With the Union of European Football Associations European Soccer Championship OR The Euro Cup // Europäische Meisterschaft (EM) starting this June, you might hear or see the term "Public Viewing" quite frequently. You might hear/see this on the radio, at a bar, a restaurant, or in the paper. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it might cause quite a bit of confusion. So to clear things up, here´s everything you need to know about celebrating the EM in Germany this summer. Well, not everything but here are the basics:

1. Germans Love Soccer

In fact, most Europeans love soccer; they love it the way so many Americans love football which is ironic, seeing as football or Fussball is the German word for soccer. Both the World Cup (which you may have heard of since the U.S.A also competes in this competition) and the Euro Cup are held every four years - alternating every two years, meaning that there is a multinational soccer competition going on every two years.

For example;

The last World Cup was held in 2014 (AND GERMANY WON!)

The next world cup will be in 2018.

The last Euro Cup was held in 2012 (Spain won last time...)

The next Euro Cup is happening now in 2016!

It´s currently going on in France-so expect extra security if you

2. Germans Love Watching Soccer Together - Hence these "Public Viewings"

You may have noticed that, despite Germany´s reputation of being overly efficient, we never pass up a chance to celebrate. Perhaps this is just another manifestation of our efficiency ;] That´s what these "public viewings" are-a chance to get together with your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers and watch the games. They´ll often be held in bars, restaurants, parks (on giant flat screen projectors) and out in the streets. We love to root for our favorite teams together (GO DEUTSCHLAND!) and food and drinks will most likely be present. Occasionally things can get a little rowdy, but it all depends on where you are and which teams are playing. Many of these viewings are family friendly!

3. Always pay attention to your surroundings!

This one might be obvious, but keep in mind that some rivalries are greater than others. Sometimes people drink too much (I know, that one´s a shocker), and sometimes things can get out of hand. So keep an eye out for rising  tensions, excessive drinking and overly crowded places. I´m not trying to scare you off; most of the time public viewings are great fun and, like I mention above, many of them are family friendly. There is usually some security on site, and the Euro Cup is meant to be a celebration of European nations in the same way that the World Cup is. So go out, pick your favorite team, dawn your countries colors and celebrate with the rest of the nation!