German Holidays and Events Vocabulary
Weihnachten looks plural - it ends in -en - but it's grammatically singular and takes no article. You say Weihnachten ist da (Christmas is here), never das Weihnachten ist da.
public holiday
birthday
Christmas
Easter
New Year's Eve
New Year's Day
wedding
party
festival / celebration
to celebrate
gift
card (greeting)
candle
invitation
to congratulate
tradition
Why Weihnachten Ends in -en Without Being Plural
Weihnachten comes from an old dative plural form of die Weihnacht (the holy night), frozen into a single word centuries ago. The -en ending is a fossil from that history, not a modern plural marker - which is exactly why it still behaves as one singular, article-free noun today.
Ostern and Silvester Follow the Same Pattern
Ostern (Easter) and Silvester (New Year's Eve) both work the same way as Weihnachten - no article, treated as a singular event even though Ostern also carries that same -en ending. Once you know Weihnachten breaks the normal article rule, the other major holidays stop being exceptions to memorize separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't Weihnachten take an article?+
It behaves as a fixed, singular holiday name rather than an ordinary noun, so it skips the article the way a name typically does - you say Weihnachten ist da, not das Weihnachten ist da.
Is Weihnachten actually plural since it ends in -en?+
No - despite the -en ending, which comes from an old frozen dative plural form, Weihnachten is treated as grammatically singular in modern German.
Do other German holidays skip the article too?+
Yes - Ostern (Easter) and Silvester (New Year's Eve) both follow the same article-free pattern as Weihnachten.
How do I practice this holidays and events vocabulary?+
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