American reacts to 7 STRANGE things about Germany
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2024
- Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to 7 weird things in Germany! This was so fun. Thanks for watching. Go check out her channel: / hifromhamburg
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Fathers day is usually celebrated by fathers, they are coming together, put crates of beer or a barrel on a small cart and drag it with them, while doing a hike through the countryside. Although the cart gets lighter over time, walking in a straight line gets harder.
Exactly. This!
Not my experience at all. I'd say it is mostly young people who are going out drinking with their male and female friends. (Although still more men are doing it) I rarely see groups of older men taking part. And if so, they are doing a cicling tour or something, without heavy drinking.
this! 100%
and when their sons try to join in it’s usally “you dont have kids yet!” xD
@@jakob_se A cycling tour of older men ALWAYS includes heavy drinking. Thats half the fun.
I havent seen them on father day either, tho.
The equally paying thing in dates is indeed an equality thing, as generally neither the man wants to feel like the walet of his date and nor the woman wants to be an object that can be bought.
This is something, that has developed over the last decades, as the classical family has been "the man provides the money and the woman cares about the kids" for a long time before
Very true
The way I always viewed the birthday cake thing is "Hey it's my birthday and I want to celebrate it with you guys here have some cake" instead of this weird expectation that other people are supposed to bring you cake or whatever I always found that presumptuous.
But I'm also an introvert so if it's my birthday and I don't want to celebrate I just don't bring cake instead of having to smile my way through and fake gratitude for a cake and attention I didn't want. 😁
And you don't end up being disapointed, if noone brings you a cake. :D
Think about it: You brought the cake, so now everybody who didn't know your birthday comes up to you or your co-workers and asks about the reason you brought it; then you get to rub into the faces of everybody aroung you that today is YOUR birthday. so it's actually kind of an egotistical thing to do, but germans have their pride I guess.
@@fatal97493 It's not, it's just culture.
You could also say, letting other people bring you a cake or any present is egoistic.
@@fatal97493 lol seriously?
@@fatal97493 And people who bring and share cookies around christmas do it to rub in everyone's face that it is their Christmas by your logic. It is simply the polite thing to do.
As a woman i always felt like i owed something to the guy if i let him pay for drinks. So i definitely preferred paying for my own stuff for that reason....
It is exactly that.
Yes! And the more I like the guy the more I want to pay for my self
Same here and it has been different its not a cultural thing that we want to pay now. I think it changed in the last 20 yrs, right?
@@jinx.h. It probably changed in the 80s or 90s.
So true! Especially during the first dates. My actual boyfriend and I share almost everything. So, we do share the bill. Funny thing.... He sometimes pays the bill in secret, just due to... reasons? Dunno ^^ Well, I guess he loves me. xD
Btw. I live in Austria, but I think there isn't much of a difference between Germany and Austria when it comes to that point.
I guess the difference between knocking and clapping here in Germany is more the difference between professional appreciation and private one. Knocking is more subtle (for rooms nearby) and clapping is more a sign of fun and excitement.
It's maybe just a practical question. In a classroom everone has his own big enough desk to lay down books and papers. At university the space in the auditorium is often limited. Sometimes the students have to sit or stand on the stairs. You need both hands if you want to clap them. But what do you do with your script, which you kept in your hands the whole time? For knocking you only need one hand.
I always felt very academic and adult when knocking in Germany 😄
Back than as a starter at uni, my conclusion to that question was, that you already can start packing your stuff together while "applauding" with one hand instead of two.
I did the math for 100 students knocking 3 times per day, 150 days per year, for three years (bachelor) and for a duration of 5 seconds. All students together save almost 8 full days doing better stuff. 🙂
@@thomasl.7700 Are you Computer Science Student? xD
@@psyview4188 No, bioprocess engineer :)
It's like buying everyone a drink, just with cake. And I don't buy it. I bake it myself and enjoy watching all of them trying to be polite and at the same time desperately avoiding to be the first to try the cake. Usually they behave like wolves as soon as the first brave soul declared it to be great. :-)
Clapping means "nice show, I enjoyed watching".
Knocking means "thank you so much for teaching and answering questions, my knowledge is increased now".
That's also what our prof. told us.
I think the paying on a date thing was never that strict to begin with in germany. When I go out with my friends, it's the norm that we don't split the bill by the number of people, no everybody pays what they had. The waiter makes the round and everybody says what they had, the waiter crosses the things off his bill and you pay your amount + a tip. It's more complicated that way but also its fair cause you pay what you had. And when you go on a date you expect to pay for your own food unless you or the other half says no I got this, I invite you. And next time you return the favor
Yep same here I think it's great we have a KASA where after we all eat we just go up and say what we had. They will still bring a bill to the table but that's more for working out who had what.
Same, also nobody will end up in a pinch at the end of a date or get together, because somebody else overspent. Leaves the mood light and fluffy
Also, that means more tips for the waiters ;)
That sums it up preatty good, but I would say in a relationship the man pays mor often
@@caked3953 I would say that depends. My husband and I for example only have one bank account so in reality it doesn't matter who pays. He still pays more often for the simple reason that I tend to forget my wallet at home or in the car. So he's got me covered 🥰
About paying on a date depends on how it started. If it is like "Shall we go to a movie and have a dinner before" costs are split. If one says: "Would you like to have a dinner with me." it is an invitation. There are nuances of course, but in general it depends if there was an invitation.
I was surprised when I found out Americans don’t shave their armpits.
