Brit Reacts to 7 More Things NOT to Do in Germany

[@m.h.6470]

While Germany is not THAT religious anymore, Sundays are still "rest days" and "family days", so doing loud things is still very annoying and most of the time forbidden by house rules or local ordinances. And no, just notifying the neighbors is not enough to save yourself from complaints potential punishments...

[@manub.3847]

Such work is usually only permitted on the weekend of moving into a new apartment;) Quiet times are usually between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. during the week and from 8 p.m./10 p.m. in the evening. So no mowing the lawn at 8 p.m., even if it is a beautiful summer evening. For many events, there is also a "quiet requirement" on other Christian holidays. On Good Friday, for example, there is no music played at the "Hamburger Dom" = Hamburg spring fair, and there are no Friday fireworks displays. The Hamburg fish market takes place on Sunday mornings from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. so you can get to church in time. ;)

[@to.l.2469]

Nun lass mal die Kirche im Haus. Wer Sonntags einmal kurz ein Loch in die Wand bohrt bekommt nicht den Kopf angerissen. Jedenfalls nicht in Norddeutschland. Wenn man allerdings länger und extremen Lärm verursacht kann die Sache anders aussehen. Hier wird öfters suggeriert daß es in Deutschland etwas feststehen würde, dabei sind es eher Tendenzen als strike Regeln.

[@Attirbful]

Germans are, by and large, as or even more atheistic or secular than the British. The Sunday rule is more so about noise pollution. This is the day people can relax and enjoy family and quiet time and part of that - to us - is not having to listen to neighbors drilling (in apartment buildings) or mowing the lawn just outside of the window where you want to take a nap, for example… I am an atheist through and through, yet, I really appreciate this rule, as I do the rule that most stores are closed on Sundays to give employees the same right to enjoy a day off once in a week…

[@hansmeiser32]

and the older I get the more I appreciate quiet Sundays.

[@Avi-rn6ei]

The secret speed race is also true for the cashier. I worked at Netto for a while and would match my speed to the customer. Sometimes I would notice or even initiate a small competition with the customers. Noone says anything but we both know what we are doing 😂

[@dirkvornholt2507]

The supermarket cashier thing was even worse before the scanners were rolled out. The cashiers knew the product numbers and typed even faster than they scan today.

[@miztazed]

Yesss! Finaly someone who understands the concept of speed at the cashier. Just put your stuff back in the trolly and go to the packing area. There you have all the time in the world to pack your bags without holding up the line. Thank you.

[@ileana8360]

Isn't it exhausting to see these people buying tons of items without using an cart/trolley and then complaining. Wtf? Up to 4-5 items, fine. I do it myself, but my backpack is wide open and I shuffle everything in there and already have the money at hand. These Aldi check outs are deliberately designed the way, that your cart fits directly next to the cashier, so they even put the items in the trolley for you, if you are uncapable of doing it yoursels or whilst you are fishing for your purse. So damn people, stop complaining and use a trolley!

[@juwen7908]

We're not that religious, we just keep the good stuff from this traditions, like having at least 1day of quiet per week, so you can sit in the garden and read a book or sun bath in piece, for example 😊

[@McGhinch]

As others noted, scanners slowed the cashiers down. When they were typing the prices they were faster than you could unload the cart and way faster than you could pack them.

[@m.h.6470]

Regarding trains and noise: On long distance trains there MIGHT be silent wagons, they are usually even insulated to absorb noise. But even on "normal" trains (and the other wagons of long distance trains), noise isn't really acceptable. You can talk with your "indoor voice", but anything louder and you will draw critical looks or even a snide remark.

[@seorsamaclately4294]

A personal experience: on a regional train some guy was talking so loudly about personal things, that I could understand everything despite my noise cancelling in-ears. Everybody was very annoyed. That prompted me to holler out if he couldn't be louder (geht's vielleicht noch lauter). He was not amused, but eventually lowered his volume.

[@strenter]

​@@seorsamaclately4294Another way would be to take out your in-ears, looking intently at him until he notices you, then beginning to ask very personal questions. If he likes to share boring personal stuff, why not share something more.... spicy? 😂

[@Attirbful]

We also still have free public toilets but they are usually so dirty and smelly that people don‘t frequent them if they can avoid it. If you pay for the restroom, you can expect it to be very regularly cleaned by professionals. In restaurants and cafes you can use the toilets for free if you are a customer. Most don‘t like it if people simply come in to pee and leave without purchasing something… I think it is fair. I‘d rather pay a few cents than have to endure a filthy restroom!

[@ileana8360]

Being a woman I rather pay an Euro and have a clean toilet, than not being able to use any public toilet, because it is dirty and disgusting. I've experienced public toilets for decades in Germany and during my travels thru Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Itla, Switzerland, France and since the payment became the norm, I actually do stop and use the toilet. Before I just kept it in for up to 12 hours until I reached my destination. And this isn't healthy at all.

[@Attirbful]

@@ileana8360 My feelings exactly!

