Colors of Monchengladbach - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

During the year, the city residents celebrate a lot of interesting holidays, each of which is associated with remarkable traditions and customs. Some holidays are family so they are traditionally celebrated in a family environment. On the contrary, other celebrations go hand in hand with street festivities. One of the main holidays is New Year. Traditionally, it is not celebrated at home. On New Year's Eve, all the locals go out to meet their relatives and friends, watch fireworks, and take part in loud night festivities.

It is also interesting to visit Monchengladbach on Christmas and New Year's Eve when traditional fairs and entertainment events take place. In the main city square and streets, there are colorful market stalls where you can buy interesting souvenirs, New Year decorations, and the most popular specialties and sweets.

The last day of Christmas holidays is marked by a symbolic holiday named Heilige Drei Könige, or Three Kings' Day. On this day, festive parades take place in the streets. Their participants wear beautiful historical costumes. The parade is led by Three Kings who shower spectators with candies and other sweets. Such an unusual rite is performed in commemoration of three magi who brought the news of Christ´s appearance. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The locals pay much attention to important religious holidays. Their traditions are aged many hundred years. Interesting entertainments and carnivals are annually held before the Lent. It always follows the carnival week. For seven days, colorful parades and street performances are daily held. The entertainment program implies activities for children too. They can enjoy theatrical performances and competitions, as well as attend master classes in cooking and traditional crafts. As the carnival week is followed by the Lent, it always goes hand in hand with gastronomic entertainments. In the city streets, there are cafes where you can taste popular dishes. At fairs, you can buy the best regional delicacies.

For many years, agriculture has been one of the main locals’ means of subsistence. To placate natural elements, the locals celebrate a lot of beautiful holidays. The brightest reminder of past traditions is Maifest. It is traditionally celebrated in May, at the beginning of the agricultural season. To make the season fertile, the locals take part in colorful parades, dance, and perform symbolic rites. Some traditions are still observed. On the festive day, the May pole, the main symbol of the holiday, is installed and the locals dance around it. Then, the queen of the festival is chosen. The queen symbolizes an ancient fertility goddess. Such beautiful holidays were celebrated even in pre-Christian times.

The people in Monchengladbach respect their historical traditions. Such traditions are reflected in beautiful festivals but accept some contemporary trends. The locals love sport, football in particular. In the city, there is a football club, Borussia, that has been one of the strongest clubs in Germany for several decades. When walking around the city, you can see a lot of symbolic monuments dedicated to football. Some of them depict famous football players. The local football club has quite an unusual symbol, foal Junter. You can see its picture everywhere. Monchengladbach is the home of many famous football players, so football fans can take interesting themed tours here.

As for other interesting features of the city, its achievements in the sphere of textile industry should be mentioned. Now, several big textile factories produce high-quality clothes. Some factories are open to visitors but city guests usually prefer to visit shops where they can buy elite textiles at attractive prices. The visitors of Monchengladbach have a lot of opportunities to get acquainted with the locals’ traditions. Beautiful festivals held during the year, interesting themed tours, and sports events are just some of the ways to participate in the local people’s cultural life.