03 March - South Africans in Germany

Spring is finally here, but let’s not get overly excited, as temperatures will still take a few weeks to rise.
Although the trees will only begin to bloom in April, nature blesses us with the most beautiful flowers, like the cheerful Crocus, the elegant Narcissus and the stunning Tulips. These flowers can be seen in most gardens and meadows, adding a touch of colour and beauty to our surroundings.
There is also the anticipation of the upcoming Easter celebrations, and most houses and gardens will be decorated accordingly, creating a festive and welcoming atmosphere.
Another great thing about March is the increase in daylight, which gives us more time to enjoy the beautiful scenery around us. Every day the sun comes up a minute or two earlier and sets a bit later.
Keep in mind that some places may still have snow, especially in the mountains. So, let’s embrace this transitional period with open arms and cherish all the little joys that come with it!

Time Zone

Central European Time (CET), one hour behind South Africa until the last Sunday of March, when Summertime starts (30 March 2025).

Season

Spring.

March in Germany marks the beginning of spring, with days gradually getting longer, temperatures warming, and nature starting to bloom, though chilly weather can still linger.

Weather

In March, temperatures in Germany typically range from 0.2°C to 7.4°C, though they can vary depending on the location. On average, the country experiences about 3.8 hours of sunshine per day, with weather conditions fluctuating between winter’s chill and the first hints of spring warmth.

HTML Weather widgets

Festivals

During the festive season of Easter, several towns organize colourful Easter Markets and embellish the town fountains with eggs. Known as Osterbrunnen, these intricately decorated fountains are a sight to behold. But that’s not all, people also adorn trees and dried sticks with eggs, creating enchanting Easter egg trees, also known as Ostereierbäume.

Fun Activities

Snow Info

Holidays and events

Holiday	Date	Information	States
Public Holidays
International Woman’s Day	08 March		Berlin, MV
Good Friday / Karfreitag	18.04.2025	Karfreitag	All
Easter Sunday / Ostersonntag	20.04.2025	Ostersonntag	Brandenburg
Easter Monday	21.04.2025
Observations
Meteorological start of Spring	01 March		All
Fastnachtssamstag	01.03.2025
Fastnachtssonntag	02.03.2025
Rosenmontag	03.03.2025
Fastnacht	04.03.2025
Aschermittwoch	05.03.2025
St Patrick’s day	17 March	The St Patrick’s day parade in Munich is one of the biggest in Germany.
Josefstag	19 March		BY
Astrological start of Spring	20 March		All
Start of Summer time	30.03.2025	Clocks are turned forward by one hour	All
Palmsonntag	13.04.2025	Palm Sunday
Gründonnerstag	17.04.2025	Maudy Thursday	All
Karsamstag	19.04.2025	More info	All
School Holidays and Terms
Easter Holidays	Various	School Holidays	All

Events listed on our Website

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys – (Hamburg, Bayreuth, Bonn, Essen and Berlin)

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys — a voice like dusk settling over the Karoo, a band that carries an old-soul heart into the wide world. Born from the dust and dreams of South Africa, Lucy’s rich, smoky vocals ride atop stirring harmonies, sweeping folk-rock guitars, and rhythms that feel both timeless and alive. They don’t just play songs — they tell stories about wanderlust and wonder, heartbreak and hope, the ties that bind us to places and to one another. Since bursting onto the scene, Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys have carved a unique path through global

Jeremy Loops – Frankfurt, Hamburg, Köln

Jeremy Loops is one of South Africa’s most recognisable musical exports — a barefoot troubadour with a looping pedal, a harmonica, and a knack for turning everyday stories into songs that travel far. Blending folk, pop, and roots influences, his music is upbeat without being shallow, thoughtful without disappearing up its own head. Rising from Cape Town’s busking scene to international stages, Jeremy Loops is known for his energetic live performances, layered live looping, and lyrics that speak of home, movement, and the quiet pull of the ocean. There’s an ease to his sound — sunlit, rhythmic, and open

Unbroken – eine Musikalische Reise der Hoffnung

Mit „Unbroken – Eine musikalische Reise der Hoffnung“ erhalten zehn talentierte Kinder aus südafrikanischen Townships die Chance ihres Lebens. Gemeinsam mit dem weltbekannten und international renommierten Tygerberg Children’s Choirgehen sie auf Europatour – mit einer Aufführung, die Hoffnung gibt und das Herz berührt. Durch Gesang, Tanz und deutsche Erzählungen teilen diese jungen Stimmen ihre Lebensgeschichten und erzählen von Hoffnung, Stärke und der Kraft der Veränderung, die entsteht, wenn jemand an sie glaubt. Mit Standing Ovations und sichtbar berührt erlebte das Publikum im September in Kapstadt die Premiere von Unbroken – ein unvergesslicher Auftakt voller Emotionen. Diese Abende sind mehr als Konzerte

Unbroken – eine Musikalische Reise der Hoffnung

Fruit and veggies in season

Sources

Vocabulary

Spring	der Frühling
Wild garlic	der Bärlauch
Morels	die Morcheln
Chervil	der Kerbel
Turnips	die Steckrüben
Radish	der Rettich
Lamb’s lettuce	der Feldsalat
Scallops	die Jakobsmuscheln
Oysters	die Austern
Clams	die Venusmuscheln

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Bärlauch

Discover the magic of Bärlauch, the wild garlic that adds a burst of flavour to your dishes!

Easter in Germany

Easter in Germany is an joyous holiday that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and a range of traditions that have been passed down through generations. Colourful Easter eggs, traditional bonfires, and a wide variety of delicious foods are just a small part of what makes this festive occasion so special. Whether it’s by decorating Easter trees or baking Easter cakes, Germans embrace this holiday with open arms. Additionally, the holiday is marked by a plethora of events and activities, such as Easter markets, parades, and church services. During the Easter season in Germany, streets and homes are decorated with colourful ornaments, most notably with decorated eggs, symbolizing new life and resurrection. German craftsman producing and selling painted Easter eggs is a common sight in many German towns and villages. German churches hold special services during holy week and on Easter Sunday. Many church choirs will perform oratorios of Johann Sebastian Bach during their Easter service. Protestant churches usually hold sunrise services on Easter Sunday as an acknowledgement of the Resurrection. What is celebrated during Easter Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. According to Christian belief, Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose again on Easter Sunday. For Christianity, Easter is the most important festival of the year.Easter Sunday is actually the culmination of a series of traditional observations that start with Karneval or Fasching and the following Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch). After that, the holidays (“holy days”) of Palm Sunday and Good Friday lead up to Easter. Important dates for 2024 Other Easter Foods Delicious Hefezopf, Hefekranz and Easter bread (das Osterbrot) in most bakeries. Made with yeast dough, raisins and almonds. Eaten with butter. There is some great recipes available on Chefkoch. The closest you find to Hot Cross buns are RosinenbrotchenBrightly coloured boiled eggs and of course beautiful chocolate easter eggs can be bought at bakeries. South African Easter Recipes Food and Traditions Food, particularly bread, is an important part of Easter in Germany. Traditional German bakeries offer Easter-inspired culinary delights such as sweet Easter bread, known as Osterbrot. Many regions have their own distinct Easter dishes, for instance, green sauce usually served with boiled eggs is a delicacy typical for the state of Hessen during the Easter period. Here is a list of food traditionally eaten in Germany over the Easter period, as well as the traditions observed Palm SundayPalm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and also the start of the holy week or Karwoche. Processions with people carrying palm branches or symbolic bouquets (Palmbuschen) and singing hymns. Palmbuschen are made from 7 evergreen plants Gründonnerstag:Gründonnerstag sounds like green Thursday although it is derived from the old German word greinen, which means crying. Thus many people celebrate Maudy Thursday by eating green dishes, such as the following:– Seven herb soup / Sieben Kräutersuppe– Chervil soup / Kerbelsuppe– Eggs in green sauce / Eier in grüner Sauce Karfreitag:All Church bells are silent on Good Friday and many Families attend church services.Many towns, such as Bensheim will host processions depicting the events of Good Friday.Dancing is not allowed on Good Friday, neither are weddings. The shops are closed.It is a tradition to eat fish at dinner with your family.– Fish cakes with green sauce / Fishfrikadellen mit grüner Sauce Ostersamstag:In Northern Germany, people light Easter fires (das Osterfeuer) as a symbol of light in the darkness.These fires are sometimes lit on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. Ostersonntag:Families come together to celebrate. They may go to church together and then have a big brunch or a festive dinner.The main dish is often lamb.Children hunt for Easter eggs. – Colorful boiled eggs / Bunte Frühstückseier – served with Black Forest ham and Emmentaler cheese– Easter bunny brioches / Osterhasebrioches– Roast leg of lamb with juniper berry sauce / Lammkeule mit Wacholderbeerensauce– Biennenstich cake. Click on this link for other Easter cake recipes– Easter lamb cake– Hefezopf– German Sweat Bread nests Ostermontag:Easter Monday is a day of remembrance and reflection. Easter Traditions Ostermarkt Easter markets are a wonderful place to buy hand-painted easter eggs, easer delicacies and decorations. A list of easter markets can be found on Ostern-international, Ostern in Deutschland or simply search for Ostermark and your area. Osterbrunnen Public fountains are decorated with easter eggs. The tradition began in the early 20th century. Processions On Palm Sunday the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem is recreated. Good Friday – Processions enacting the cruxification of Christ. One of the most popular processions takes place in Lohr Osterreiten – a procession on horseback that takes place on Easter Sunday to announce the resurrection of Jesus Passion plays The Passion Play in Oberammergau is performed every 10 years and is one of the most famous in Germany. In 1633 the Oberammergau villagers promised to perform the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ every tenth year, in so far as no one was to die of the plague anymore. The villagers were answered by God and therefore in 1634 the first Passion Play took place. The promise has been kept until today. The 42nd Passion Play successfully ran from 14 May to 2 October 2022, after having to be postponed in 2020 due to Covid. A list of popular passion play venues can be found on Passionspiele.info Osterstrauch People decorate dry twigs (Osterstrauch) or trees with colourful eggs. One of the biggest Ostereierbäume can be seen in Saalfeld with almost 600 handpainted eggs. A great activity for kids (also the grown-up ones) is to paint your own easter eggs. They are hung on trees, used for table decorations, or can be given as gifts. Painting Eggs A great activity for kids (also the grown-up ones) is to paint your own easter eggs. They are hung on trees, used for table decorations, or can be given as gifts. Eggs hold associations with spring and new life. Early Christians made the egg a symbol of the resurrection and the empty shell a metaphor for Jesus’ tomb Easter Bonfires The Osterfeuer/Osterbrände is lit on Good Fieday to light up the darkness following the death of Jesus. In some regions fires are lit on Easter Sunday. Easter Bunny The concept of a bunny bringing

