
Weather
Season | Winter |
Time | Central European Time (CET), one hour behind South Africa. |
Weather | The temperatures average between -2.4 °C and 3.5 °C. It could get much colder, depending on the location. Snow is likely in the mountain areas. Coastal cities have a milder climate and the possibility of snow is low. The average daily sunshine is 2.7 hours. |
Public holidays
Holiday | Date | Bundesländer |
---|---|---|
None | Â | Â |
Observations
Date | Holiday | Information | States |
14 Feb 2022 | Valentines Day. | Not a big celebration in Germany | All |
24 Feb 2022 | Women’s Carnival / Weiberfastnach | This is a day when women can express their freedom and have a lot of fun. Tradition encourages ladies to cut men’s ties and kiss the ones they fancy. |
All |
26 Feb 2022 | Fastnachtssamstag | Â | All |
27 Feb 2022 | Fastnachtssonntag | 49 days before Easter | All |
28 Feb 2022 | Rose Monday /Â Rosenmontag | Â | All |
01 Mar 2022 | Fastnacht / carnival | Â | All |
02 Mar 2022 | Ash Wednesday / Aschermittwoch | A Christian holy day of prayer and fasting, and the first day of Lent | All |
Festivals and events
Event | Date | Information |
---|---|---|
Carnival / Fasching | Cancelled |
School holidays and terms
Holidays Season | Date | Information |
Winterferien | Depending on the Bundesland | schulferien.org Rosenmontag- most schools will be closed for the day |
Karneval titbits
During Karneval, also called the fifth season, things can get a bit “Narrisch”Â
So what is Carnival, Fastnacht and Faching?Â
These are basically the same but they differ from region to region.
- Fasching – Austria, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen
- Fastnacht – Baden, Franconia, Hesse, Saarland, Mainz, Swabenland, Switzerland and Luxumbourg
- Karneval – Rhineland: Aachen, Bonn, Köln and Düsseldorf
Carnival is a celebration of excess and includes parades, floats, dancing, formal balls, wearing costumes, noise and a lot of partying. It is the period before Lent, that starts on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time of repentance and abstinence in preparation for Easter.
Narrenrufe
The origins of these “fools calls” are not always clear and their exact meaning is also lost in time. Most villages have their own call.
Here are some of the most well known:
Call | Where | Meaning |
Helau | Mainz, Düsseldorf, Koblenz |
 |
Alaaf | Bonn and Aachen | Alles ab or everything down |
Kölle alaaf | only in Köln |  |
Wau-Wau | all over | Â |
Narri-Narro | Schwabenland | I’m a fool, your are a fool |
Ahoi | Ludwigshafen and in the North |
 |
Hasi Palau | Paderborn | Die Hasen. Palau is a different form of Helau. |
Alleh hopp | Saarland | Los geht’s |
Â
Narrenzunft
This is yet another version of carnival.
The local carnival clubs of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival and some of the Rhenish carnival describe themselves as fools’ guilds. These guilds are mostly organised in the legal form of a registered association (Verein).
You can find the “Zunfttermine” here.
You can find a list of the associations / Vereine here.
Snow information
You can see the snow and ski conditions on the following websites
Food and drinks to try
February is time for comfort food, such as soups, hearty stews, roasts and potatoes.
Sauerkraut and Rotkohl are still very much in season.
Carnival is of course celebrated with food and drinks! Here are some to try:
- Krapfen or Berliner (jelly-filled doughnut)
- Bratwurst
- Glühwein
- Reibekuchen (potato pancakes)
- Kölsch (beer in Köln)
- Eisbein
- Sauerbraten
- Pretzels
- falscher Hase (meatloaf)
- Kartoffelsuppe (potato soup)
Fruits and veggies in season

Sources
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Great article and very informative.
Some fun to look forward to in February.
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