One of the most popular songs for children and for those learning German as a foreign language is this comedy hit. Rolltreppenmax looks at a typical day of the main character, what he does and why a roll of toilet paper has to be involved at the end of the day. The song starts with Monday and looks at what the character does on that day. It’s followed by Tuesday, Wednesday and goes all the way to the day of rest, known as Sunday.
Have a look at the video and there are some tips for teachers to use for the German classroom.
TIPS:
For some educational tips, one can do the following:
Make a list of all the things the main character in the song does on each day in German, then translate it into English to understand what the activities mean.
Answer the question of why a roll of toilet paper (D: Klopapier) is presented at each day, and especially on Sunday where piles of that stuff ends up in the office of his “best friend.”
Try to create a song like this using different activities, keeping in mind that they must rhyme and fit the rhythm if possible. This one is the toughest and therefore, it should be group exercise, consisting of 3-4 students per group. More minds think alike. 😉 When you are done presenting this, then it’s your turn to present in class. 😀
Viel Spaß/ Have fun! 🙂
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Bummelkasten is a one-man acapella comedy music group based in Berlin. Its main singer, Bernhard Lütke, created the group in 2012 and this song, Rolltreppenmax, became a hit among people of all ages. The song helped launched Lütke to fame as a singer and comedian. Three albums were released between 2014 and 2017 and have received rave reviews. One of the songs, “Weil ick mick so freue!” (EN: While I am so happy) received the Goldene Spatz Award for best song/ music video in 2015.
14 years ago, you as a parent welcome a precious child into the world. That child is your own flesh and blood. The child learns how to speak; the child learns how to make friends; the child plays with toys and dreams big; the child asks you questions about life. As the child grows up, you awe in his/her development; you enjoy the entertainment he/she gives you; you are astounded at his/her talents.
Then the big 1-4 comes! And with that, Jugendweihe! What is that tradition, anyway?
This is where yours truly comes in. My daughter turned 14 a while back and most recently, she celebrated Jugendweihe at her high school (in this case in German: Gymnasium). It’s basically the celebration of entering adulthood, although for some parents, it’s a difficult process of accepting the notion that your child is growing up, “leaving” childhood and “entering” the adult stage. And this despite the fact that in American standards, he/she is still a teenager- has been since 13 and will continue to be that way until “officially” entering the adult age of 21.
Still confused at the notion of Jugendweihe and entering adulthood even though the child is 14 and hasn’t flown the nest yet? Let’s do a comparison.
Jugendweihe is celebrated at the same time as Confirmation. Confirmation is the process where a person who is baptized of a religious faith receives the full religious rite and is a full member of the religious faith. It’s basically a sealing of the covenant of the religious faith which was started with the baptism at an early age and is completed at the age of between 13 and 15. This is practiced in all Christian faiths, especially in North and South America, but to a lesser degree, also in Europe.
Looking at America from an ex-patriate’s perspective, the process of confirmation is based on years of religious schooling, especially Sunday School and in many parts of the country, also Wednesday night classes, where students learn about the teachings of Christ. The preparation of Confirmation normally takes a couple years, which culminates in the ceremonies that take place in the 8th or 9th grade. In that ceremony itself, which takes place during the Sunday church services, students receiving confirmation are dressed in stoles, confess their faith and receive their first communion (red wine as the blood of Christ and wafer as the body of Christ), while reading the excerpt of choice from the Bible and explaining to congregation why it was very important to them. Confirmation varies among religious faiths but they are ordinarily administered when the child becomes an early adolescent, meaning their teenage years. Therefore, it may be considered a “coming of age” in the Christian faith.
Jugendweihe has its roots back to the 19th Century. The term was first mentioned by Eduard Baltzer in 1852 but was considered the non-religious (or sometimes the non-demoninational) form of Confirmation, for 90% of the youth were considered Christians. It blossomed during the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) as it was supported by the Social Democrats and the German Communist Party, as well as the workers’ unions and even the anarchists. It was basically the initiation of early adulthood. One could say that because of the majority of children being members of the church, they celebrated both Confirmation and Jugendweihe at the same time, treating both as a firmation of faith and the coming of age.
During the Third Reich (1933-1945), Adolf Hitler eliminated all forms of Confirmation and Jugendweihe and instead created the Hitlerjugend group. There children reaching early adolescent were enlisted into that group and were trained to become Hitler’s army of men. Towards the end of World War II in May 1945, much of HItler’s troops remaining on the front consisted of those from the HItlerjugend.
After the Fall of the Third Reich and the End of WWII, Jugendweihe was reintroduced as a non-religious coming of age festival, yet because of the division between East and West Germany, the eastern half established a firm base on the ideology of Marxism and Socialism. The festivities were sanctioned by the schools and also the Freie Deutsche Jugend, and students were expected to participate in all of the festivities and events involving the East German ideology. In West Germany, the celebrations were seldom to find as much of the population were members of the church and therefore, Confirmation was generally celebrated, especially in the state of Bavaria, which is pre-dominatly Catholic.
