Some people can hardly wait for the Advent season, while others are already dreading the crowded city centers and familiar Christmas carols. According to trend researcher Corinna Mühlhausen, it is clear that many people are longing to slow down. "Instead of consumerism, a hectic pace and an end-of-year countdown, people are trying to focus more on the actual meaning of Advent, the preparation time for Christmas," she reports. Seven ideas that will help even those who don't like Advent in and around Dresden to get through the pre-Christmas period:
24-day muck-out calendar
Like an advent calendar, only in reverse: the idea of a muck-out calendar is circulating on the internet. For 24 days, one item is discarded at a time. Instead of buying or getting new things, you can throw away unused items, sell them on or give them away. Anyone who has warm winter clothes left over can donate them to the Dresden Homeless Aid, the German Red Cross (DRK) or the Treberhilfe association.
Visiting the houses of other religions
Other religious festivals are also celebrated in December. Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day on December 8 to commemorate the Buddha's enlightenment. On 19 December, the Yazidi festival of Ida Ezi is celebrated in honor of God, marking the end of a three-week period of fasting. On December 14, the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah begins. Every day, another candle is lit on the candelabrum to commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Those interested can learn more about this on a guided tour of the Dresden Synagogue.
