Guten Rutsch!! Happy New Year 2017!!!

“Guten Rutsch!”: what does this German wish really mean?

When your German friends wish you a “Guten Rutsch!”, “Einen Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!” or say “rutsch guet übere” (Swissgerman), they don’t want you to “slide” or “slip” (rutschen=to slide; (aus)rutschen= to slip). They simply wish you a smooth start into the New Year.

Can’t they just say “Gutes Neues Jahr”? Yes, they can and they do. But it’s common that we wish a “guten Rutsch” to each other.

Where does this expression come from? Is it somehow related to the fact that this time of the year people did “slide” into the snow (or on the ice)? 
Not really...I don't think it has anything to do with sliding on ice at all. It just means to slide smoothly into the new year...

Sonne, Mond und Sterne,

alles liegt in weiter Ferne,

doch das Gute ist ganz nah-

ein glückliches und schönes neues Jahr!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year...thank you for all the support reading my blog as well as coming to visit the Retreat and Basement Club. More to come in 2017!!!

Guten Rutsch dann mal!!!