Why Germans Call New Year’s Eve 'Silvester' 🎆 | The Fascinating History Behind It

[@Angelanotlalala]

Today a cashier in the supermarket said to me "Guten Rutsch" and I was very puzzled. Now I understand what it was :) Thank you!

[@tammygant4216]

I lived in Germany for several years as a kid (U.S. Army brat), and I've studied German at a year long language school and have read, listened to and investigated a lot of German culture yet I never heard New Year's Eve referred to as Silvester until I was listening to another German youtuber yesterday...and then your video popped up! This is fun to know.

[@G.Harley.Davidson]

Good to see you back again ! Frohe Weihnacten und eienen Güten Rutsch

[@bryansproles2879]

Interessante Geschichte. Ich habe an Silvester Geburtstag :)

[@maggiegarber246]

Happy birthday! I read German better than I speak it.

[@klarasee806]

Herzlichen Glückwunsch nachträglich 🎉 Und ein frohes neues Jahr!

[@nickymouse1698]

❤-lichen Glückwunsch 🍀

[@bryansproles2879]

@@maggiegarber246 Vielen Dank! Same...I learned German on and off for years, but just don't have the time to really practice with people 😅

[@bryansproles2879]

@@klarasee806 Vielen Dank! Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr :)

[@hovanti]

Here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (a long time ago there were many Germans settlers here; many in my high school class had German names), many people still have a pork and sauerkraut meal on New Year's Day. I usually do, just because it's traditional.

[@stacyroberds1421]

Thank you for this great explanation. I’ve wondering about this for a while and you cleared up a few mysteries. ❤ Happy New Year!

[@dianapengitore8002]

I had never heard of Saint Sylvester even though I grew up in the Saarlaand region of Germany. Our traditional New years Eve meal consisted of pickled herring, boiled saltwater potatoes, and sour cream. Simple but good.

[@heidichalfant5643]

Thanks for sharing these traditions 🎊

[@GetGermanized]

My pleasure 😊

[@grewdan58]

My family is German American and I grew up with a traditional New Year's Day meal of boiled cabbage with potatoes and carrots. In the pot, a silver dollar coin was placed. Everyone would take turns spooning out a blend of cabbage, potatoes and carrots and whoever got the silver coin in their bowl was said to have "money all year". I still do that occassionally but no one in my household particularly cares for eating this.

[@ExtremeTeddy]

Ah, danke. Direkt im neuen Jahr etwas Wissenswertes gelernt 🥸

[@GetGermanized]

Das freut mich! :)

[@christiankastorf4836]

A Northern tradition has almost died out. It is called "Rummelpott" or even longer "Rummelpottlaufen". It means that children up to their teens put on funny costumes as people do on carnival and go from door to door to sing songs (in Low German) and collect goodies. They may use home-made percussion instruments or other sound making devices for that and that explains the name of that tradition. In the (very) old days they covered a pot with a firmly streched pig's bladder that has a stick poked through it. Today a thick plastic foil could serve the same purpose. When this stick is pulled up and down it causes a rumbling sound. Background? The same old thing: scaring away evil spirits by looking even more scary and making spooky sounds.

[@nathanlaird]

In action! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKqap2qJZ6aams0

[@eva-mariacoughlin9456]

Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr zu Allen! 🎉

[@GetGermanized]

Wünsche ich dir auch :)

[@marcello8129]

Happy Siklvester und guten Rutsch ins neuen Jahr!

[@GetGermanized]

Wünsche ich dir auch!

[@gogeek203]

Speaking of "A Dinner for One," I have a DVD copy of an old print (with graininess). The physical comedy is pitch-perfect, adding to the other humor. But< if you think about it, it is ultimately a sad scene, a widow that outlived her friends trying to have a yearly celebration with the only person with her, a slightly clumsy butler "James".

[@BeataBeata-v8i]

In Poland we also celebrate Sylwester. In here it even makes more sens as we celebrate sth like name day.

[@Walfischzahn]

Only a few decades ago this has also been the case in (at least many catholic dominated parts of) Germany. My parents still grew up celebrating their name day like we nowadays celebrate birthdays. Birthdays on the other hand weren't that important. My dad even had the wrong day of birth noted in his birth documents and no one bothered to correct it (so it seems like really no one cared much about birthdays...) And I got a major cultural shock after meeting the first persons outside my rural bubble that didn't even know their name day... 😆

[@AFGhaneAFGhane-k5m]

vielen Dank an den Channel ... nun habe ich endlich die Erklärung für Silvester ;) ... An Alle: Einen guten Rutsch ins Jahr 2025!!!

[@GetGermanized]

Wünsche ich dir auch :)

[@gogeek203]

I will remember "Guten Rutsch" and now I know why "Silvester" is called that.

[@RnR-Rebel]

Interesting as Constantine was a Pagan Pope😊. Love you showing all the German traditions,as that part of my family was very Americanised. I’m half Italian (like I’ve said I’ve got mongrel ancestry😂) & we do a similar spread on NYE. At midnight we bang pots and pans out the front & back doors at midnight (fireworks illegal in NY boooo) to rid the evil spirits, bring in the good! Frohe Sankt Sylvester Nacht! Jet 😘💚🥂

[@eva-mariacoughlin9456]

Wir hatten Herring Salat und Bowle, Berliners and Würstchen!

[@GetGermanized]

Lecker! :D

[@jakubzneba1965]

here in czechoslovak is it silvester too

[@nathanlaird]

English pointer: Constantine is pronounced ConstanTEEN. (last vowel short i, not long i). Thanks for the content, wish it were in German, but I understand you are reaching a wider audience with English.

[@nathanlaird]

A 4k version of Dinner for One was uploaded to KZbin about a year ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn3NgKKqmryNZ7c

[@ebtclayspr]

pork and sauerkraut new years day in pennsylvania

[@ralfs.6479]

Papst Silvester hat aber ganz sicher nie eine gotische Kathedrale von innen (oder auch nur von außen) gesehen... ;-)

[@GetGermanized]

Kreative Freiheit 😁

[@johngoebel7967]

I was wondering how my last name “goebel” is pronounced and the origination? Thanks john goebel

[@christiankastorf4836]

The "ö" or "oe" sounds like in English words girl, bird, purse, ....basically but as not as guttural ( a sound made down in your throat). Purse your lips and stretch the lower jaw forward and listen how that sound changes.

[@SunnyAquamarine2]

Silvestre

[@samuelzev4076]

Ich bin Katholisch aber ich hab niemals einen silvester Gottesdienst besucht. Bei meiner Familie ist es nicht etwas häufig.

[@So-Be-It_890]

Silvester

[@akhlaqkamyabi]

Das Bild von St.Silvester in der gotischen Kirche passt nich! Die gabs im 4. Jh. noch gar nich. Sondern erst gut 1000 Jahre später!

[@GetGermanized]

Creative license 😁