every year. Rhineland-Palatinate Wine taverns Spring and Autumn If a vine wreath is hanging above the door of a vineyard s estate, the winemakers may serve their home-produced wine in their taverns for four months. Saarland Mining and industrial heritage All year round Numerous museums, visitor mines and associations commemorate the mining industry in the Saarland which ended in 2012 and make it something visitors can experience.

4 Saxony Sorbian Easter Before Easter Right up to the present day, the Sorbs (the numerically smallest of the Slavic peoples) dominate the region of Upper Lusatia and its annual calendar of events with their customs, culture and way of life. Saxony-Anhalt Walpurgis Night 30th April Walpurgis Night festivals have been celebrated for around 1000 years in some 20 towns and villages in the Harz Mountains during the night from the 30th of April and the 1st of May. Schleswig-Holstein Biike bonfires 21st February Along the coast, on the islands and Halligen, North Frisia, the winter spirits are dispelled on 21st February every year with Biike bonfires, punch and hearty meals of curly kale. Thuringia Weimar Onion Market 9th - 12th October 2015 In the second week of October, the brown bulb can be found on cakes, in soups, in bunches of dried flowers, in the form of Zwiebelinchen (onion-dolls) or in the famous braid the Weimar Onion Market is legendary.

5 Further information about the Traditions and Customs campaign theme can be found at Om DZT Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT) är Tysklands nationella turistråd med huvudkontor i Frankfurt am Main. DZT representerar Tyskland som resmål på uppdrag av förbundsministeriet för ekonomi och energi (BMWi) och stöds av denna instans enligt ett beslut i den tyska förbundsdagen. DZT utvecklar och tillhandahåller strategier och produkter för att ytterligare stärka den positiva bilden av tyska resmål utomlands och främja turismen i Tyskland. DZT finns representerat i 30 länder över hela världen. Mer information finns på vårt presscentrum online,