The birthday thing is semi true, like u get a cake from your family + you bake a cake, muffins or bring candy for your class or your coworkers.
And I was surprised when I found out that German "men" more and more turn into the puppets of their female masters.
So, please get your purse and wait in the car for me!
I am German and I don't shave my armpits, and I am not the only one - trust me! What the heck are you talking about, it's not against the law having hairy armpits in this land. The Gilette advertisements may make you believe that everyone does, but it is *far* away from the truth!
@@stefankaiser3354 really ? I thought by now all German men would shave their armpits because it's more hygienic.
@@grandmak. It has nothing to do with hygiene. Do you shave your head because hair gets dirty and sweaty? No you don't, because most people shower everyday and the sweat and dirt will be washed off, before it starts to stink.
@@grandmak. I can see the benefits, but haven't tried it yet. Maybe I will during this university semester.
The cake thing is not sad, it's you bringing something to share with your friends to have a little celebration! I mean If you throw a party your providing the cake for your guests also. We apply the same concept here. Also you can bring your favorite cake and your coworkers might not know you well enough and bring a cake you don't even like. Or they just buy a half ass meh cake because they feel like they have to. No girl I'd rather make my favorite, share it with everybody and we have a good time! I'f you truly WANT to gift me something, you can buy me a small gift. I like it better that way :) and you always make everybody's day when they get a pice of cake, which in return makes your day
That is even very good in a greater company: Nearly every day there is free cake.
Well, it can be difficult, when you want to loose weight.
@@HalfEye79 well its simply dont eat to much or you need Sport for a month
To me it is like "HEY everybody it's my birthday, come shower me with gifts!!"
@@Paul_Waller Except for that fact that literally NOBODY expects a gift.
I don't know many men, who shave their arm pits in Germany. My brother did it for a while, but I think, he stopped doing it. Most men definitely don't shave their arm pits, I'd say. But as she said, she is talking about Millenials and potentially even younger men, so it might be a thing in a different age group then the one, I'm in. I think it's strange!
I am 24 and I know no men who shaves their armpits. 🤷🏻♂️
I thin she mentioned Hamburg (not sure), so maybe it is a thing for over-culturized beeings... I am from germany too, and know just a hand full of men who shaves their Armpits, but the few i know are ... i do not want to offend someone, but they are Gay or into this relativ new term of metrosexuality...
I have no problem with them, they should do how they want to do, but i maybe have a problem with the message of that Video from that girl at all: she has not been in german society at all, just in in little bubble of a very little small group of specific personalitys, i guess, that showed most of her "strange things"
I learned to knock after a presentation in elementary school. I think it is a more pleasant sound in a full room :)
Regarding father's day: Some call it men's day, because men who aren't father's wanna drink too. And I think that's more accurate.
Also its Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) and only is used as mens/fathersday 😋
Many people celebrate it like that. I however would always visit my father for father's day. First we gather the family, then we have coffee and cake. And after the coffee partnwe open up the first round of Augustiner Helles, which usually doesn't end after the first one😂
@@ebilknub7308 Exactly! Basically there's mother's day and then fathers were jealous and made a public holiday their day and then childless men became jealous and followed suit.
@@brittches Yes, that's how it evolved.
Mother's Day was an invention of the flower industry to boost sales.
When that had settled in, father's also wanted to have their proper day and began to meet with other fathers (and later also just men and boys) to have some fun. Initially, they just hung around in bars, but then, they adopted the fashion to use a cart full of alcohol and take a longer walk with the aim to get drunk.
The cart thing was a principle that already was done on May 1st (labour day) and for "Kohlgang" (a walk with a cart full of alcohol and many silly games to a restaurant, where a traditional kale dish, "Grünkohl mit Pinkel" or "Grünkohl mit Brägenwurst", depending on the region, is served and where people would dance and, by yet some other games, determine the "Kohlkönig" or a "Kohlkönigin" - a kale king or queen - who would need to take care of organising next year's "Kohlgang"). The latter one is only traditional in the very North of Germany.
@@brittches Its not really jealousy but thats kinda how it went, yes.
Usually the man asks, if it's okay, if he pays. It's an equality thing. In former days, the man used to pay for the date, but nowadays it could be understand as offensive, if you pay without asking.
Greetings from Germany 😊
Its not only a equality thing either, same goes for friendships.
I was the first one in my friend group that got a reasonably paid job (short term) and we decided to go to a bar together.
At the end of the evening we decided to go and i said i go to the toilet but like the sneaky boy i am i did go to the counter and paid in full.
Nobody was angry, but i got weird looks because everybody expected to either split or pay for themselves (i mean we were students)
I've never shaved my armpit and if you bring your own birthday cake you can be sure that it tastes well better than everything your friends and collegues will serve....
The cake thing is quite normal. Here in Portugal we bring our own cake and champagne for work on our birthday. Our bosses or our managers and co-workers sing to us the birthday song and we celebrate together. At night it's family and friends' time to celebrate with us, but we buy our own cake too. 🎂😁
Lots of German stuff also applies to the Netherlands: Why would guys get ingrown hair after shaving? Women also don’t get that 🤷🏼♀️ I think it’s nice and fresh to have shaved armpits. Some men here do it but apparently not so much as Germany. About the birthday cake: as the birthday person you treat others, so you bring cake to work or kids bring treats to school for the other children. Or you invite people to your house, and make sure there is cake and other things to eat. We don’t drink on Father’s Day though! We just give our dad a gift 🤷🏼♀️ in the Netherlands though we say ‘congratulations with birthday boy/girl’ to all relatives, friends, etc so when you visit a birthday party you end up congratulating a lot of people, foreigners always find that weird about us dutchies 😅
Why would you shave your armpits as a man? I don't understand and don't know anyone who does this, except women.
