Father’s Day In Germany Means Handcart, Schnapps And Beer

In Germany, Father’s Day is traditionally celebrated on Ascension Day. Other countries also know a Father’s Day, but nowhere is it celebrated as crazy as in Germany.

The name Father’s Day is actually misleading for what happens in Germany every year on Ascension Day. For a long time now, it has been mainly young, single men who use this day to get drunk in public and roam the countryside cheering.

To understand this, you must know that drinking in public is allowed in Germany. Anyone who is sixteen years old can legally buy and consume wine and beer. From the age of eighteen onwards, there are no restrictions at all.

I remember once when we had guests from America, and we went to a street festival. The Americans could not believe that we bought beer at the gas station and drank it directly in the street.

But back to the topic: Of course, there are many real fathers among the celebrants, but in recent years there has been a strong tendency for fathers to stay home and spend the day with their families.

How does Father’s Day usually go?

In the morning, the men meet in groups and then set off together. Each group has a handcart in which beer and schnapps are transported in large quantities.

The main aim of Father’s Day is to consume all the alcohol during the day and slowly but surely lose your mother tongue. The whole thing is supported by the loud singing of simple songs, the lyrics of which you will remember even with three per mille.

Many of the wandering groups have made reservations for the afternoon in a pub or inn. There, the wagon is parked in front of the door, and the boozing continues inside. The main reason for this stopover is that if you drink alcohol all day long, you absolutely have to eat something.

This year, however, this part of the ritual will probably be omitted, as the pubs are not allowed to serve large groups during the Corona crisis. Instead, the parks and green areas will likely fill up with drunken hordes, where they will fall asleep on the spot and stay there.

Brawls are also very popular on Father’s Day. When drunken groups of young men meet everywhere in town and country, this is not a big surprise. Many romanticize this unpleasant side effect as part of becoming a man. Well — not everybody needs that, I guess.

If you have ever seen pictures of the Munich Oktoberfest, you have to imagine it all over Germany — only without lederhosen, merry-go-rounds, and beer tents.

What I do on Father’s Day

Since I’m not a father, this day is like any other.

As a young man, I also celebrated a lot and pleasantly, but Father’s Day always took place without me. Probably it was because it became fashionable only in later years to celebrate Father’s Day even if you don’t have any children.

No, today, I prefer to sit at my computer and write. Nevertheless, I wish all those celebrating a lot of fun and hope that nobody overdoes it.

Many greetings from Germany to the world.

René Junge a published author writing on ILLUMINATION.

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