Germany certainly knows how to celebrate special occasions, sometimes in rather weird and wacky ways. Here are eight seasonal customs which help to make German celebration days so special.
A major deployment of customs and police officers took place on Tuesday morning in North Rhine-Westphalia against organized crime involving illegal work, according to media reports.
Customs officials at Munich Airport became suspicious when they spotted a nervous-looking man who had just arrived on a flight from the Netherlands. Further investigation showed he had swallowed an astonishing quantity of cocaine.
On Thursday the German customs agency presented a huge quantity of cocaine which it had seized at Hamburg harbour. It was the largest cocaine seizure in German history.
Despite what stereotypes might have you believe, Germans aren't that different from the rest of us when it comes to social interactions. But these tips should help guide you through your next dinner invitation.
Customs officials at Frankfurt airport have recently seized huge quantities of unsafe fidget spinners, with 35 tons worth of the gadget being classed as unsafe at the airport in May alone.
Drugs, luxury watches, protected animals - customs agents are used to preventing illegal items from crossing borders. But this one might just be the "king" of all attempted smuggles.
Customers officers did a double-take at Munich airport last week when a suitcase belonging to a man arriving from Thailand turned out to contain the reeking skull of an unfortunate ape.
What do you do with 25,000 litres of fake tequila? Set fire to it, apparently - with the Mexican Ambassador and the Tequila Regulation Council standing by to make sure the job's done properly.
A 50-year-old British woman is being held in custody in Munich on suspicion of attempting to smuggle two kilos of crystal meth out of Munich airport disguised as sweets.
Some of the strangest items found by German border control might make you think again about whether border checks are over the top. The Local List takes a look.
Border police in eastern Germany are claiming successes against crystal meth traffickers. A special unit set up last year has launched 170 investigations, seized 6.4 kilos of the drug and confiscated €100,000 in cash from smugglers.
A German pensioner was fined €15,000 for driving a Swiss car across the border into Austria, breaking a little-known EU law. An Austrian court has now ruled he cannot get his money back.
Customs officials in Düsseldorf have seized an illegal collection of stuffed animals; including a falcon wearing an SS cap, the skeleton of a penguin and snakes. A probe was launched after customs found a monkey's arm in a parcel.
Customs officers hit the jackpot when they searched a trio on the German border who said all they had was sweets - they found 60 kilos of elephant tusks.
The number of Germans smuggling large amounts of cash across the Swiss border into Germany rose dramatically last year. Customs officers said on Thursday they made a find in almost every third car they checked.
Customs officers in western Germany caught an elderly man with almost €200,000 taped to his genitals. He and his wife had just crossed into the country from Luxembourg last week.