@@hansgans297 same reason as women? Why would there be difference between them?
@@hansgans297 So why would women do that? What kind of double standard do you go by?
Haha, I also tend to congratulate the parents for their child's birthday.. Idk, just makes sense to me.
And I brought cute small cakes to school for some friends a few times, also just makes sense to me, just a little gift.
I don’t know any Dutch men who shave their armpits but I know many who trim it with clippers.
When we still met in the office one thing I always loved about birthdays was the surprise what somebody would bring. Because you bring the type of cake or pastry or whatever you like yourself. One of my collegues made cream torte, another one muffins and a third one köfte.
And I mean you make it, buying it instead of something homemade is just sad. And yes, I also baked the day before when it was my turn.
The thing with the birthday cake is, if it's your birthday, you treat the others. The others might give you presents, but you are in charge of cake, food and drinks at a party, or for cake/other treats at work or at school. It's great, cause you will have your favorite cake on your birthday! And when it's an other person's birthday, you don't have to talk to everyone about who gets the cake, who pays for it, how is everybody contributing etc. Sounds complicated and horrible!
The birthday cake you bring to work is like a kind gesture for your colleagues. Its not a sad thing because its not meant to be your own birthday cake but its a gift for others!
On Father´s Day we meet with friends and walk around the City pulling a small wagon full with Beer and all alcoholic Drinks you like, sometimes with loud music or a Grill for BBQ!
I think us Germans just like to pay for ourselves, not only on dates but also when I meet up with some friends to hang out, everyone pays for their own meal, everyone gets their own cinema tickets, everyone buys their own booze and in the rare case theres just one bill one person pays and the other ones PayPal him the exact amount
In my middle European country you would get “shamed” for not bringing snacks and/or cake to work for birthday. In a joke kind of way, but everyone would expect some snacks, even ask you what you are planning so that they don’t need to bring lunch. In return, of course, everyone chips in with a few Euros for a present.
Legally, Germany has no "Father's day". People just use "Christi Himmelfahrt" (Ascension Day), which is a public holiday for that day. But that "tradition" has literally started less than 20 years ago to be widespread in Germany (might have been a localized thing for longer).
yeah, I remember that before it became this widespread thing, there were already some people doing that, but they were looked at as kinda weird...
Knocking on your desk or table after a lecture or a speech is quite the acadamic way of appreciation. It is also done at Gymnasiums, perhaps less often than at University or other academic or quite formal surroundings. Clapping is more common in entertainment situations, like concerts, shows, opera, etc.
Fathers day is Ascension day. In the 70ies, we met with the family and/or friends, decorated our bikes with birch brunches and had a long bike tour. In most villages, at least in front of the local pub, were beer stands. And somehow, over the years, this day developed into a drinking bike tour for fathers and other men (mostly younger ones, with the excuse, they maybe fathers, but nobody told them). At that day, you'll find beerstands everywhere in the countryside. Driving a car at that day is really annoying because bunches of drunken men riding their bikes at the streets
Yes, that's something she failed to mentioned. Germans don't celebrate Father's Day on the same day Americans do.
Exactly. It’s a christian holiday, and most men just took it to have a reason to get drunk. I hate it. Going to work and having problems avoiding groups of drunken men everywhere. And later at work having to put back together said men… it has not turned into a nice tradition
Everyone benefits from bringing cake, almost every week someone has a birthday. Often you bring a big breakfast spread instead, school or work and definitely you offer cake etc when you invite people. Conversely you get tons of invitations too. It’s a fair and fun way to do it and nobody forgets your birthday 🥳
What she means is the Fathers spend Fathers day amongst each other, instead of with their Families. Though I have seen that shift in Northern germany. but the "Beerwagons" are still a thing: At 10 AM (latest) you see these huge Horsedrawn Wagons with like 20 Dads in there and they are all probably on beer 3 right now.
You knock on the table in university, because you can keep taking notes that way. It is more a "oh, yeah, good, let's move on".
You bring the cake because you are the host of the celebration, that’s why we do it. If you host a birthday party, you buy the drinks etc.
Yes, the birthday person brings the birthday cake to work as some sort of invitation. Ususally you get flowers or a bottle of wine or something else as a birthday present from your company or peers (with or without bringing a cake)
your "Hallo" gets better everytime i watch, btw i'm a german so, Hallo von Deutschland.
also love your reactions on facts about germany
On Father’s Day, the dad’s meet up and go on a trip. In the western rural area I live in, it is pretty common, either to add a trailer to your bicycle and go for a bike ride with beer, or one (non drinking) drives a tractor and the dads are in the covered wagon in the back, sitting on benches, blasting loud music, drinking cold beer and having fun.
The knocking in Uni is cool! The sound is amazing.
It's a very old tradition.
I am not sure how other men do it, but I personally use my beard trimmer to cut my armpit hair so at a minimum it is a stubble. No ingrown hair their. I let it grow a bit then until it feels strange to put on deodorant(I use a roll on) an letting it grow that it sticks out like you told is an absolute no no for me.
