Being in Germany on New Year’s Eve is a reminder that even the most rule-bound societies need one night a year to let everything go up in smoke.
Germany Is Strict About Everything Except Fireworks On New Year’s Eve
In a country that is fiercely protective of the environment and generally full of some of the oddest and most arbitrary restrictions (don’t get me started on Sonntagsruhe), there’s a big exception for fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Across Germany, you can expect to hear fireworks and firecrackers going off for most of the day every December 31, with the real show starting when the clock strikes midnight and rings in the new year.
The history is interesting…I was told the custom goes back to pagan Germanic beliefs that loud noises and bright light would scare away evil spirits at the turn of the year. Fireworks, bells, and banging pots were all meant to protect people as they crossed into the unknown new year.
More importantly, after WWII, fireworks became a rare socially acceptable outlet for loud celebration in a society otherwise shaped by order and restraint. Silvester became the one night where excess noise and disorder were not just tolerated but expected.
These days, the annual setting off fireworks on Silvester (the German word for New Year’s Eve in honor of Saint Sylvester I, who died on December 31, 335), drinking Sekt, watching Dinner for One, and saying “Guten Rutsch” are deeply ritualized. Fireworks are part of that shared script and doing it every year reinforces continuity and collective identity.
It’s part of what makes Germany, Germany.
But as a foreigner looking in there’s such an irony there. First, Germany is among the cleanest places in Europe with strict environmental controls on emissions and other pollutants. Second, Germany is incredibly strict when it comes to sorting trash and littering. Trash must be carefully sorted (Gelbe Tonne, Papiertonne, Altglas, Biotonne, Restmüll…).
But the fireworks create a huge mess in the streets and in the air…the smell of sulfur and the litter strewn all over…it’s like Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday…a lot of indulgence. And they are dangerous and can be destructive…as I experienced in London on Guy Fawkes Day.
In Los Angeles, where I live, fireworks are very carefully regulated (mostly banned) due to concerns over fire. Here, everyone has their own fireworks and not just sparklers or those little rockets, but full-on fireworks. It makes for quote a scene really all day on Silvester, but especially as the clock strikes midnight, you can expect a fireworks show to last for at least an hour, because everyone is shooting off thier own fireworks.
I guess it’s one of those little cultural idiosyncrasies that is so closely interwoven into the German identity that no one dares touch it…
One of the things I love most about Germanic culture is the commitment. People that don’t speak German or who haven’t spent considerable time in German speaking countries often say things like “They’re so serious.” or “There’s no such thing as a German party.”, but the reality is that when it comes to things like Sylvester, Volksfest, apres, Fußball Ultras, and Mallorca, that same seriousness is directed towards fun. And when a German has decided to have fun, nobody is going to have more fun or better fun.
Matthew, this is really interesting. Can you recommend any hotels that would be good viewing platforms for the fireworks on NYE? (Where you could watch sitting down in a restaurant/pub or from balconies, rather than standing up out in the elements?)
Yes! The Hyatt Regency in Mainz is the perfect viewing point.
https://liveandletsfly.com/hyatt-regency-mainz-review-2022/
Thanks Matthew. I’m always on the lookout for unusual NYE firework viewing opportunities that are a little bit different. Locations not the usual ‘destination cities’ with throngs of tourists and crowds and sky-high festive up-charges.
Fireworks are chaotic nearly everywhere. Not great for pets or veterans. And, partially (or directly) responsible for many, many wildfires, lest we forget. Honestly, the drone light-shows are a better, modern idea.