Birsday Behavior: A Guide to German Birthday Culture

Germany is the Wurst No. 9

Another week, another delayed newsletter.

It’s already been three weeks since we returned from our Wisconsin snow-cation. Thankfully, my kids recovered from their jet lag relatively quickly, so that I could recover from my jet lag/unpacking stress/mountain of laundry relatively quickly, as well.

While we were in Wisconsin, we celebrated my husband’s birthday. For some reason, he makes a really big deal out of really enjoys celebrating his birthday. In comparison, most American adults get about as excited about their birthdays as the Winnie the Pooh character Eeyore does about losing his tail.

But honestly, what’s not to like about your birthday? Who doesn’t like presents? And cake? And people being nice to you all day?

I have to admit, my husband, and the Germans, might be on to something. I mean, these are people who like their birthdays so much, that they make their own birthday cakes and pick up the restaurant bill for their own birthday dinners. In fact, if you work in the public sector, like me, your birthday is an extra vacation day, kind of like the center of a bingo card.

Here are a few things I’ve noticed over the years about Germans and their birthdays:

1. Birsday

Most Germans have difficulty pronouncing the “th” sound in many English words and often substitute it with an “s.” Why is the “th” sound so difficult? I’m not sure, maybe for the same reason I struggle with words like statistisch or Tschechische Republik. Anyway, as a result, “birthday” becomes “birsday,” and entire phrases like “Thank you for traveling with Deutsche Bahn morph into an incomprehensible “Sank yew for traweling wis Deutsche Bahn.” Even though Germans have their own perfectly fine version of the “Happy Birthday Song,” Zum Geburtstag viel Glück, they tend to prefer the English version, “Happy Birsday to yewwww…”

2. Geburtstagsfrühstuck

The only thing Germans enjoy more than their birthdays are complaining about the weather starting their day off right with a hearty breakfast. As someone who has eaten yogurt for breakfast more or less every day for the past 15 years, I can’t fully embrace the Brötchen-cold-cut-cucumber situation. Still, Geburtstagsfrühstück, literally "birthday breakfast,” is a thing. While people eat breakfast every day, this one is special and only comes around once a year.

3. Runder Geburtstag

Speaking of birthdays that come once a year, a runder Geburstag, or round birthday, only happens every ten years. The occurrence of a runder Geburtstag is definitely a cause for celebration, depending on what decade you are entering. If you’re turning 30, you might rent out a small bar or reserve a room in a restaurant. If you are turning 70, you might have afternoon coffee and cake with family and friends. Pro Tip: If a German tells you they celebrated their runder Geburtstag, nod thoughtfully and say “Ahhh,” to show you understand the cultural significance of this birthday milestone.

4. Reinfeiern

The German language has specific words for all sorts of niche activities. For example, we were having burgers on the grill one weekend in January and a neighbor passed by and asked us if we were angrillen, or the occasion of grilling for the first time of the year. Reinfeiern is another such word meaning to celebrate into your birthday. Typically, this means you start your birthday celebrations the night before and continue celebrating your birthday the next day once midnight rolls around. Funnily enough, it is considered bad luck in Germany to wish someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday, but this superstition doesn’t seem to apply to reinfeiern.

So, on your next birthday, party like a German: bake your own cake, foot the bill, and pronounce “birsday” with pride. Just don’t wish anyone a happy birthday too early, after all, timing is key.