When Two Cultures Collide During Holidays | Culture Cuddles #10

In this Culture Cuddles episode, we share the joys and chaos of celebrating the holidays as an international couple. From German BF’s love for sausages and noodle salad to Vietnamese Lunar New Year traditions, it’s a mix of laughs, food, and cultural surprises.

00:00 Intro
00:15 Hosting German Boyfriend’s Family
01:05 The Hotel Solution
02:30 Celebrating Holidays as a Mixed Couple
03:45 New Year Expectations vs. Reality
05:30 Christmas in Germany
07:15 Lunar New Year Traditions
12:40 German Christmas Dinner
15:10 Cooking for Lunar New Year
20:00 Lucky Guests for the New Year
23:00 Missing Home During COVID
26:00 New Year’s Eve in Germany
30:15 Holiday Reflections
31:00 Outro

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Hi, I'm Uyen Ninh but please just call me Uyen!
Originally from Vietnam, I now explore life in Germany, sharing my unique perspective through my videos on my way to be your favorite Ausländer! 😁

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for Videos and Shorts: @uyenninh

[uyenninh]

Do you have any funny or interesting stories? Anything you want to ask us? Let us know here in the comments!

[loa]

German husband-to-be saving Lunar New Year decorations in the basement to put up when Uyen is with Vietnamese family --Heart meltingly adorable and SUBSCRIBE-worthy. You both bring me so much joy, wishing your family a wonderful holiday season full of love and food.

[MaeGal]

Okay, but putting your family up in your home and checking yourself into a hotel is rather brilliant. 😅

[hbc]

German fiance's gentle spirit is healing some hardness in me towards relationships, there are men out there with this kindness! It's possible!

[elicheale]

As a asian living in Spain, I can confirm that we're not catholics, but it doesn't stop us from decorating the housing from head to toe with blinking Christmas stuff 😂🎉
Also, I personally celebrate everything, Christmas, Easter, New year, Lunar new year, mid autumn festival, thanksgiving, including Divali 😊, anything that is beautiful, give holidays and gifts, or it's just simply nice to celebrate 🥂

[YT]

Absolutely dead at Uyen’s experience of Christmas mass 😂😂😂

[paramkore]

As a westerner, thank you for explaining lunar new year because I had no idea lol

[heyoitsollie]

Dying at Uyen thinking “oh sweet a lil snack” when given bread for communion hahaha

[Phoenix-the-Poet]

German Boyfriend's Aunti! WE KNOW YOU ARE YOUNG AND FULL OF LIFE!

[missnellie]

I’m down for the Christmas midnight countdown lol

[PrateekandMax]

omg so true! my bf, Max is German and I always feel like culture in a mixed relationship can be so different but we always make it work. it's so interesting :')

[heyoitsollie]

7:30 Ah yes my favorite Hymn to sing at mass “God was Created Today and Tomorrow” 😂😂

[kpwxx]

"God was created today and tomorrow" 😂 I love that it's silly but conveys **exactly** what you mean instantly.

In the UK the songs sung in church are called hymns (pronounced hims) and the Christmas ones specifically are called Christmas carols. Churches here often have "carol services" in the run up to Christmas where everyone sings lots of carols together. I'm not Christian, though I used to be as a child, and carols hold a lot of nostalgia for me, some of them are so beautiful and peaceful and joyful.

[dfas]

I met a woman who came from Germany, and she was the first German person I had ever met in real life. So I showed your channel immediately, and she already knew you and really loved it!!!

[ocnqcdz]

There is this tall, scruffy German man with a Bambi head one time, Winnie the Pooh the next! I am sure this cuteness is all Uyen's idea. He looks and sounds adorable.

[AmadorHomestead]

😂 Uyen your great "ALOT OF BLING BLING" when other people just say "Alot of lights" you make conversation more interesting and fun ❤😊

[lischa]

Your rendition of the church sermon was on point 😂.

[BeatlesNinja]

"Lots of ✨️bling✨️bling✨️" just brought me back! We would go to this little old Vietnamese woman to do our nails for big occasions and she always wanted to see pictures of us when we were all dressed up. She'd go "look! The bling bling! So pretty!" Every single time. 😂 I love and miss that lady. She was so sweet. ❤

[naomihirsch]

I am half Mexican, half German, and I grew up 12 years in China. My Oma always had a big party on Christmas eve in America, and she would go to the German deli to get white bratwurst to serve at the party. My uncle Klaus would make a big pot of Sauerkraut.
Oma and I would go to church in the morning, then come home and set up for the party (we also opened all the gifts on Xmas eve!).

My Abuelitos also celebrate on Christmas eve (Mexicans like to celebrate/party on the 24th) but out of the kindness of their hearts, they switched to Christmas day so that it wouldn't interfere with Oma's party. They make bacalao (fish dish), chiles rellenos, tamales, frijoles and sometimes menudo (but usually we save that for new year).

Now my Oma and Opa are both gone, so my Abuelitos are celebrating on the 24th again. I live in my Oma's old house, and I put up her beautiful tree in her memory. I miss them so much, but especially my Oma. I was her helper and Christmas was our favorite holiday. She would tell me about how she and her siblings were so scared of Knecht Ruprecht, and about the delicious Stutenkerl with their cute little clay pipes. I loved to hear about German bf's childhood Xmas because it reminded me of my childhood.

Also, I celebrated (and still celebrate) Lunar New Year (Spring Festival) and it was always lit! Great food, a ridiculous amount of fireworks and the lion dance, which is my favorite part. You can give lettuce to the lion in the mouth and it gets spit back out at you 🤣

[sparky]

The explanation about the ancestors is very sweet. Thanks for sharing.