About who pays on a date, it really depends on the nature of the outing and the stage of the relationship.
If we both decided together to go on some activity (museum, movies, whatever) and then grab dinner/lunch at a place we decided together upon, I would say it's a situation where you split the bill naturally. If on the other hand he surprises me with a dinner date at some special place or explicitly invites me to take me out for dinner, I would feel it's understood he's taking the bill, because I would presume otherwise I should at least have had the chance to decide on the price range of the place we're going to. What if I can't afford the place he picked? So that's why in that case I would say, you picked this place, we are here, either you pay, or we're going somewhere we both can afford.
Then the question of the relationship status. I would absolutely not have a guy pay for me who I'm just in the process of getting to know and who I'm not sure yet I'm going to actually date or not. Well, maybe he could treat me to a 3 Euro coffee, but a full dinner and drinks. No way. If he's going to spend that much on a woman he hardly knows, there will be some kind of 'expectation' behind that, and I'd rather not run into that kind of situation if I'm not sure yet I'm open to it too. Once you're in a relationship I'd gladly let my partner treat me, but I'd also make sure to return the favor i a way we'd mostly be even if I can. It should be a mutual thing.
Among platonic friends, clearly everyone just pays what they consumed or between very good friends you can split the bill evenly (that doesn't work with all Germans, mind. some will go and whine that they didn't have this or that food and why should they pay a part of that. so really you can only do that financially stable and close people).
Popular among friend is also (for example at a bar)
I pay this round of drinks
you pay this round of drinks
third dude pays the third....
and if the evening ends before everyone had "their share"
the next time you go to a bar that person pays for the third.
At the end of the day its equal to everybody pays their bill but its irrelevant if someone "lags behind".
And what i also know well is when a friend say "Bruh its the end of the month im broke" but i desperately want to go watch the football game with my buddy i just pay for it....
"I gottu fam". I call it *egoistic altruism* lmaooo
The fee students have to pay per semester is not solely for the university, it also gives them a ticket for public transportation for the whole semester.
The knocking isn’t exclusive to university, we also do it in school
The concept of dating is in general not a german thing, it came with the influence american cutlure. Germans don't date traditionally, they hang out. Therefore you wouldn't ask someone for a date, but rather , hey wanna grab a coffee or wanna go to the club or wann do this or that. If the man pays or not is usually determined how the male aks the female for a "date". If he asks, "would you go and eat lunch with me", the bill would be shared. If he would aks, "can i treat you with lunch" (einladen), than the he already states his intention to pay for it. But that is just a generalisation of how it could be. In germany there are way less rules how a "date" should be. You can pick up the girl, but you can just meet at a location, you can have sex at the first "date" or after a couple of weeks or even months. You may pay or share, it depends on both, the male and the female. It makes everything easier and harder at the same time, since you don't have to follow a "guide", but rather have to figure out what the other person expects/likes and how comfortable both of you are with the "action" taken.
To put it in other words, usually germans rather try to become friends and then decide to enter a relationship when there is mutual attraction.
The birthday rule of thumb is: The person who wants to celebrate provides the cake.
It depends very much on the workplace if you are expected to bring a cake - sometimes it is the custom, sometimes it is a surprise for your coworkers. If you bring a cake, it should be baked by you yourself and big enough to provide a piece for everyone. If you can't do that, you should rather buy some Plunder in the bakery than to pretend you made a bought cake yourself. ("Plunder" is in this case a Danish pastry; the word can however also translate as clutter or junk.)
Father's Day is celebrated at the Catholic holiday Ascension Thursday (which is a public holiday in all states in Germany), 40 days after Easter. In the more atheistic East it is also called Lord's Day or Men's Day, and the "Herrentagspartie" is the main custom (Partie here old-fashioned for tour), but that men's tour or father's day excursion is now done all over Germany. It started presumably in the late 19th century around Berlin, initiated by some breweries: A group of fathers and sometimes (originally often) their nearly adult sons meet to make an excursion with a handcart loaded with beer barrels or crates of beer. At the end of the day the barrels and bottles are empty and the "fathers" are full. (Nowadays you see also groups of younger not-quite-fathers paying homage to the tradition, but originally it should be the fathers doing most of the drinking.)
If you are a man inviting a woman to date (or a woman inviting a man), you pay. If you only agreed to meet at that or that place, it depends. If you meet regularly (or the relation is growing), you often arrange (tacitly) to pay together, but to take turns ("you can pay the next time").
The knocking is an old custom of academical applause, but its origins are obscure. A similar form of applause is known from medieval times for brave men and brave deeds; but there is also the explanation, that students in former times only had one hand free for applaus, because the other was occupied with quill or pen.
Oh, Bacholerette Parties do that too. You often see them in the trains in Hamburg, going from place to place, the bride is often dressed s a fairy of something really kitsch like that and they sell you paper flowers, or shots, or anything like that.
I did _not_ do that, I very expressly forbid my female friends (Which granted, weren't many) to throw one for my, as did my Hubby. We had our wedding, which is what we wanted and we are both pretty introverted so a wild night of partying is pretty much boh our worst nightmare and our friends thankfully know that
On Father's Day, many men are out and about in groups on horse-drawn carriages or in groups on brightly decorated bicycles, which often have bicycle trailers with crates of beer and other large quantities of alcohol, which are then drunk on the way.