Starkbier

Starkbier is as the name suggest a strong beer. It is a legal generic designation for beers in which the original wort content is over 16 °P (degrees Plato). The alcohol level is between 5% and 10%. Most of them are seasonal.
In Munich, Starkbierzeit is called the 5th season. It is during Lent (From Ash Wednesday 14.02.2024 to Easter).

Grilling in public

When you do not have braai facilities at home or want to have more space while meeting your friends for a braai, you can use the grills/fireplaces at a public Grillplatz/grill area.These are usually in bigger parks or around lakes. Grilling in the forest is generally prohibited with some exceptions. Personally, I would refrain from grilling in the forest even if there is a Grillplatz. The trees and other plants can be very dry in summer and there is always a fire hazard. My first public grill was at the Grillplatz in Lonetal near Ulm.It is part of a hiking trail. We walked back after dark and there was a beautiful full moon. The woods were full of glowworms, it was really magical. Previous Next Why can I not grill where I want? Disposable grills damage the grass, and when the grass is very dry the heat will damage the lawn. This can also lead to runaway fires. Finding a designated grilling spot You can search the internet for “Grillplätze in öffentlichen Grünanlagen” or just “Grillplätze in YourTown”The following websites offer a list of public grill stations per town: Grillplatz.org Grillplatz360 Here are websites for some of the more popular towns. The town-specific rules are sometimes also listed on these websites. Berlin Hamburg Stuttgart Münich Frankfurt Leipzig Ulm You can also just look for the signposting in public areas to see if grilling is allowed. If there are no clear indications or signs indicating that grilling is permitted, you can assume that it is forbidden. Common rules As with most things in Germany, grilling in a public space is regulated.These rules are based on common decency and respect.Rule of thumb – if it doesn’t explicitly say grilling is allowed, you can assume it is not allowed. Each federal state (Bundesland) or town has its own rules, so please make sure you know what the rules are for the area in which you want to grill.Violations of these rules of the “Police Ordinance on Public Security and Order” are considered an administrative offence and may result in a warning or fine (see how much here). Here are some common rules: You cannot reserve a grill area/braai. Most public grills are big enough to be shared by groups. Only grill in designated areas. Do not dig your own grill pit or damage the lawn. Make sure you know if you are allowed to bring along your own grill or whether you are only allowed to use the permanently installed fireplaces/grills. Take note you are not allowed to use disposable grills or Einweggrills. The fire must be supervised by a suitable person at all times. The fire must be extinguished completely after you finished grilling. Dispose of all waste, this includes ashes. Most grill areas will have a bin designed for hot ashes. Grilling under trees or in the immediate vicinity of woody plants and on horticultural surfaces is not permitted (in the interest of protecting trees and birds). The grass must not be damaged. Only commercially available charcoal and lighters may be used. Flames may not exceed a height of one meter. Tips You might need to register at the town hall to make use of a grill area. Please leave the area clean and take all food scraps with you Do not make any fire on the lawn or in the gardens The number for the Fire brigade is 112 Music Playing music in parks and green spaces in the city is generally permitted.It should not disturb anyone.Most parks have a quiet period from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am Terminology Wild-Grillen – meint hier das unerlaubte Grillen auf Flächen für die laut Parkverordnung oder Naturschutzgesetz ein Grillverbot gilt.– means unauthorized grilling in areas where grilling is prohibited – according to the Park Ordinance or Nature Conservation Act. Grillen verboten – Grilling not allowed der Grillplatz – Grill area Related content

