German universities have two weeks of holidays, and real students do not miss the opportunity to relax and have fun
As Deutsche Welle notes, at Christmas German students scatter to different ends of the country to visit parents, grandparents. This holiday in Germany is traditionally celebrated with family around the festive table. Mom's Christmas goose is certainly tastier than lunch at the student cafeteria.
After a series of feasts, it's time for friends. And even though Christmas in Germany is more important than New Year, real students never miss an extra reason to have fun.
NEW YEAR IS RUSHING TO US!
On New Year's Eve, German club life moves to the streets. Open-air discos with mandatory fireworks are held in all major cities of the country. The roar and noise scare away evil spirits, they say here, lighting another firecracker.
The largest outdoor party is traditionally held in the capital – at the Brandenburg Gate to the beats of famous DJs. According to rough estimates, about a million people gather here. And 2019 will be celebrated here, in the very heart of the city: stages, video screens, festive tents – two kilometers of pure fun.
Free entry, no dress code, and also in the fresh air – this is what a real club paradise for students looks like. However, attention, bringing alcohol and glass bottles is prohibited here for safety reasons. How to keep warm? Wear warm socks and dance, dance, dance!
You can count the chimes, breathing in the frosty air, in the last minutes of the year in the port of Hamburg, on the bridge over the Rhine in Cologne, in the Old Town of Munich, and in many other cities. The main thing is that the company is lively.
For those who still find it chilly outside, the doors of nightclubs, stylish cocktail bars, and noisy pubs are open until morning. And the student community of Frankfurt am Main annually holds its own celebration, the Uni Silvester Party, which gathers more than a thousand guests.
WHO VISITS AT NIGHT
An option for "active homebodies" is WG-hopping (from English "hop" and German WG – "student shared flat"). Such a party starts in an apartment with friends, and as soon as the four walls get boring, it's easy to change them for others: go with the whole honest company to visit. And so all night – meet new people, "hopping" from one apartment to another. Who goes where and when is agreed upon in advance on social networks. No gifts need to be bought for anyone, but it's worth grabbing a couple of bottles of something strong.
The opposite of noisy gatherings is a quiet dinner with friends: a festively set table, elegant outfits, a buzzing TV. Without the sketch "Dinner for One", New Year in Germany is not New Year. And the main treat on the table is raclette, a Swiss dish of melted cheese.
TO THE MOUNTAINS!
Firewood crackles quietly in the fireplace, snow falls outside the window, and a cup of hot chocolate warms your palms. A crowd of friends bursts through the door after skiing. New Year in the mountains, away from the city's festive bustle, is a dream for many students. Some travel agencies remember their modest wallets and offer a good discount upon presentation of a student ID. An inexpensive tour can also be booked through the university, but this should be done in the fall. Closer to the end of the year, there may be no places left in cozy houses at ski resorts.
Those who didn't make it to the mountains and don't want to stay home can find a youth hostel (Jugendherberge). Rooms here are inexpensive, and the holiday program will please even the most demanding student: from an evening with James Bond to Scottish dancing or karaoke.
But among German students there are also those who, even in the last ten days of December, have no idea what they will do on the night of the 31st to the 1st. Germans without a plan – incredible, but true! All hope is that something interesting will definitely happen anyway. After all, the last night of the year is magical.