New Year's Eve in Brandenburg: peace, celebration and the sweetness of tradition!

New Year's Eve in Brandenburg: peace, celebration and the sweetness of tradition!

On January 1, 2026, Berlin once again welcomed the New Year with a variety of traditions and customs. New Year's Eve is known not only for loud parties, but also for cozy celebrations, which are organized differently in different regions.

RBBreported on the different celebration traditions in Lusatia, where many people and pets seek peace and quiet. While a celebration was taking place in the tallest building in Brandenburg in Frankfurt (Oder), the fire brigade in Potsdam was preparing for possible emergencies. In addition, the traditional Braune bakery in Potsdam was active, which has been producing pancakes for 170 years and has a high production effort on New Year's Eve.

Berlin pancakes as a New Year's Eve hit

Berlin pancakes, also known as donuts or kreppel, are inextricably linked to New Year's Eve. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of pancakes are sold in Berlin on New Year's Eve. The KaDeWe department store in particular opened specifically for sales on this day and is expecting sales of around 15,000 items. The variety ranges from classic fillings such as strawberry jam and plum jam to exotic combinations such as baked apple-cranberry and speculoos-orange. This treat has been a staple of New Year's Eve celebrations in Germany for over 250 years, with over 350 million donuts sold annually, with a peak on New Year's Eve and during Carnival.

The high-calorie delicacy has its origins in multicultural roots. Legend has it that the Maccabees lived in the 2nd century B.C. The “Sufganiot” ate. The preparation of pancakes was mentioned as early as 1485 in the cookbook “Die Küchenmeisterei”. A baker from Berlin contributed to the further spread of this pastry in 1756.

New Year's Eve traditions and customs

New Year's Eve has different meanings around the world, but in Germany customs such as using fireworks, drinking sparkling wine and pouring lead are common. Although the name “New Year's Eve” goes back to the Roman Pope Silvester, who died on December 31st 335, January 1st has only been celebrated as New Year's Day since the Middle Ages. The custom of drinking sparkling wine or champagne at midnight and saying goodbye to the old year with fireworks is particularly solemn.

Also important are lucky charms such as chimney sweeps, horseshoes or carp scales, which are considered symbols of prosperity and luck. However, there is increasing criticism of the loud New Year's Eve celebrations because of the risk of injuries, fine dust pollution and garbage. Some organizations are now calling for a ban on private firecrackers.

In summary, it can be seen that both the traditions and the culinary highlights such as Berlin pancakes make up a large part of the New Year's Eve celebrations in Berlin and beyond. People welcome the New Year with a colorful mix of noise, regional specialties and old customs. For many, the focus is on community and in 2026 the hope for health and happiness will be expressed again.

For more information on the region's celebrations, visit the articles from RBB, n-tv and NDR.