[@strenter]

Applies to Raststätten. But if you drive to a Rasthof, chances are there is some fast food chain near by that offers free toilet usage - and their toilets usually are clean. When I travel luckily I seldom have to use a toilet. But when I use a free one, I at least buy a drink there. Granted, it looks like you payed for the toilet that way as well, and you even get back like 50¢ of the price you paid at the Raststätte... But they are usually way more expensive than a fast food restaurant. And there is a difference between having to pay and willing to pay. 😊

[@JorlinJollyfingers]

Aldi has always been that way, even before scanner tills. In fact with the introduction of the first scanners, things got a little more relaxed until the scanners worked really well. Before that the cashiers did type three digit codes for every item, which they had to memorize to perfection. It really wasn't that much slower than scanners nowadays... but more expensive to train and keep cashiers.

[@strenter]

And other stores used tiny price labels that were printed out and provided to put onto the goods directly by rather big hand machines... If you were well trained enough you could put down like 5 labels or even a bit more per second (rough estimation from memory).

[@ninaandianfan21]

What you got from the comments regarding the street lights are completely correct assumptions xD

[@DerHoschi]

Before the scanner, ALDI was known for the woman on the checkout. Even with their long nails they typed the prices faster in than a kid writes a massage on WhatsApp today. About 600 products at the time and everyone knows every price by seeing! The good old times...

[@DerHoschi]

...and some points are really BS! Nothing general.

[@DerHoschi]

To look in eachother eyes while nudge is... never heared off (in my lifetime as a german...). But I know this: women and bottles have to be nudged at the bottom...

[@gunnarjandke6245]

Quiet areas are only available on IC and ICE trains (high-speed trains for longer distances). These trains are more expensive, which is why many people in Germany switch to other train connections. We have RB (short distance), RE, IRE (medium distance), EC, IC and ICE (long distance). The "Deutschlandticket" (one ticket for the whole of Germany including all local public transport - costs EUR 49) is not valid on EC, IC and ICE trains. A ticket from Hamburg to Munich can quickly cost EUR 180 or more with ICE. By the way, in Germany, alcohol consumption is prohibited on public transportation.

[@TheFiolito]

Going to Aldi (and Lidl and so on) means you want to buy a lot of quality stuff for a really low price. The only way to make money after the cost of a shop is: selling as much as you can in a really short time. I guess that explains the pace...

[@kevinburger590]

Looking in the eyes while saying cheers same as clinking glasses comes from the mid ages. On clinking glasses (at this time) all the drinks got mixed with each other so it was difficult to poison someone without getting self poisoned. And looking in the eyes while clinking glasses was an additional method to recognise if someone wants to poison you. The "7 years of bad sex"-thing is just new age superstition/fun

[@SaRah-21532]

Your 'HALLLOOO!' is so on point, it makes me laugh every time 😅

[@SakuraKuromi]

You can get free tap water in special situations. 3 examples: If you need a bit of water to take some medicine, most restaurants, cafés, ect will be open to give you a bit of water. It wont be a full glass or such. Just a bit for your medicine. The other one is water for babies. My sister used a powder to make tea for my nieces and nephews. One time the bottle was empty and she needed some water to make a new one (the powder could just be shaken in the bottle to mix with the water). She asked if the baby bottle could be filled 3/4 of the way, after she already had the powder in it. The last one I experienced myself is water for dogs. In some cafés, bakeries and such, you can sit outsite with your dog. When my mother drove kids to scool as her job, our dog was always with her. She often stopped to get breakfast and in the summer we sometimes (rarely, but it happens) got water for our dog without even asking. It was brought in a to go cup, or if my mother asked, she always had something with her to put the water in. I never saw someone declining water for dogs or medicine. However I did saw water for babies getting declined once, but they said the pipes were old/got repaired just now and the tap water wasn't back to normal and they didn't knew if it was safe for babies. If there were no issues with the pipe, they probably would had given her the water. There are probably more situations were you can get water for free. Some restaurants and cafés might even have free tap water (a café at a trainstation has a pitcher of tap water with clean glasses in the area where you could put sugar and milk in your café to go. It has a sign that the water is free to drink) but it's still rare to see this I can only talk about the region I live in, so it could be different in other parts of germany /got repaired and the tap water wasn't back to normal

[@hendrikfalch6956]

They thought the water might be not safe but still used it for cooking/coffee etc 😂

[@SakuraKuromi]

@@hendrikfalch6956 it was a bakery at the train station. They mainly sold bottled drinks like cola and such. They just couldn't sell coffe to go at that time

[@biloaffe]

Aldi was pretty much the last to introduce scanner checkouts in Germany. Before, the cashiers weren't really slower, but they had to have 600 prices in mind because the products themselves didn't have price tags. And that was only available at ALDI

[@hendrikfalch6956]

In fact the introduction of the scanner even slowed them down, that was crazy

[@videojunky3007]

17:00 😅 not only people waiting on red lights in Germany. That video was made in the city I live. Ducks waiting crossing the street: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haPXnKSOr7V6Y8Usi=GjiTwVnCde-a7AJS

[@ruhrak9936]

Protect the sunday or holidays is a law in germany. It is called the "Holiday Protection Act" and states: On Sundays and public holidays, work that is visible also audible to the public is prohibited.

[@Midna78]

And now imagine how it was when we had no scanner at Aldi. They weren't any slower with typing.

[@psykotropic9063]

We have some quiet places in trains too but only in long distance transport. But yeah germans are really volume sesitive.