Regarding the issue with bring your own birthday cake at work is more about privacy. For instance myself does not regularly celebrate its birthday neither does any of my coworker knows my birthday. So it is up to me to invite them to celebrate with me and I will bring a cake. I would feel coerced into celebrating if someone else would bring a cake to celebrate my birthday. If I invited them to my birthday party this would be something else. So the only third party cake I could accept would be one organized by the Human Resources team or my direct collegues who may know my birthday ;)
That's what I thought. Co-workers usually don't know about anyone elses birthday. Bringing a cake is kind of letting them know ''it's my birthday today''. If you don't want anyone to know or don't care you simply don't bring a cake. :)
As a german non athlete or swimmer I also cut my armpit hair each weak. It feels just more hygienic.
In Slovakia we also don't wish a happy birthday before that day, it would be like congratulate to someone for winning a race that didn't happen yet, or for getting a job they don't have yet. You don't celebrate a thing before actually achieving it. Also, what if you jinx it and the person actually won't live to their birthday. I think that in the past people were dying more easily than we do for many reasons, they were really superstitious, because they didn't have our healthcare or safety, so they could only rely on the superstitions and hoping they will be lucky enough. So people were literally celebrating only after living up to their birthday, celebrating surviving another year and their age going +1.
And we also bring a cake to work or some sweets to schoolmates when it's our birthday, because we want to celebrate it with them and they are our guests. They will give you flowers, chocolate or a small gift too. If you are having a celebration at home or restaurant or whatever, people can bring you a cake too as a gift, usually parents (or grandparents) to their child.
When I lived in Northern Germany the person celebrating the birthday pays for drinks etc and gives small gifts.
The thing with the cake at work is just efficient. So nobody needs to organise a present together with other colleagues for someone. Not everybody knows the date of the Birthday of every collegue, but you know your own😅
When it comes to paying, its about partnership and as a Woman you don‘t want to owe something to someone you don‘t know yet…
Birthday cake 🎂: you take it to your office as a gift for your colleagues because it’s your birthday. it’s like inviting your colleagues to a drink when you’re out at the bar and it’s your birthday.
the knocking on the table is so that you dont have to put down your pen to cheer for someone. knocking is done with the left hand on the table while your right hand holds the pen our what ever. we also did that in school, not just university.
It is discussed that the circumcision could be against the law because it could be Mayhem ( sorry if I didn’t spell that correctly).
13:42 Knocking is an accepted form of clapping almost everywhere in germany and is usually used when sitting at a table
Of course the birthday person provides for the cake.
It's like giving a birthday party!
Here in Belgium our kids take candy with on their birthday to share with their class mates.
Lamblike is nice. After having a lot of subscribers she went away for 2 years and came back only recently. Then she changed her name because she no longer wanted to be a weak animal. But now she is back in old strength. She is a great story teller, and she got hit by a car when she rode her bike.
Babies are not sedated when circumcised, because that could kill them. They are getting an unnecessary operation - which is also always risky - unsedated, on one of the most sensitive parts of their body.
This is traumatic. And contrary to popular belief it's not okay because they won't remember, actually, it's worse.
The first 4 years of life are the most important regarding brain development. Now, if the rest of early childhood is safe and nurturing, the damage caused by this can be rectified. But if it is not and or the child has genetic predispositions for certain mental disorders, this can fuck up that child for life.
And all of this on basically half the US population, for essentially cosmetic reasons. It's actually absolutely horrific.
It's one of these things humanity will one day look back upon and not comprehend how we could ever be okay with that.
You're absolutly right about everything you said! 👏🏼
With the birthday cake, its mostly like at home you get your cake from family and freinds. But you also have cake there for vistors or so, that everybody gets a piece of a cake. And if you go to work or school you bring cake, mostly something fruit or try, nothing with creme stuff (transport). For your colleges. Sometimes they already prepared birthday table for you in the kitchen or on your desk, with a little cake and a candle to blow. I rember my 40th b-day, they had a little cake with some smallcandels in it, some cholates around and other 40th decorations tuff (konfetti), so it was very very nice. And they all sing Happy Birthday. And i also brought Buxtehude Butterkuchen (Buxtheude is a town clsoe to hamburg, and butterkuchen is Buttercake, is flat cake with a crust out of butter, almonds and sugar), everybody loves it.
But in offices it is espected you bring cake and or cookies. So the best to work at an office, theres always some cake. Sometimes on comapny i worked at, they brought breakfeast, little bread (brötchen). But it is espected that the b-day person brings food. and then gets mostly a present.
In my last company we always sat together in the afternoon for an hour eat cake have coffee and little chit chat to celebrate the b-day. was always nice. It was a smal comany so mostly just 10 people, but i think its nice, and makes the work enviorment nicer.
Dating and paying is more like since for some years that women want to pay for sameselfs. equal rights etc. Some expect the men to pay, others share other to once hime next time her. But its a thing sine some years. Womens rights, and since women are aloud to work and have owne bank accounts
Bachlor and bachloretts in Hamburg? Its like a plauge sometimes, they are all over. Try to sell you drinks or collectin kisses or crazy stuff. from spring to fall they are everywhere, just like insects. And mostly they are not from here. Many came from UK, and the start drinking around noon, and at night the go to the Reeperbahn... more drinks, stripclubs and stuff.
