Laterna
We have experienced our first Laternafest. It is the equivalent of Halloween I suppose, in that it is a fall holiday predominately for small children. (Halloween here is NOT for small children).
Turns out Laterna is another holiday on my birthday (like Armistice Day come Veterans Day). Laterna is actually Sankt Martin's day. Saint Martin as the story goes was riding through the forest one night presumably by lantern and came across an old beggar who was, as one would expect in this part of the world, very cold without a coat. Saint Martin apparently stopped his horse and with his sword cut his coat in two giving one half to the beggar. A noble act some would say, worthy of sainthood or at least a popular German holiday.
Somehow the tradition became that small children for weeks before are busy at school or at home making these paper lanterns (yes, with candles inside them- not just a few stories of a hysterical child crying while his Laterna burns a cinder). On the eve of the 11th or sometimes a day before or after all the schools gather their children with their parents and light their laternas and take a walk to a nearby park. There is Hot Chocolate and Gluwein (spiced rum) to drink and lots of sweets and maybe wurste to eat. On the walk and at the park the "Laterna songs" are sung (by all- including the police who stop the traffic and provided an escort for Zoe's kindergarten). These are songs that EVERY German knows because THEY have learned it in kindergarten. They are kind of catchy but after two nights of singing them we have filed away our paper with the words (yes we got one) away until next year.
It was dreadfully cold this year but we made it out for a walk with Zoe's kindergarten on Thursday and then Grace's on Friday. I helped Zoe with her Laterna (my first- they had a "Basteln Abend "(German Craft Night) at the kindergarten) and Grace made a neat one with wax on a translucent paper at her school. No one went up in flames and the evening was deemed a success.
Next, like all good Jewish families here in Germany we prepare for Advent. We won't be doing anything for it in our home of course, but Grace's school will be opening gifts for a few weeks (and I'm sure more songs will be sung). It seems to be a fairly secular celebration of most of these Christian holidays however, as most German's consider themselves "post religious" (I actually heard that term on TV used to contrast the Germans with the unfathomable Bush loving fundamentalist Americans).
Oh, lest I forget about Thanksgiving which we do intend to celebrate here. Sharon has ordered a sizable Truthahn and we will be pigging out in the good ole American style - but more to come on that perhaps spater.
Turns out Laterna is another holiday on my birthday (like Armistice Day come Veterans Day). Laterna is actually Sankt Martin's day. Saint Martin as the story goes was riding through the forest one night presumably by lantern and came across an old beggar who was, as one would expect in this part of the world, very cold without a coat. Saint Martin apparently stopped his horse and with his sword cut his coat in two giving one half to the beggar. A noble act some would say, worthy of sainthood or at least a popular German holiday.
Somehow the tradition became that small children for weeks before are busy at school or at home making these paper lanterns (yes, with candles inside them- not just a few stories of a hysterical child crying while his Laterna burns a cinder). On the eve of the 11th or sometimes a day before or after all the schools gather their children with their parents and light their laternas and take a walk to a nearby park. There is Hot Chocolate and Gluwein (spiced rum) to drink and lots of sweets and maybe wurste to eat. On the walk and at the park the "Laterna songs" are sung (by all- including the police who stop the traffic and provided an escort for Zoe's kindergarten). These are songs that EVERY German knows because THEY have learned it in kindergarten. They are kind of catchy but after two nights of singing them we have filed away our paper with the words (yes we got one) away until next year.
It was dreadfully cold this year but we made it out for a walk with Zoe's kindergarten on Thursday and then Grace's on Friday. I helped Zoe with her Laterna (my first- they had a "Basteln Abend "(German Craft Night) at the kindergarten) and Grace made a neat one with wax on a translucent paper at her school. No one went up in flames and the evening was deemed a success.
Next, like all good Jewish families here in Germany we prepare for Advent. We won't be doing anything for it in our home of course, but Grace's school will be opening gifts for a few weeks (and I'm sure more songs will be sung). It seems to be a fairly secular celebration of most of these Christian holidays however, as most German's consider themselves "post religious" (I actually heard that term on TV used to contrast the Germans with the unfathomable Bush loving fundamentalist Americans).
Oh, lest I forget about Thanksgiving which we do intend to celebrate here. Sharon has ordered a sizable Truthahn and we will be pigging out in the good ole American style - but more to come on that perhaps spater.
posted by jackie and fritz at 4:09 AM
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