[@Winona493]

When you manage to be faster than the cashier at Aldi...makes my day!!! YES!!!💪😂

[@Vamp-Duck]

At my last visite in London our tourguide said "here are only two kinds of walking people: fast or dead." 😂

[@dragonclaw6239]

In Germany, crossing a red light is punishable by a fine of 5 euros.

[@perrosol-sm]

Germany has historically been predominantly christian and there are still areas where religion and church play a major role, but things have changed dramatically over the last generation. For most supporters, “holy” Sunday is a cultural good and an achievement of workers’ rights. When other supermarkets already had scanners, they weren't available in Aldi stores for a long time. Even though the staff had to enter the prices into the cash register by hand, the Aldi cashiers were known to be the fastest. What do you mean by special quiet zones on trains? We only have quiet areas except when football fans are traveling.

[@strenter]

There are silent cars in ICE nowadays you should not sit in if you want to work with your laptop, as the clicking of the keyboard might be too loud already there.

[@H-DA]

Drinking alcohol is not even allowed on german trains. 😅 And it's like not shaking hands crosswhise if there are 4 people around for example. One waits till the others are done shaking hands, before doing so oneself.

[@kaddy0306]

It has nothing to do with being religious in germany. It comes from this time, but nowadays people use the Sunday to chill and and enjoy their time at home. Reading a book, taking a long bath, watch a film. And it's just POLITE that you don't disturb anyone in their only time they have to make sure they can chill out once. People are glad (myself also) that this rule exist, because you don't have to worry that anyone will disturb what you do on that day. And no, those chats also doesn't really exist. Just ones were you have neighbourhood chats to exchange items or something. Germans respect each others PRIVACY. Thats why. And we don't have seperated silent areas in regional normal trains. Thats why people shouldn't be so loud - some people sleep or are working.

[@juwen7908]

About the sundays, fortunately the weekend has two days 😉 so, just do work stuff until saturday and then have a rest on sunday 🌞

[@calise8783]

I love the super market check out! After living here over two decades, I am a check out professional. I place things on the belt in the order I will bag them. I have bags/baskets that stand up on their own. I had my card in my front pocket ready to tap/pay while the customer in front of me is paying. The cashier often hands me things directly to place into my bags or even puts the last items in on their own as I tap and pay. It’s great! 😂 And I ask to bag my own items when visiting family in the US now.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

Things can get challenging at the supermarket checkout. But a clever strategic deployment on the line helps. One small example: If I buy the same things several times, I put these things on the belt at the beginning of my shopping and tell the cashier how many of each I have. Then she just has to pull one of them over the scanner and I don't have to put so much back in the car. I usually do the actual putting things into the bags and/or the backpack in the car, where I can pack everything up at my leisure, however I think it's most convenient...

[@WiseOwlAdvice]

Many foreigners make fun about germans following the rules quite strict. Consider this: If everyone decides for themselves whether to follow the rule or not, you can forget about any rule. You also expect the car driver to follow the rules, don't you ? Or is he then allowed to decide to stop or not stop at red light ? So a Ferengi would say "A rule is a rule IS a rule". If you want to cross the street on own risk - do it elsewhere but not at the traffic light. Anywhere away from the traffic light you are on your own and no law forbids to cross the street THERE.😜

[@twinmama42]

Of course, you can let your neighbours know that you have loud work to do on a Sunday or in the quiet hours (everyday 10pm-6am and 1pm-3pm). But they still can call the police on you. Quiet hours are sacrosanct. The laws followed Christian customs but today they are more a way of protecting working people and reducing noise pollution. You think cashiers at Aldi that scan are fast? I still remember the 1970ies before scanners were introduced. The cashiers of Aldi knew all prices by heart and tipped them fast - really fast, almost like lightning. Actually, scanning slowed them down.

[@AfroBarney_SociPoli.non-binair]

In Germany, Sundays and public holidays are not “holy” in the true sense. (Very few and only in certain regions are they perhaps still a little religious). “Holy” is more of a “weekly special” in contrast to weekdays :)

[@germankitty]

What you have to keep in mind about waiting at red lights, if you disregard them and cross the street anyway and there IS an accident -- like a car unexpectedly turning the corner and hits you -- you, as the pedestrian breaking the rule, will be held at least partially responsible and liable for damages. No matter whether there are children present or not.

[@Kelsea-2002]

🤣What you find stressful and fast at supermarket checkouts is still much too slow for us Germans. This is so slow that you could comfortably drink a cup of coffee while packing.😉

[@trythis2006]

true but sometimes you get this one cashier thats lightning fast

[@Winona493]

A WhatsApp group for neighbours....that is THE idea!!!! Thank you!!!😊

[@dieZera]

If you notify your neighbors about noise on a sunday, chances are they say no ;).

[@christinajahnke2827]

About traffic lights I had the opposite situation. People still didn't move when they was allowed. And told them very loud "It wouldn't be greener". This was a little bit cheeky, but they were in my age and we all were laughing

[@ileana8360]

The "Ruhezeiten" isn't just a "house rules" thing made up by landlords. It is German law and lthough its roots are in christianity, it is ment to be for the sake and health of every citizens: the right to recover and rest without disturbences. It is pure egoism to disturbe other people's rights just because of ones lack of time management. It has to be said as well, that almost no German neighbour will be saying no, if you go and tell them that it will be loud, because you are moving in, or having guests from far away or something is broken and HAS to be fixdd asap, as long as this is an reasonable exception and not the norm.