I work in a middle-sized company. We have a kitchen there, where we meet each other during the day. Every week there is one ore two days when somebody invites everyone for a cake, a huge salad, sausage with mustard and prezel or anything else, because it is her or his birthday. So everybody in the company know that it's your birthday, celebrates your birthday and has something to eat. When you are at home, it is a different story. Within your falmily someone else bakes you a birthday cake for sure. This is the same as by you guys in the states. But outside of the familiy usually you invite other people. Otherwise only a few peers would know, that today it is your birthday. This would be sad, would't it?
In Europe normally only muslim or jewish people are circumsized. ...or a serious genital disease forces you to do it - which is rather rare. I think the Jews introduced that to America. Wow, I didn't know you were all circumcised. How so? You don't have that belief.
We don't want to disempower women and dead caring about them. We want a partnership in which everyone cares. I care about you and you care about me. That's how partnership works all over the world and that's how we want to start it from the beginning. Getting to know each other is about the mutual pleasure, the heart and not about who pays whose bill.
Normally German university students and soldiers knock with the middle joints of the right hand (not with both hands) on the table and don't clap there hands.
Until the number of people in our department group got excessive we practices buying a round of pastries and small cakes, or even a cheese cake or if willing to spend more even like a Black Forest cake, on our birthday for our colleagues to share at morning tea break. Even a few extra pieces for important colleagues of other departments were usually allowed for.
Once it got to well over 50 servings, as our office group got larger, we reduced the extent covered until then it was sort of standard. Then it became optional, and over several years faded to almost nothing or restricted to much smaller team groups.
We were a local, Australia, branch of a German Multinational.
While on temporary assignment in Germany this was also common for smaller sub groups of colleagues but not office wide. I however did score big in approval, as I bought cakes, soft drink, water, wine, spirits and nibbles (nuts, crisps cheese etc) at end of my 4 months working there before returning to Australia, the entire office celebrated nearly 1 hr.
Note even alcohol was permitted in office, no one abused that privilege by over use. That went down well to even senior dept managers. I was well known on future visits, always well treated. That expense at near AU$350 paid dividends. Cake on my birthday was more limited to about 20 people, but also went down well, as I included all I had been working with from mechanics to test technicians, as well as engineers and managers. Far wider range than most did, who generally limited at direct engineer colleagues.
In my office we got pretty drunk one time when my female coworker and head of department brought several bottles of vodka into the office as a substitute for the birthday cake and the hole office got pretty drunk at noon and nobody was able continuing to work this day
This was the last time of excessive drinking at work besides Christmas coffee mixed with Rum breaks right before Christmas
I usually bring the leftover cake to work the day after, and if i work on my birthday i used to bring a big pot of chilly
The per Semester fee of roughly 350€ isn't a tuition fee. It subsidises your cheap lunch breaks on campus aswell as free public transport in the state/district your University is in.
Fathersday in south bavaria mostly looks like this: SONS and Fathers (somethimes grandfathers, so the fathers father too) spend the time, take a "Bierkasten" 24x 0,5L Beer -on trolly and hike to a nice place where they just have a good time, drink some beer and do whatever.
- Growing up in Germany I often was like "WHY do I have to make my own birthday cake?".
- Knocking on wood (wooden table) brings luck and success.
Great video man! I recommend you watching „14 things I see in my german neighborhood“ by TreyDaze, could be interesting to watch😊
Fathers day is a day _for_ fathers.
For _them_ to have fun and enjoy themselves and can do whatever they want at this one day.
Sometimes they go for walks with a crate of beer in a handcart. 😁
Fathers day is also called Mens day in Germany. People usually just go for a hike with their friends and get drunk in the forest.
7:40 thats it! On fathers day there are all over the place groups from 10-20 men with loud music drinking😄 and most of the arent even men, they‘re 16 year old boys who are annoying everyone
When I was in middle school we knocked as well, so it's not just a university thing. It just depends on what you prefer or what the teacher does. If the teacher starts to clap, the class will also clap.
7:56 ;) true - In the South the typical thing would be depending on the age of those who celebrate: 16-40 it is like a young fathers meet-up, without the children, roaming in the countryside with a hand cart, filled to the brim with beer :)
Others use the day to go for a family hike, as fathers day is always on Ascension a public holiday.
Above around 40 one has enough of carrying things around in a hand cart and they would take a hike and have made sure that there are many pubs along the route ;)
I have a different view on the "cake thing". If it is my birthday, I will invite my family and friends to gather for "Kaffee und Kuchen". (Our Coffee and Cake tradition in the afternoons, very similar to the 5 o'clock tea in England), and I will bake one or two cakes. They will come and party with me, and bring along birthday presents. My cake is just the way to say "thank you all for beeing here and bringing your suprise gifts!" It is about the balance between giving and taking.
Co workers... well... most Germans (at least the ones I know) will not tell their date of birthday at work or share it with colleagues. Germans tend way more to differ between work and private life than Americans do. A birthday is something very private and for a lot of Germans not the business of co workers at all. Sometimes when being friends and working together very closely they will, but usually they won't celebrate their birthday at work.
Fathers day literally something like "Daddies day off" here in germany. So you gather all your buddies, load a handcart full of bottles, go hiking or just take a little stroll and enjoy nature outside while steadily getting more and more intoxicated.
" just take a little stroll and enjoy nature outside while steadily getting more and more intoxicated"
Beautifully said.
With the paying: I don’t entirely know if the men paying was never part of my/German culture.
But from my own experience it’s normally generally split the bill and also if you go to dinner with your family it’s not always the father that pays. In fact most commonly at least in my family my mother or grandmother pays and they often even refuse my dad or grandpa to pay when they try to.
