Engaged...German Style

The road to the altar was sometimes a long one. One year long engagements used to be the norm and it was expected that the engaged couple would observe this period of time to ready themselves for the wedding day and their life together. Nowadays, however, engagements are getting shorter and shorter. Six months, or even just a few weeks are not uncommon among the more modern Germans, while the traditionalists will still opt for the longer time period.

The Bachelor's Party

While American bachelors' parties have come into disrepute because of the objectionable entertainment which is quite often at their center, their traditional German counterparts do not involve the racy fare we so often hear about, but alcohol is nonetheless at their centers. German bachelors' parties (Junggesellenabschied) most often involve the groom and his closest male friends going out to the local pub (Kneipe) for a few hours of drinking and reminiscing.

The Broken China Party?

Another German custom still very often observed is the Polterabend. The future bride, and very often also the groom, will be at one of the parents' houses, when friends and other relatives appear with a host of old kitchenware, such as plates and glasses. Observing the German saying that "Scherben bringen Glück" (China shards bring good luck), these folks will then proceed to throw their offerings on the ground in front of the house. Thereafter is usually a pre-wedding party, at the end of which the happy couple can practice the domestic art of clean-up.

Who knew?

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