[@seanthiar]

1:45 You can do work, but Sunday is supposed to be a quiet day for all to relax. You can decide for yourself to do work and not relax, but only in a way that doesn't stop other people to relax. You can't do anything that is loud like mowing grass, drilling holes or doing a loud party. There are even public holidays like xmas and easter that are silent holidays where events that can happen on a Sunday like a flea market are forbidden. 16:00 There are no quiet coaches, but wherever you are it is expected that you regulate your voice to not disturb other people. It doesn't matter if it is a train, a bus, a restaurant or any other public place, you always only use a volume that enables the people you talk to to understand you, but not being so loud to disturb other people in what they are doing.

[@psykotropic9063]

In germany the people who clean the toilets become this as tip. Its like an thank you for doing this sh** of work.^^

[@Sabretooth82]

that`s right... I never pay for a dirty crapper in Germany...

[@IIIOOOUS]

I was suprised how loud the operating noise of some subway are in London. I head to wear ear plugs.

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

1) At Sunday you are not supposed to do any noisy things. You can work as much as you want - even if it may not be advised from a medical point of view - as long as do it very, very quietly. By constitution Sunday is a "day of rest and recovery" where only certain professions are allowed to do paid work and where quietness is holy. If you disturb the peace and the quiet at Sundays or in the mid of the night of any other day, your neighbors could call the police. It has not much to do with religion, even if the Sunday was chosen as the day of rest back in the 19th century because of the religious tradition - but it became a law and in 1919 even part of the constitution because of the campaigns of the trade unions (supported by the churches). 2) A typical Discounter supermarket situation: they have in most cases no shelf at the rear end of the conveyor belt at the checkout (other than more traditional supermarkets, who offer in most cases a shelf with a divider in the middle, so two customers can pack their goods in parallel), so you have to be very quick to remove the items as quick as they are scanned. Most people will simply - as you said - use the shopping cart to put all goods back in it and then go to a shelf opposite to the checkouts to put them in their bags. Only if you purchased only a few goods you'll sort them directly in your bags. 3) A person sitting before a public toilet demanding payment would be a scam (at least as a rule), because payment is done by simply inserting coins to open the lock (or in some cases to close it from the inside); in some places you can also pay by card or mobile. Some restaurants or other places however do employ still a "toilet person" (mostly a cleaning lady) sitting at a table in the anteroom with a plate for the obligatory tips (no exact amount); this person is responsible for the cleanliness of the place. 4) It depends on the setting and on the time of day - in the evening loud conversations are accepted in pub-like locations, but not in cafés or a bit fancier restaurants. In trains it is generally frowned upon, but in commuter trains it can happen. All carriages in an IC or ICE train however are considered to be quiet coaches. 5) There were some campaigns back in the 1980s and 1990s against crossing the road at a red light. The argument was that adults should try to set a good example to children who are often not able to assess the traffic situation sufficiently and therefore should always observe the traffic lights. It is now ingrained in German minds - they will only disrespect a red light after making sure no child is possibly observing the misdeed. 7) Many restaurants don't offer tap water, because they make most of their money by selling beverages. Nowadays most will bring you some if you ask politely, but they are entitled to take a cover charge for providing the glass (bringing it and cleaning it afterwards), which will in most cases be one Euro. In better cafés and fancier restaurants you will however automatically get a small glass of water with your coffee or espresso.

[@T0MT0Mmmmy]

She used the word "holy" not in an religious manner, just to clarify that it is taken seriously.

[@Microtubui]

I love the speedrace. if you put the suff in right order you can be faster then the cashout-lady^^ I understand why Tab-water is not free. I mean the glas has to be cleaned etc.

[@juwen7908]

... and the restaurant has also to pay for tab water, so why they should give it for free?

[@thorstent2542]

At night the suburban trains are often like a Party location, inclute fights and the full program ,in Germany too

[@aladwa]

even if there is no car passing by you should wait at red lights. couse traffic rules are still working for people without car. if you walk by red lights you can loose your driving licence.

[@taupegrillon5975]

silence on a Sunday is so wonderful. just think about Sunday you want to sleep longer and your stupid neighbor is hammering at 07:00 in the morning. 😡🤬😤

[@hessin3027]

Pay d’or Toilette: because we Hope, they therefore are clean and Not Dirty or disturb

[@hannessteffenhagen61]

Don't bag at the checkout unless you're a god. Just throw shit back into your cart (never go without cart unless you're only buying like 2-3 items), most shops will have some area behind the checkout where you can bag, otherwise do it at your car/outside. The Sunday thing does come from Christianity originally, but Germany is not _that_ religious anymore. It's still common for people to think of themselves as Christian (except in the northeast), but even the people that call themselves Christian don't tend to take it super seriously (not that there aren't any hardcore Christians at all, but that's definitely a minority even in the more religious regions).