So although my dad and grandpa sometimes pay it’s really more common for my mother or grandmother to pay. So yeah I know going out to restaurants as a family is different than going out on a date but I guess it shows a little bit of the culture when it’s completely normal for my 90 year old grandparents that my grandmother pays. And yeah outside of family dinners I never really hear of the men having to pay, you always split the bill.
It was a german custom as well, but it didnt only include dates but basically most leisure activities.
More often than not the oldest man at the table paid, no matter the occasion. It was simply assumed they are the ones most well off (because there were actually a point in time where decades of work accumulated to at least decent financial stability)
It is exactly like you said. People are expecting you to bring your birthday cake. Maybe even more than one if your company or your department is large.
I am a German. Can completely not agree with Number 1 and 4 but I want to mention I am born in the mid 1960‘s. Maybe today it’s like she is telling and I missed it 😂
Fathersday you go with friends and filled up Bollerwagen in the woods
I love your channel
hey love your reactions! I would love for you to react to a video by "passport for two" about baby and giving birth in Germany. Would love your thoughts on that
In Germany on father's day many men celebrate themselves as if "hey, I am a father or I can be a father so that's a reason to celebrate my ability"
The knockong instead of clapping is not just a university thing. It's just not as loud but just as expressive as clapping.
I seriously never noticed this cake thing. I mean yes you bring your own candy or cake to share with your class, but I never thought that other countries might find that weird.
14:00 we knock on the tables at the end of an Uni lesson instead of clapping because it's more practicle. You can still write with one hand while knocking with the other one to pay respect and gratefullness
Another small thing: The fee for our Uni includes a Studententicket which allows you to take all trains and busses (exept ICE) in your Bundesland (Well at least thats the Case in Niedersachsen) so when I took "a few years off" after school, I just started "studying" at the Uni which allowed me to be mobile AND to have a hole free remsume! Dropping out off Uni is better than having a 3 Year hole. :D Ay I mean 800 per year was not bad for all that I got!
Encountering bachelor(-ette) parties can be quite fun. Sometimes the prospective bride or groom gets sent out on a treasure hunt. One EXTREMELY drunk (and equally embarrassed) soon-to-be husband approached me asking - in mixed German and English - if I had a tampon I was willing to give him, so he could cross it of his list... :-)
So about the "free health care":
Someone who works with a normal salary between 2300-2800 (gross) pays approximately 200.- for the health insurance. Your employer also pays the same amount. (If you are self-employed you obviously have to pay the whole 400.- but most of the time people then have private insurance which costs minimum around 600.- EUR every month). Your insurance pays almost everything (treatment, physician visits) that is needed to be done (including broken bones, pregnancy, ...) most of the time you pay a small part of a treatment, like if you get medication from the pharmacy with most insurances ask you to pay minimum 5.- EUR otherwise 10% but maximum 10.- EUR and for treatment in a hospital for every day (maximum for 28 days, after that you don't pay more) 10.- EUR.
Oh and I didn't want to say we have to pay so much for our health, I just wanted to explain how it works. The money for healthcare does not come (only) from taxes but as far as I know every insurance gets a percentage of the taxes to use for their "costumers".
So, I'm a native German and I want to explain 2 things you misunderstood.
First one: Fathersday. It's not a drinking celebration where you drink without your Father XD
With young children, you still celebrate it with your family. But it developed more and more to... kind of "one day vacation" for fathers. Where they catch up with the guys again, go out, hang around the pups or go wandering and take a beer crate with them. Just like the days they don't were married and have kids.
second: the "knocking thing". Initially, it was a business thing. I think it should look more "noble" to knock on the table, when you like something very much that was said, than clapping your hands enthusiastically and looking like a seal waiting for the ball to play. If you agree with something that was said, you just knock twice with your knuckle. So basically the students "steal" it from business people, because they think it looks nobler as well.
I can explain the knocking thing in university, usually you'd take notes and the professor finishes but you're still writing so you have only one free hand. You knock on the table while finishing taking your notes.'
It's practical to split the pay. The general rule around here (Heidelberg/Baden-Württemberg) is that whoever proposed the date covers the entire bill, specially if it's in a more formal restaurant or a more expensive place like the movies though it's polite to offer to split the bill (pay for what you got) OR offer to cover the drinks, which you'll often be taken up on. The idea of always being paid for is appealing to women but many take offense to the assumption while men typically don't expect to be paying for everything. It's also common to settle who pays before the date while setting it to avoid any issues during the date!
Friends dutch pay generally unless it's a special occasion, married couples will have one person paying everything but the concept of shared bank accounts is so common here that it's still essentially both paying.
I've only had to shave my armpit once in my life, when I had a skin infection and the dermatologist advised me to do so. It may be that this is a thing with the younger generation, but it is not common in the 50+ generation! 😁
Very normal in Germany, walking in parks or even along forest paths to buy refreshments or snacks, ice cream, hot dog, grilled sausages, hot potato chips (French fries) or such foods and a drink be it water, soda or a nice 0.5L beer. Then sit on park/track side bench, tables or even just the grass and consume what you bought. No restriction on Alcoholic drinks, all enjoying time outdoors.
All my boyfriends were uncircumsized and whenever I talked to friends who were circumsized, they always said that they are less sensitive in that area and that it's more difficult for them to come :/
That's the part of the "Religions reasons" that are left and why it is still made to most boys in the US. You want to take fun out of sex. So you hope they will not mastrubate so often and therefore "not sin so often". It is the "modern form" of telling the boys they will get blind if they mastrubate.