Spargel – the German white gold

Bis Johanni – nicht vergessen – sieben Wochen Spargel essen! The Asparagus season in Germany starts towards the end of April and ends on the 24th of June (St. John the Baptist Day) Most Germans eagerly await Spargelzeit and they eat around 125 000 tonnes of asparagus each season. It is very important to them to buy only German-grown asparagus. Harvesting asparagus is very labour-intensive, and is mostly done by seasonal workers. Traditionally it is served as a very simple dish, with boiled potatoes, ham and hollandaise sauce. Varieties White and green asparagus are the same vegetable. Green Asparagus Green asparagus is grown above the ground and is exposed to sunshine “Grassy” Flavour Thinner Stalks Does not need peeling White Asparagus White asparagus is grown under mulch and dark plastic, so it gets very little sunshine and no photosynthesis. Delicate and sweet flavour Stalks are thicker Skin tends to be tougher and needs peeling Buying Stalks should be firm to the touch. Pay attention to the tips (buds). They should be firm and tightly closed. Dry or yellow tips indicate that it is already old. Avoid mushy tips. Purple tips – The colouration happens during a short period when the tip breaks through the soil, catches some sunlight and turns purple as a result, just before it is harvested. The serving size per person is around 500g Asparagus can be bought at farmer’s markets, greengrocers, small stalls along the road or in normal grocery shops.The small stalls along the road often sell strawberries as well, as these are also in season. Grades Asparagus is a delightfully succulent and nutritious vegetable that is highly in demand in Germany. This exquisite veggie is sold by the following grades in Germany. Klassen Extra They are the most expensive but worth the splash. Criteria They are very white, straight and plump and must have a diameter of at least 1.2 cm Klasse I Still pricy but more affordable Criteria Medium-sized with a diameter of at least 1 cm. They can be slightly bent and the tips may be purple. Klasse II They are much cheaper than the other classes Criteria They can curvy and the flower heads may already be open. They are most likely woody. The spears may be damaged. Bio Spargel “Organic” or “bio” asparagus must comply with the EU’s ecological guidelines The green leaf (EU BIO logo) indicates that the Asparagus is produced and sold in accordance with the EU regulations. Storing Asparagus tastes best when cooked on the day you buy it. If you are not going to prepare them on the same day, you could store them in a shallow airtight container in the fridge.You can also store them in the fridge by wrapping them tightly in foil or plastic wrap. They should last 3 – 5 days like that.Others suggest storing them standing up in a glass jar with some water inside (around 2.5 cm – enough to cover the ends). Then loosely cover it with a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator for about a week. Preparation When preparing white asparagus, get rid of the woody ends. You can either cut them off or break them off. The following video explains how to prepare and cook asparagus.Green Asparagus usually don’t need peeling. White asparagus have thicker stalks and must be peeled. You can buy a special Asparagus peeler (Spargeschäler) to make the job easier. Here is an example of such a peeler on AmazonSome of the bigger shops have machines that peel them for you. Recipes The most classic way to eat white asparagus in Germany is with boiled potatoes, Ham and hollandaise sauce.I love baking them wrapped in foil in the oven (see recipe below or a video here), they taste much better that way. You can also throw them on a braai if you like. A surprising ingredient in most recipes is a bit of sugar, whether you bake them in foil or cook them in water. Delicious recipes can be found on the Essen und Trinken and Chefkoch websites. For English recipes, look on Germanfoods.org and My Dinner for a classic recipe. This method brings out the purest asparagus flavour — rich, tender, and never watery. Ingredients (per packet): 6–8 asparagus spears (1–1.5 cm thick) ½ tsp butter ½ tsp sugar Pinch of salt Aluminium foil (or see alternatives below) Foil Alternatives:Use a lidded baking dish, baking paper packets, roasting bags, or a soaked clay pot (like Römertopf). Oven-Steamed Asparagus in Foil Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Peel asparagus and trim the ends. Place two sheets of foil on top of each other. Add butter in the center. Lay asparagus on top, sprinkle with sugar and salt. Fold into a loose pouch (don’t wrap tightly), then fold second foil over the same way. Bake directly on the oven rack for 40–50 min. To check doneness, gently bend the packet — the softer it feels, the more tender the asparagus. Asparagus Road The 120 km long Asparagus road starts in the city of Schwetzingen. They claim to be the “Asparagus Capital of the World” and hold an annual Spargelfest.The route then passes through Karlsruhe, Bruchsal and ends in Rastatt which has the biggest asparagus farm in Europe. Many towns/regions crown an annual asparagus queen (Spargelköningin) who reigns over the festivities. Related content