[@DerJarl1024]

The fact that Sunday is a day of rest in the “house rules” is irrelevant. There are statutory rest times, e.g. at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., but also on Sundays and public holidays. The public order office or the police can even be called here in the event of a serious disturbance. During rest periods, the general rule is that you should maintain the room volume. This means that no noise outside the apartment should have to be noticed by third parties. Public toilets or toilets in busy tourist areas, for example at motorway rest stops, can cost money. Because here you often don't consume anything, but usually only incur costs for the person who provides this toilet. At motorway service stations you usually get a small voucher that will give you something back if you buy or eat something. In theaters, cinemas or similar establishments you will often find a small plate in front of the toilet area where you can leave a tip for the cleaning staff present. Of course, this is not mandatory, but it is always a good deed. As a paying guest at a restaurant or bar, you don't pay anything for using the toilet.

[@AfroBarney_SociPoli.non-binair]

Well, in EVERY country there are things that are typical for the country or region, things that are annoying that you shouldn't do or that you have to pay attention to AND some things that are called "typical" are also in other countries possible. For example: White socks and sandals. That's not just "German!", I've seen that almost everywhere in the world - from non-Germans... ;)

[@T0MT0Mmmmy]

The newest thing to speed up things at the cashiers is to serve 2 customers literally at the same time. They have now 2 separate slides with 2 separate card maschines after the cashier for the goods of 2 different customers. Once the goods of one customer are registered (and he is searching for the money or his credit card), the cashiers begins to registers the goods of the second customer. Meanwhile the first has payed. And while the second is searching for money/card, the slide of the first is immediately used to register the goods of the next customer.

[@hendrikfalch6956]

Red Light: once I was walking through a Zone in Berlin which was blocked for Cars due to a demonstration, and therefore no cars at all, still I saw a pedestrian standing at the red light not crossing the street - propaply the most German thing I ever saw 😂 Tap Water: the guy had luck - sometimes they refuse to give you tap water even if you insist and even want to pay for it. Fun Fact: in France it is mandatory by law to serve free water in restaurants (when you order food)

[@vophatechnicus]

16:50 you are just not allowed to cross the street on a red light. It will cost 5 EUR if there´s police around.

[@Steven-ww5yr]

Ey jooooo nice vid. We really pack that fast while shopping

[@biloaffe]

Toilets - you have to pay money in many other countries too. But as in the video, of course no one sits in front of the toilets, at least in the city toilets. In other areas it may be common.

[@chakra7100]

We do the housework and work in generell which isn`t loud (including not doing the noisy stuff in the garden ;-) Everything is closed except gasstations and very little chops (Kiosk). It is a calm day, time for a walk, for quality time (with your kids) or just hang in front of Netflix a little bit longer than usual;-).

[@ulrikeg2639]

20:49 see? Now you know why everybody obeys this rule 😂 better don‘t risk it

[@maireweber]

If you order an espresso or a glass of wine, you will get a little water with it if you ask, no issues. Source: was a waitress

[@lunajane9039]

Fun fact: German cashiers used to be timed at cash registers with a clock by the personnel department. For example, under 30 seconds is good and over 30 is bad.

[@claudiarichter439]

Not a religious thing everywhere😊 No Noise on sunday… with exceptions

[@pfalzgraf7527]

Nah, Germans are not any more or less religious than Brits, I'd say. However, the sunday as the day of rest has been very much established. And since you have two days off at the weekend, Saturdays are quite the busy days (where I live, anyway), whereas Sundays are silent. There is something to that: you can really count on the quiet Sunday - and do the real relaxing then. Whereas on Saturday you can't complain if your neighbour is louder.

[@thorstenmoll6637]

Shopping isn't stressful at all.....as you said after, pack at your pace after. Sunday is a day of rest and you can't even hang your washing out if it's visible to your neighbours.....or do the garden.

[@clauslangenbroek9897]

I also like the "check out game" in discounters. The faster the merrier 🐢🐇😁

[@septartes]

ALDI cashiers are prone for being really, really fast ... Also for Germans. Their cashiers are not optimally well-designed. It's not only the speed they are scanning, but also that the space to put items on is quite small in comparison to other supermarkets and discounters.

[@wanderwurst8358]

Germany isnt very religious, even many people still paying "church tax" just do that out of a social or humanistic aspect. Real believers are rather rare and if someone is telling you that he believes all in the Bible, you almost take him not for serious. Except at Christmas, the churches are usually almost empty. But sundays are holy and you cant mess with that. It is a day of rest, silence, contemplation, self-discovery, nature, family and community. Depending on your neighborhood you can make a little bit noise, but not too much. You can do a bit of gardening, but you can't mow the lawn. You can also do a bit of handicraft work with tools, but not start the circular saw ... It is simply a useful tradition that we have inherited from the church and that is still regulated by law today. You can't abolish this tradition because you'll never find a majority in favour of it among Germans, no matter what else they believe in. Even if you think it sucks when you're 18, you'll be convinced of it again later. 🙏😅

[@trythis2006]

even if you really have to do something on sunday, people wouldnt care, you can do that in the week all day every day, it is what it is xD

[@germankitty]

Every now and then, people try to change store opening hours to late evenings, and on weekends. We only started having stores stay open on Saturday past 2pm since ca. 1990 -- before that, only the first Saturday of each month was open until 6pm. Obviously, some people will have to work on Sundays, from restaurant to hospital staff, but they get more money. The laws have changed inasmuch as communities nowadays may have shopping on Sundays about 6 times a year, but participation isn't mandatory. Anything more, and it's not just the churches getting up in arms, but the unions as well. Sundays/holidays may not be sacrosanct, but the right to rest and for peace and quiet most certainly is. Also, some holidays are considered "quiet" holidays, with no sports, dancing or other vigorous and loud activities permitted: Good Friday, Christmas Eve and our Day of Remembrance in November, to name just a few. It's up to the communities to enforce it, though. Used to be that not even TV and radio would broadcast "fun" stuff on these days -- it was all serious programming: lectures, documentaries, classical music concerts, maybe a drama, often from a theater production. Thankfully, that's no longer the case, but the state-controlled stations (think BBC vs. commercial) still tend to keep their programming on these dates somewhat more sedate.