But a lot of women probably like it because of the less sensible penis you will not come so quickly. If you come at all and have enough fun to want to make sex at all. Otherwise you may need harder sex that can be discomfortable for the woman or lead to homosexuality. Think for yourself, why. ;-)
Right. In Germany, only boys, who need to be circumsized because of medical reasons are - plus, of course, those, where it's for religious reasons, if the parents decide for it.
I did have one boyfriend, who had it because of a phimosis, and he was lacking the protection of the foreskin. So, yes, in some situations it was more an sensitive, while at the same time, the skin around the glans was a little hardened.
But, I also had another boyfriend, whose parents had chosen not to treat the real bad phimosis, and he was in agony during sex. Never got, why he would choose not to getting treated.
So, yes, for medical reasons, it does make sense, for religious reasons, one could have this or that opinion about that custom, but it is, at least, a rule here that it has to be done by a qualified doctor in a medically hygienic setting. But for other reasons, no, a circumcision would not be advised or performed, usually. It's rather seen as a mutilation of a baby that couldn't defend itself. If there's no valid reason for it, just don't do that!
I am a quite taken aback about the reaction to this point, as well.
In the beginning of that chapter, he was acting like "What? You mutilate babies? Babies??", as you would expect from a father of a little baby. But when it came to that point, he was just like "Well, as everybody does that to their baby boys, we just do that and it's hard to stop." WTH?!? Start stopping it, then! Stand up for your babyboy and stop that unnecessary mutilation! Just be a good father and be strong and protective!
That's such a double-standard there... 😞
Same goes for the shaving of the armpits: Why would you expect women to shave, while, at the same time, not wanting to do so yourself? And, no, the ingrown hair stuff is not a reason, just a lame excuse!
Yeah the birthday cake thing is a bit different. It doesnt need to be cake specifically, but you have to bring food to work and shool, too. Can be candy, pizza, cake, pencakes, waffles, icecream, bbq, hotdogs, etc. I mean the most common is cake, but for example at the work of a friend they bring so called "Mettbrötchen" with onions. At my work you can bring whatever you want. Last time it was selfmade ricewaffles with melted mars (yes the candy).
In South Africa we also bring cake to work on our birthday... although it's not a must....but others will buy you a cake if they are throwing you a party
As an Austrian, a German speaking neighbor of Germany, I'm equally surprised by some of the things Germans seem to do. I've never heard of Austrian men shaving their armpits, I've rarely ever heard of somebody bringing birthday cakes on their birthday to the office and on father's day you either give a present to your father or congratule him on the phone ... or just ignore the whole thing. Generally no one's get drunk.
All the other stuff ... yeah, we have and do that too ; )
basing this purely on assumptions, but maybe splitting the bill on dates is also because due to how germans view money (for a video about it see NALFs channel) us germans absolutely hate debt (its not uncommon for a german to hand you 5€ a day after you gave them lunchmoney) and also usually dont buy lots of "unnecessary" things (which other peoples food might count as and also that frees up lots of money for both of you to pay your meal)...
Regarding Father's day.. well. In the first place. There is NO official "Father's Day" in germany at all. We have a "Mother's Day" and some time later there is a church holiday called "Christi Himmelfahrt" which was kind of rebranded to be the "Father's Day". In fact, mostly the younger generation is taking several boxes of beer and other alcoholic drinks in a Kart with portable speakers and loud music with them and walk around until all drinks have been drunken.
The birthday cake at work has been a left over from your birthday party at home. Nowadays it might be the only cake you make.
It's actually kind of a thing as an older student to joke a bit about the newbies at university who don't know yet that you knock on the table. And then one of the signs you're leaving the newbie status is adopting the knocking :)
You invite people at work to your office birthday party and provide the food... but not technicallly your own birthday cake with candles and stuff... you get this at home from friends and family.. you don't do it yourself. Bachelorette party is something new, imported from abroad. Traditionally we have Polterabend. The couple throws a party sometimes very shortly before the marriage and it's really party with dancing and fun and no festive clothing. Traditionally old china is smashed to floor when entering the party for luck, there comes the name from. Everything else is british or from somewhere else...
To the last point, "free" is a relative term, taxes are way way higher in Germany, income tax, you do pay a monthly part for your healthcare and so on. Yes the healthcare is cheaper in direct comparisson but the waiting times are also astronomical for that reason. I fairly "common" that something bad gets not found early because you don't really go to regular checkups when you have to wait weeks for it. Ofc also depends on the town you live in and so on, but yeah its not perfect like some people think.
Also the standard for free healthcare is "okay" not "healthy", so some meds won't be paid for if they would improve your live but are not necessary, I had that myself with asthma medication when I turned 18 and the healthcare provider suddenly said "pay 200/month or don't get the inhaler anymore"
At Home the „birtdaykid“ get a cake, but at work he/she brings a cake for the workmaids.
Treating your friends/family/colleagues on your birthday is common in the Netherlands too.
A few years ago I did a month long massage training in Hawaii with an international group. On my birthday we went out to dinner and I said ‘ first drinks are on me!’. The Americans and Canadians looked at me weird and said, we should be treating you. I explained how we did things in the Netherlands and the Germans said they did the same thing. So the group ended up paying my meal and I took care of the initial drinks. Nice compromise of cultures.