January 2023 - South Africans in Germany

January

Happy new Year!
Although some towns will keep their Christmas lights on until the second week in January, it can feel a bit quiet and dull, especially after the Christmas festivities and Silverster parties.
Take the time to regenerate and relax with cozy fire places, hearty food and warm drinks with friends or just by snuggling up under a blanket with a good book
We have some great suggestions below for relaxing with friends or keeping active in the cold

For those who suffer from the lack of sunshine, or (SAD), you can find information and tips on our Seasonal affective Disorder page.

Season	Winter
Time	Winter Time. One hour behind South Africa
Weather	The temperatures averages between -2.8 °C and 2.1 °C. It can of course be 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. January is the coldest month in Germany, and also the darkest The average daily sunshine hours is 1.6 hours.

Plan your month

everything you need to know

Festivals

There are no real festivals in January. The biggests events are New Years Eve (Silvester) and New Years day. An old tradition on New Years Eve is to eat Raclette with friends, and do “the same procedure as every year” by watching Dinner for One on Television. If you would rather go out for the evening, many towns have concerts or fireworks shows on the 31st of December. You can buy your own fireworks, but only for a limited time. Be extra careful when using fireworks, many people end up in emergency rooms due to burn wounds. Restaurants also have special menus but you need to make a booking in advance.
Read more about German New Years Traditions on Deutsche Welle

Fun Activities

It will most likely snow in the mountains and towns with a higher altitude
Spend a weekend in a cosy cabin and enjoy the winter scenery
Go for walks outside, learn a winter sport and keep warm with hearty food.
Visit a Besen or Strauss - Restaurants that are open only during certain times of the year, usually at a winery (Weingut)
Play indoor sports
Visit a wellness hotel / Spa
Visit museums
Go to indoor concerts and shows
Learn a winter sport like skiing
Try sledging (Rodel) at a Rodelbahn

Snow Info

Holidays

Holiday	Date	States
Public Holidays
New Year's day / Neujahr	01.01.2023	All
Epiphany/ Heilige Drei Könige	06.01.2023	BW, BY, ST
Observations
None		All

Events

Events listed on our website

Charity wine tasting and silly hat evening

24/02/2023 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm –

Join Sawabona Africa at the charity wine tasting and silly hat evening in partnership with Blue Heron wineshop in Munich on Friday 24 February 2022 at 6pm.

Virtual Kuier Hoekie – February 2023

09/02/2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Join us for a casual monthly virtual get-together. The idea is to get to know other Southern Africans, support each other, and share our ideas and tips on life in Germany. The current format is a skype call. We will create a meeting link, you do not need skype to participate, you can connect via […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

29/01/2023 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

28/01/2023 @ 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

27/01/2023 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

26/01/2023 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

22/01/2023 @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

21/01/2023 @ 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

20/01/2023 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

19/01/2023 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

15/01/2023 @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Art Exhibition by Bella Illenberger

14/01/2023 @ 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm – I am a South African-born artist living in Munich and have my first solo exhibition coming up that will run from 13.01 – 29.01 at Feierwerk Farbenladen, in Munich. The opening night is next Friday, 13th January at 18:00 and there will be music, drinks and snacks at the venue. Quite a few of my South African family […]

Some foods and drinks to try

01.

Grünkohl, usually served with Speck, Wurst or Kasseler

02.

If you want to warm up, try some hearty food like Kohlroladen, Stews and soups

03.

Savoy cabbage is delicious with cream or cheese

04.

Leberwurst, blutwurst und kesselfleisch served with cabbage

05.

Venison is still in season and is delicious with red cabbage

Fruit and Veggies in Season

Vocabulary

Winter	der Winter
Snow	der Schnee
Sleet	der Graupel
Freezing Fog	der Eisnebel
Sledging	das Rodeln
Cross country skiing	Der Langlauf
Skiing	Das Skifahren
Venison	das Wildfleisch e.g. Das Hirschfleisch, das Rehkeule, Das Wildschweinfleisch (Wild Boar)
Red Cabbage	der Rothkohl, das Rotkraut, das Blaukraut
Savoy cabbage	der Wirsing
Happy New Year!	Guten Rutsch!
Happy New Year	Frohes neues Jahr
A peaceful and blessed new year	Ein friedvolles und gesegnetes neues Jahr