There’s a nice concept in German language and culture called der Feierabend. Because the word “feier” alone translates to celebration, festivities or party, when I first heard people saying this, I thought it must refer to either a special party-night of some kind, or perhaps the evening before a holiday.
But it turns out that for Germans, every night after work is a “party night”! The Feierabend is simply the time after work ends, when people are free to do as they please with their lives until going back to the office the next morning. It’s quite a nice concept, and one we don’t have a direct translation for in English. (The online dictionary suggests, among other things, “leisure time,” but that has a more sociological feel, and is something we think of on a general basis–not as a fixed part of our daily schedules.)
The Germans take their Feierabend seriously. Last week I was volunteering at the Gay Museum in Berlin. At 6 pm I locked the doors and was heading out when a man arrived hoping to deliver some pamphlets to the museum. I told him I would not mind reopening the doors–it would not have taken more than 5 minutes–but he refused. “Mach Feierabend!” he said; he would come back Monday to make the delivery. I didn’t protest too much. I’ve gotten used to taking closing time seriously, too!
I’m thinking of trying to import this concept into my own life back home. I’ll be in grad school in the fall, and it would surely be healthy to declare at, say, 7 pm, and end to a day of studying and the beginning of Feierabend. Work and study have their place, but free time is important too!
