Celebrating the New Year's Day and Sylvester in Germany: dates, congratulations, greetings, traditions and customs

Dates for the New Year's Day celebration in Germany

The date of the New Year's Day celebration in Germany remains unchanged every year and falls on 1 January. See calendar.

The New Year's Day celebration date in Germany falls on Thursday, 1 January 2026 this year.

Below is a list of dates for celebrating the New Year's Day in Germany by year, provided that in previous and subsequent years the present practice and time of the holiday celebration is preserved:

• (Wed) 1 January 2025 - New Year's Day 2025GermanyGermany
• (Thu) 1 January 2026 - New Year's Day 2026GermanyGermany
• (Fri) 1 January 2027 - New Year's Day 2027GermanyGermany

Holiday status in the territory of Germany, brief information

Holiday name in German

Neujahrstag

Holiday status

The holiday is an extra non-working day throughout Germany – it’s a national holiday.

Related holidays

• New Year's Day, 1 January 2026
• New Year's Eve, 31 December 2026

For more details, see the holiday description below.

Wishes and congratulations, greetings on the New Year's Day in Germany

In Germany, the following New Year’s Eve/ Day greetings are used:

• "Alles Gute im neuen Jahr" (All the best for the new year);
• "Viel Glück im neuen Jahr" (Lots of happiness in the new year);
• "Prosit Neujahr" (Happy New Year);
• "Einen guten Rutsch" (literally – Happy glide) - The expression comes from the Hebrew Gut Rosch, which means "Beginning," and the wish itself means "have a good beginning," wishing that the plans for the new year will be fulfilled or that the whole year will go as well as its first day.

How New Year's Day is celebrated in Germany: customs and traditions

As in other cultures, the New Year's Eve is one of Germany's favourite holidays and is celebrated on the last night of the year that was. December 31 is called "Sylvester" or Saint Sylvester’s Day (in German: Silvester) in Germany, see the page below for more details.

People in Germany celebrate this holiday in different ways: some in a quiet and peaceful family atmosphere, others, and this is more common, with merriment and noise. On the New Year's Eve, most people in Germany go out into the streets, setting off fireworks, lighting sparklers, fairy lights - creating lots of light and noise, thus welcoming the new year and saying goodbye to the outgoing one.

On the stroke of 12 o'clock at night they drink alcohol, champagne (or sparkling wines) and wish happiness.

Many traditions, gifts and even typical New Year's Eve dishes are associated with wishing happiness and good luck. Grape dishes green leafy vegetables, beans, pork, or fish are usually served at the New Year's table. Beans, peas and lentils are thought to symbolize money, and herring and carp, which are also cooked and/or served at the New Year's celebrations, bring good luck. People present each other with figurines of pigs, clovers, horseshoes, chimney sweeps, or with gifts featuring them, as well as pretzels, the New Year's Eve pastries - something that according to ancient superstitious beliefs brings good luck.

Some places in Germany are most popular for celebrating the New Year's Eve en masse, they include:

• Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate,
• Hamburg, the harbour, and the Alster,
• Islands: Rügen, Sylt,
• Munich: various places,
• and more.

In many of these places you can enjoy beautiful fireworks and public festivities.

The origin of the New Year's Day

As Professor of German Studies G. Richter writes in his book, in the past on the New Year's Eve people lit torches and made fires, beat drums, tambourines and clang bells, trying to chase away evil spirits and demons, so that in the new year they did not cause trouble for people. This tradition has survived to this day, on the New Year's Eve people put on a lot of lights and make a lot of noise, although today the origin of these attributes is void of its original meaning.

December 31 is called "Sylvester" or Saint Sylvester's Day (in German: Silvester) in Germany; this name is associated with the Day of St. Sylvester - Pope Sylvester I, whose death day falls on December 31.

Photos, pictures for the holiday

A chimney sweep figurine near a New Year tree, chimney sweep as a symbol of good luck

Special dessert for New Year, New Year cookies

Fireworks on New Year’s Eve are a usual entertainment in many cities of Germany

Figure of a pig with clover leaves as symbols of luck