[@hanniwe]

Then they can’t complain 😂😂😂

[@geliwien3564]

You have to look each other in the eye when saying cheers in Austria too! BUT what really is ridiculous that some people feels offended when someone wants to say cheers without any kind of alcohol in his / her glass. There is no duty to drink - never!

[@hellemarc4767]

There are a few religious people in Germany, but certainly not like in the USA, and they don't berate others because of that. It's just that on Sundays, people want to chill and have some me-time. The problem is noise, like drilling, hammering, mowing the lawn... Don't do that on a Sunday. If there's something that needs to be done in your home, you can take a day off during the week (paid leave), or do it on Saturday. Unless your house is surrounded by a huge meadow or you're in the middle of the woodlands. You can do what you want as long as you don't disturb others. The notifying, don't even try, people will think you're crazy just for trying, and like she said, it's forbidden to do noisy things by the Hausordnung (house rule). You can even get a fine for disturbing the peace if people call the cops on you. There used to be trains with compartments like in the UK, especially for long distance trains, but even back in the day, people would be really quiet in these open cars on short-distance trains. But it happens that groups of people come drunk, for instance, and get loud (sometimes even people on their own). Also, when there are soccer games, you can find yourself alone in train cars full of fans going to the games, and they will be loud. Germans like it quiet. In Kneipen (bars that are very much like English pubs), people can get loud, too, when they are tipsy or drunk, but not in restaurants, they eat and talk in hushed voices if they do. People do cross the streets when there are no cars in sight, but not when there are children, it's mainly to keep them safe by giving the good example.

[@CaptainFirefred]

Let me put it like that about religiousity. We like the secular perks, like an actuall off-day on Sunday and we will fight like zealots to keep religious holidays because that means no work, for most of them.

[@krauterbaron360]

when im stoned in the line at aldi it stress me also out as a german who is used to it :D

[@torstenschwartz5974]

Here in NRW lot of Brits and "half Brits", over 50 years History. Royal Army German Forces! People with britisch roots total normal for me.

[@unfixablegop]

Old people get something of a pass, but here in Germany we really don't appreciate bumblers at the checkout line. 🙂 And even those senior citizens risk our ire if they extensively rummage around in their wallet for coins.

[@Why-D]

The background was through Christianity, so Sunday was a day of rest. Today it is about "silence". If you have to do some construction at home or mowing the lawn, you should do it in the week before or after work or on Saturday, but not on Sunday. Since a few years, the majority in Germany does not belong to the two Christian churches anymore. But even the Atheists like their rest and silence in the night and on a day of rest. If e.g. you want to have a party, that will last beyond 22:00 in teh evening, and it might be loud, you should inform and may be invite your neighbours in advance. On a marriage or an eighteens birthday, this is an exception. But not by law, so be kind to your neighbours, so you might get along with some exceptions.

[@dagmaranja888]

If you had some plan on Saturday, that's not an excuse to work noisy jobs on a Sunday.

[@fourlance8633]

Hi, if you tell your Neighbours, maybe they say OK, but normally the Sunday rest applies the next is, if you starts a Party and your sure it goes Loud and after 10.00 PM,you tell it to your neighbors,most of them say then,its OK.if they know in advance or are even invited.its no prob,i think.the germans are not so harsh,if they know it.

[@imdunkelnschoen6655]

You have no loud Things to do on Sunday. 😂

[@septartes]

"Holy" is not meant literally here, but rather that Germans demand from their neighbours to be considerate enough, not to do disturbing things on Sundays or national /religious holidays.

[@clauslangenbroek9897]

Actually it is allowed per law to cross a street anywhere you want if there is no visible traffic on the street for a certain distance. I always try to be a good example for children, though, as should anybody.

[@to.l.2469]

6:30 There where NO Problems on wearing a mask, but massive Problems with mental health of people complaining about it! 17:00 Or a fine from the police! Because red light violations are a serious matter here! If you don't care about red riding a bicycle, your can loos your drivers license (for cars)! 19:37 First time I heard this, maybe it's a local thing? I lived m whole live in GER without hearing about such ridiculousness. 21:27 Unfortunately, that's pretty petty in Germany. I could understand it if only tap water was ordered, but in this country mineral water is preferred.

[@Bioshyn]

Germany supermarket pro tip, just put the things back in the cart and pack them later, there are usually tables/shelves behind the cashier area for exactly that. the cheersing thing is really complicated in Germany, we do it in the first place because of an epidemic of poisonings in the medieval, and clinking mugs/glasses/steins together so that liquid splashes from one to the other was a way to ensure that you were not being poisoned. people who refused were immediately sus. looking someone in the eyes is also hard when you try to kill them and you might get found out by looking weird.

