Culture of Germany

1. Soccer or as it is called in Germany, Football is the most popular sport. With Bundesliga as the top level football/soccer league.
2. Music in Germany has gone through multiple phases. Classical music is very well known and played throughout the entire world. The most popular music today is hip-hop, and performers are groups called MIA and Rammstein.
3. Some common traditional popular food is Bratwurst, Currywurst, and Kohlroulade.
4. The major religion/beliefs in Germany are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.
5. Some important national holidays include Easter, German Unification day (October 3), Christmas and News Years. Some customs are to shake hands when you greet each other, Germans eat a large hot lunch and small dinners, and Germans expect everyone to always be on time.
6. Popular tv shows include Doctors Diary, The Mentalist, and Der Letzte Bulle. Movies include Hanni & Nanni, Iron Doors, and Hotel Lux.
7. Here are a couple links to some German newspapers: http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/, http://www.abendblatt.de/, http://www.berlinonline.de/.
8. Some German newspapers in English are http://www.thelocal.de/, http://www.spiegel.de/international/.
9. Germany is a federal parliamentary republic. It has two major parties that include the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Christian Democratic Union), with a sister party the Christian Social Union. Germany has three minor parties, the Free Democratic Party, The Left, and Alliance ‘90/The Greens.  Political leaders include Fed. Pres. Joachim Gauck, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler