On November 11, Martinstag is celebrated in Germany with many traditions. Martin of Tours was the third Bishop of Tours in France during the 4th century AD/CE. There are many legends woven around his person. For instance, when he still was a Roman soldier, he cut his cloak into halves […]
Germany
Allerheiligen, Allerseelen
The first two days in November are significant days in the German Christian calendar. November 1 is the German Holiday Allerheiligen (All Saints’ Day) and November 2 is Allerseelen (All Souls’ Day). On Allerheiligen, people traditionally visit cemeteries and place flowers, wreaths, and lighted candles on the graves of loved […]
German-American Day
On October 6, we in the US celebrate National German-American Day! In 1683 the first thirteen German families settled in Pennsylvania where they founded Germantown. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 6 as a National Holiday in 1983 to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German immigration and culture in […]
Oktoberfest at the German School in the Woodlands
We are so excited that we had our first in-person event after the long strictures of Covid. Last Saturday on October 1, we celebrated Oktoberfest at our German School in the Woodlands. We had a fun-filled event with the families of our students with German Pretzels, games, snacks, and non-alcoholic […]
Day of German Unity
Do you know that on October 3 Germany celebrates the Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit)? This national holiday commemorates the official German reunification in 1990 after it had been divided into East- and West-Germany in 1945. The fall of the Berlin Wall took place in 1989; in […]
It’s Oktoberfest Time!
Did you know that Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebration more than 200 years ago when Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on Oct. 12, 1810? The wedding was celebrated with multiple days of drinking, feasting, and horse races. The celebration then became an annual festival in […]
All Fall Registrations for Adults, Teenagers and Children are Open
Our popular children’s in-person classes (ages 5-16) on Saturdays begin after Labor Day on September 10, 2022, in The Woodlands. We offer Spielgruppen 1 and 2 for 5-7 year-olds, either beginners or heritage speakers. 8-11 year-olds can choose from a Basiskurs (no German pre-requisite), or Fit in Deutsch 1.1, Fit […]
“Kinderfasching” at the HLK Hall
Following is a message from Gabi Lorenzen, President of HLK, with an invitation to their “Kinderfasching.” We’re celebrating carnival all day Saturday – some of us in the GIS German school in The Woodlands, and then in the afternoon. Why do we actually celebrate carnival? Carnival (also called Fasching or […]
GIS German Language Classes for Children and Teenagers
Classes for children and teenagers are open for registration. Hurry – Early Registration (you get a discount) ends on Sunday, December 12, 2021. We welcome all children and teenagers from the age of 5 to 16 years old interested in learning and exploring the language and culture of German-speaking countries. […]
Five Exciting Online Workshops for Children and Teens during the Fall and Holidays
In addition to our popular German classes for children and teens, we have developed a great series of online workshops for the term. Take a look and sign up your children and teens as soon as possible. Workshops are limited to 10 participants. The cost for each participant per workshop […]