10 things Germans do between fall and winter

Every year around November 11, German families with young children celebrate St. Martin's Day by singing songs and parading outside with paper lanterns that they've prepared in school or pre-school. The holiday is named after St. Martin of Tours, who is said to have shared his cloak with a beggar during a storm. A St. Martin figure on a horse often accompanies the parades.

On the same day as St. Martin's — more precisely, on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:11 a.m. — Germany's three carnival "strongholds" of Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz celebrate the opening of "Karneval" by coming together in the city center wearing costumes. The carnival season then officially ends on Ash Wednesday the following year.

Hidden in prickly shells are smooth brown chestnuts like these. Children collect non-edible ones they find in parks in the fall. They can be turned into necklaces or little animal figures by assembling them with toothpicks. But be careful! If you step on them, it can hurt.

This is probably one of the most delicious perks of the fall. With some luck, you can find "Steinpilze," which is a variety of porcini mushroom. "Maronen-Röhrling," known in English as the bay bolete, are even more common. Though some Germans are true mushroom experts, these two varieties are quite easy to recognize, making it easy for everyone to distinguish them from the toxic ones.

A walk in the woods to admire the colorful autumn leaves is a typical Sunday afternoon activity in Germany. In the city, they pile up on the sidewalk, waiting to be swept away by city employees. As tempting as it might be for children to run through them, they quickly need to learn that they often hide other piles — of dog poop.

Although many thermal baths are open all year, it is definitely satisfying to experience the contrasts in temperatures when it gets cold outside by heading to a "Therme." Germans take their spa culture very seriously. Many foreigners are initially surprised to discover that being naked is a requirement in some areas of a spa — so it's important to bring a towel to sit on the sauna benches.

Many German parents prefer to cover their babies with organic wool from head to toe; many respectable adults also wear merino wool long johns. The clothes are quite expensive, but these natural, ecological and sustainable products are considered worth the investment. However, without a disciplined storage ritual over the summer, woolens can also disappear surprisingly quickly — munched by moths.

As it gets cold, Germans heat their homes. Although most apartments are heated with gas, there are still older houses that need to be heated with coal. That used to be a lot more frequent 10 years ago - now the smell of coal in the air automatically brings a feeling of nostalgia. Winter is coming, just like in the good old days.

"Stoßlüften" is a concept that's so German, it doesn't have a direct translation in English. It refers to the fact that people open the windows completely for a few minutes to air out the apartment, even when it's very cold and the heaters are on. It is considered a way to avoid mold in humid houses. Some overdo it, turning those "few minutes" into several hours.

Although these special calendars are used to count the last 24 days before Christmas, for unknown reasons, German supermarkets put loads of them on sale in October. It can only be assumed that quite a few people cheat and eat them whenever — or stock up on them in case some catastrophe would prevent them from buying them a few days before Advent actually starts.