Do you celebrate Christmas and Easter? In Germany, these are the two biggest holidays of the year. They are often celebrated with the entire family and relatives, even if the family is not normally very religious. There are lots of customs and traditions, most of all at Christmas, the season in which the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated.

From late November, Christmas markets are held in all of the larger towns in Germany. Here you can buy Christmas decorations or gifts, drink mulled wine, and eat Christmas cookies and goodies. Have you tried Christmas cookies or Stollen (German Christmas cake)?

During Advent, the month before Christmas, a candle is lit on the Adventskranz (Advent wreath) each Sunday. Children receive Adventskalender (Advent calendars) with pictures and sweets. Every day until December 24, the child can open a little door on the calendar. Most people have a decorated Christmas tree in their apartment. On the evening of December 24, gifts are placed under the tree for relatives and friends. Children get lots of presents. Many people also go to church in the evening.

Easter, which marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ, falls in March or April. On Easter Sunday, children hunt for colored eggs, sweets, and small gifts. It's said that the Easter Bunny hides them. Colored eggs are a symbol of new life, which shows itself everywhere in the spring. People hang colored eggs on branches to decorate their apartments and gardens.