[@worldwidebear1967]

Quiet coaches are only on the ICE trains and sometimes on the newer IC-Trains. I waer on the subway or public transport anyway ear buds, cause I dont want to listen of "talks" of other people.

[@Arch_Angelus]

Sorry long text but i hope it helps to understand a little bit,so in old times it was holy. (Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337) was instrumental in the religious consolidation of Christianity. He was the first to introduce Sunday rest through a state law on March 3, 321: "All judges and the urban population and the exercise of all trades shall rest on the venerable day of the sun (venerabilis die solis)." but today its more "the sunday is holy to me - means quiet time, resting time, a day for me and the family" (work is another point, cause in my case i have to work even on sat. and sun. day and nightshift) Sunday rest, public holiday rest in tenancy law - noise, disturbance of the peace Sundays and public holidays are treated equally under tenancy law as far as the obligation to avoid noise and disturbance of the peace is concerned. the so-called Sunday rest (holiday rest) must be observed throughout the day from midnight to midnight. Noise-generating work, activities and activities in the apartment must be refrained from. On Sundays and public holidays, the room volume must always be maintained. Parties and celebrations in the apartment or on the property that cause noise pollution must also be avoided. Children's noise on Sundays and public holidays as a disturbance of the peace Noise from small children, babies, is generally acceptable to others, as it is child-appropriate behavior and babies cannot observe quiet times. Noise from children (adolescents) that is not only briefly, but persistently above the room volume is not acceptable, however Law on Sundays and public holidays in the federal states regulates quiet periods The quiet periods on Sundays and public holidays are generally regulated by the law on Sundays and public holidays in the federal states and are transferable to tenancy law. Municipalities can determine further regulations that go beyond the state law. House rules contain regulations on Sundays and public holidays The house rules for the tenancy agreement, including the tenancy agreement, may contain regulations on Sundays and public holidays, which must be complied with if they do not unreasonably disadvantage tenants. Tenants must refrain from doing anything that disturbs the peace on Sundays and public holidays This can even apply to vacuuming in the apartment, as well as the use of other household appliances. In principle, however, all activities and operations that cause increased noise pollution, in particular manual work in the apartment, such as drilling, hammering and sawing, as well as gardening, e.g. with a lawnmower, are not permitted on Sundays and public holidays. If it is the unavoidable execution of an emergency repair (e.g. after a burst pipe), then disturbances caused by others must be accepted. The neighbor, another tenant disturbs Sunday rest, holiday rest If you are disturbed by neighbors, try to talk to your neighbor and ask them to stop the disturbance. If this does not help, you can report the disturbance to the police or the public order office. Bear in mind that this will put a lot of strain on neighborly relations - but sometimes there is no other way. Neighbor disturbs during quiet times, causes disturbance of the peace Sometimes neighbors frequently disturb the peace on Sundays and also cause disturbances on other days. You have the option of contacting the landlord or property management to ask them to stop disturbing the peace: Disturbance of the peace - neighbor is disturbing, making noise, what is allowed? Sample letter - inform landlord about disturbance of the peace, noise Significant disturbance due to noise entitles the tenant to a rent reduction Landlords must also comply with Sunday and public holiday rest periods It goes without saying that landlords must also comply with the Sunday rest period and may not have any disruptive renovation work or construction work carried out or carry it out themselves. An exception to this rule applies if the disturbance is caused by an emergency measure, repair work or an emergency repair that cannot be postponed. best regards

[@stiglarsson8405]

I belive that this closed on sundays was in the beging a religius thing.. becuse it was mandatory to visit the church on sundays! Later I think it become a recuest for.. cant we not have at least one day of the week of.. for hang out with ones family!

[@Lohengrim69]

Sunday is CHILLday.....

[@Groffili]

It's not as much about "religion", but about things that we "religiously" do. Sunday as a free and quiet day did originate from Christianity of course, but by now, it's just a day where we want to enjoy our peace and quiet. But this then is "sacred".

[@shadesmarerik4112]

ye u dont get burgers and a pint in a German 'restaurant', except it is American themed or something like that. The term in Germany is more limited to what u described as classy. Everything else has designated terms like Wirtshaus, Pub, Kneipe, Frittenbude, Kiosk, Fresstempel and so on, where u would get a burger and a pint. Its just not called restaurant here.

[@jenskahl4247]

if its just 5 min drilling its ok but not for hours

[@biloaffe]

You can work on Sundays, just don't make any noise!

[@madTitanja]

Nope its more cos: when your neibour next door is loud would youself could relax & refresh from the workweek the in your flat when you must hear him ??? I think you couldn't. So that is the realy reson of the quiete rule in flats !

[@chakra7100]

The bar thing, in my oppinion, is much to exaggerated, as well as walking over the street. In a bigger cities (maybe not munich;-) no one really cares. There is one difference. When there are already people standing, you don`t do that, espacially when there are children in the crowd.

