Fastnacht is related to the Germanic word "fasten" (to fast, abstain from eating). Fastnacht Karneval, or Mardi Gras is a time before the period of Lent where everyone fasts, which is where the holiday got its name. Festive parades with floats and marchers displaying large caricature heads of famous figures fill the streets during this holiday. The Rhineland Rosenmontagumzug is an event broadcast each year on German television, similar to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade in New York. Fastnacht is a movable holiday, which means it moves depending on the date of Easter. The official start of the Fasching/Fastnacht season is either January 7th or the 11th day of the 11th month, depending on the region.
The holiday of Oktoberfest began October 1810 with the wedding reception of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The party was immensely popular and attracted a crowd each year, spawning a German tradition that now attracts visitors from around the globe. Today's Oktoberfest is a 16-day celebration in Munich, Germany, that begins in September. With the exception of the heavy emphasis on beer, Oktoberfest is likened to an American state fair, with rides, merry-go-rounds, carnival booths, food, and 14 beer halls sponsored by Bavarian brewers such as Paulaner, Löwenbräu or Spaten.
Germans celebrate Volkstrauertag or the National Day of Mourning in November, two weeks before the first Advent Sunday. Similar to Veteran's Day or Memorial Day in the United States, Volkstrauertag celebrates the memory of Nazi victims and the dead in both world wars. After the end of World War II, Volkstrauertag was observed as it is known today. The holiday was first proposed in 1919 by the German War Graves Commission as a commemoration for German soldiers killed in the First World War.