[@stefannilsson9061]

While most things make sense in germany the stressful checkout does not. like lidl, they are losing customers in Sweden for sure by this behavior. I for one take my time and I dont care if it fills up. How about doing a longer collection area of the groceries with a divider like in civil countries, then everyone is happy and stress free.

[@ClaudiaErnst]

The cashier are under the pressure to scan a certain amount by minute and hour. And the checkout area was specifacly designt so short for the fast "handling". Every second means money for the business (Aldi, Lidl ect....).

[@Mimms-1701D]

that is the reason you take your cart and put it at the end of the cashier area, so they can scan as fast as possible, and the people behind you don't have to wait too long. You can just throw everything into your cart again (that is faster than packing it directly in bags) and after paying you roll over to the packing table area where you can take as much time as you want to pack everything in your bags. That's how it's desinged in Aldi. In other stores, you sometimes just take your cart to your car and pack everything away there.

[@stefannilsson9061]

Nothing would change by a larger collection area in the end with a divider, then there is no stress for the customer and no hold-up for anyone.

[@stefannilsson9061]

Nothing would change by a larger collection area in the end with a divider, then there is no stress for the customer and no hold-up for anyone.

[@Mimms-1701D]

@@stefannilsson9061 a divider part would need space, so there couldn't be as many cashiers as without a divider part. And the cashier would still have to wait at least till one of the areas would be free again. A lot of people are way slower than how fast the scanning happens. That would slow down all following customers and at the end of the day it would mean less sales for the shop. Especially if the shopper buys a bit more stuff like it's usually the case in supermarkets. A divider only really works well with a small amount of items.

[@juwen7908]

For grocery shopping you are germanized now 😉👍

[@HomoHumanitatis]

That doesn't have much to do with religion anymore, but in Germany capitalism is not (yet) as omnipresent as in the USA or the UK. We also have many so-called "Feiertage" that have Christian origins, where there are nowadays it's also just about spending your free time. And that's good! We have hobbies, friends and family, and that is simply very, very important to us Germans and worth protecting. That's actually how it is with Sunday. So it's no longer necessarily holy, but worth keeping as a day off. I don't know exactly what the situation is in the UK, but in the USA 1 job is rarely enough, not even 2 are often enough to get by. The entire society there is also essentially career-oriented. Even for people with the luxury of only having to have one job, this also plays an above-average role in non-working hours

[@eisikater1584]

Sunday quietness (or "Sonntagsruhe") may be from Christianity, but the people I know mostly see it as a tradition, just a day to relax. -- And I mean, nobody would complain about a few drillings, the video exaggerates a little. But, oh yeah, she mentions loud music. I really had trouble because of that a few times. Okay, elderly ladies probably don't like heavy metal that much. As to religiosity, I think I read a headline somewhere, that in 2023 for the first time in Germany, the number of non-religious people crossed the 50% line, so, no, we're not especially religious. I live in a catholic region, and most of my friends are catholic on paper, but haven't seen a church from the inside in years and in reality are non-believers. They keep paying church tax, and I keep asking them, "Why? Go to the municipality, fill in a form, pay a small fee, and you're done. It doesn't hurt, believe me." Well, maybe they're still uncertain, and in case there is something about religion, their church tax is sort of a pension fund for paradise, or whatever. The trick about fast shopping is, you have to fill your shopping cart strategically, so you can put the items on the conveyor in about the order you want to pack them. "Eggs first" usually is a bad idea. And, yeah, I pay with cash, that gives me two or three extra seconds. -- But I see you're having fun with the checkout persons. That's good! Maybe I should try that, too. There really used to be real persons at the toilet collecting money (and also cleaning them), but last time I saw one was in the 1990s at some train station in East Germany. Oh, yeah, and two youngsters at an open air festival. They weren't employed there, they just wanted to make some money to buy another beer. I was in a good mood and gave them ten euros, because if security had caught them, they would have been thrown out, and they reminded me of my own youth. German trains have quiet areas, too, at least the intercity / long distance ones. But I never looked out for them as I find the overall noise level on trains mostly bearable. Except that one day I didn't know that there would be a major football match in the town I was traveling to and ended up in a wagon full of football fans. If I just had the slightest interest in football, I would have known about that match and avoided the train, so it was clearly my lack of knowledge that brought me into that situation. Oh yeah, the "children" thing when walking over red. I really do look around whether there are some before I walk. They don't have the ability yet to decide when it's safe and when not, so I don't want to be a bad example. I actually never heard about that "looking in the eyes" when saying "cheers", and I'm from Bavaria, which is beer country. Maybe I'm doing that instinctively anyway; I never paid attention to it. And I really don't grab why people even would WANT to drink tap water at a restaurant or in a biergarten. That's sure not the reason why I'm going there. The only people I ever saw with tap water on their table were elderly ladies drinking coffee. Because of, you know, their heart. Yea, you can reduce the amount of caffeine you drink by adding some water. I'm sure that works. "Listen, officer, I sure drank that half bottle of whiskey, but I thinned it with water, so I'm sure you'll hand me my license back now. -- Beg your pardon? -- No?" Alright, now finally: I just recently found your channel, and I like it, so you've got a new subscriber. And, no worries, I'm not always commenting that long.

[@ClaudiaErnst]

The "holy" has no religious meaning. It's the same with the "holy" tv time after 8pm or "holy" football (soccer) love.