This changed after German reunification in 1990. The organization Jugendweihe e.V. was established at that time and has several branch organizations serving all 16 German states to this day. The Jugendweihe in Germany today is run by these organizations and since 1993, participating in the rituals of the Jugendweihe have been made optional. That means adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15 in Germany have the choice between Confirmation (if they are part of a Christian religious faith), Jugendweihe (if they generally don’t belong to the faith but want to go through the traditional process) or neither of the two (if they come from a different religion, like Islam, Judaism, etc., or simply don’t have the interest.) As of present, only 25% of the population of Germany’s adolescents take part in the Jugendweihe, 40% of which from the former East German states of Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Pommerania. But with the continuing decrease in the number of people attending Christian institutions in Germany, the number non-Christians participating in the Jugendweie may increase in the coming years.
The process of Jugendweihe in Germany is not like Confirmation, where you have to take preparation classes on becoming adults and keeping to the faith. While intensive topics dealing with current events, politics and social studies, environmental sciences and ethics are introduced in the 8th grade year, only small elements are presented. To participate in the Jugendweihe, the adolescent must participate in the Jugendweihe organization representing the state or region he/she is living in and attending school. These organizations are independent of the school and offer several events to get teens prepared for real life. This can include lectures on social topics and current events, but can also include social work activities, parties at summer camps, field trips to places, such as the state parliament, places of historic interest or even outside of Germany. These organizations are the ones that host the Jugendweihe ceremonies, which take place on a Saturday during the time span of March to June.
The Jugendweihe ceremony itself is a formal event where everyone dresses up- not only the participants of the ceremony but also their families and guests. In this case, it’s on the same level as Confirmation or even Graduation, except here, there are no stoles or graduation gowns. Participants have to wear their best attire. Like graduation, the participants walk down the aisle at the beginning of the ceremony and have an exclusive place near the front of the stage, either in the middle or on the left and right sides, pending on the size of the venue and the number of people attending.
The ceremony features music from a regionally known music group(s) that play popular music with a focus on adult themes, such as love, freedom and life. This marks a stark contrast to Confirmation where religious themes are in the musical pieces. There are speeches made by guest speakers, one or two of which represent the group participating in the Jugendweihe and one or more from an institution, such as a bank, company, public agency, etc. The speeches focus on the transition from childhood to young adulthood and all the challenges and experiences that the adolescents will face as they enter the final years of schooling. Once the speeches are finished, each partcipant comes to the stage and receives their certificate and blessing, thus formally declaring them new members of the adulthood. As a normality, each one receives a handbook which looks at the themes involving adulthood and how the adolescent can (and sometimes should) handle them. This is what a typical handbook looks like:
After the official consecretion to adulthood, the ceremony ends with some live music and the newly annointed adolescents walking off the stage, with certificate, handbook and flower in their hands. And with it, the celebrations begin, which include family and friendship photos, food and entertainment at home and/or in a restaurant, and with it, opening presents and having parties.
Having gone through the ceremony with my daughter, all I can say is Jugendweihe is like graduation but in a way that your child formally leaves childhood and starts a new life as a young adult. The difference is that the ceremony is very relaxed with some popular music which the audience can be involved with. The speeches were laden with some valuable advice for the adolescents and for us parents with one that I found the most useful:
“Your son/daughter is entering the stage where he/she wants to challenge him/herself. You as parents should be there to coach them and provide them with guidance.”
It reminded me of all the convocations we had in high school in America, where guest speakers came to tell us the value of life and how we should handle it with care. And while parenting there has changed dramatically in the almost 30 years since I left high school, this advice should be taken seriously. Let your son/daughter grow but be there to help and provide them with some valuable lessons. Be that coach and person he/she turns to for advice.
As my daughter once mentioned as probably one of the best quotes of our lifetime: “Experience is a Strict Teacher.”
Jugendweihe is a celebration of adulthood your child should participate in. It marks the departure of childhood and the beginning of an era where we experiment, collect experience and learn by doing. It does not mean your child is officially an adult, for he/she cannot drink until 18 years of age, nor can he/she drive until that same age. It simply means that your child is opening the door to some new opportunities that are ahead, some of which will contribute a great deal in rounding out the development of a real fine man or woman. It’s a process where after 13-15 years , you teach your child how to fly so that he/she is ready to leave the nest when the time is ripe to do so. It’s a time of finding one’s own place in life and setting the stage for when he/she starts a life of his/her own, starts a career and family, and reflects on how the parents did a proud job of raising the child. For us parents, it’s a celebration of thanks for what we did. For those like my daughter, now a young adult, it’s a celebration marking a new chapter and what is ahead. ❤ 😀
Imagine this scenario: a stranger offers a child a ride to school, or offers a woman to a cup of tea, or offers a group of people to go to a free show in a theater, etc. You want to say no, but you want to find a creative alternative to the words “No thank you.” Furthermore, you would like to know which of the expressions are more forceful than the polite versions. It’s like in the commercial produced in 2015 on the issue of consent and, like in the picture above, the offer for a cup of tea:
Of course, we could accept the offer and say sure, we can do that. Germans would use the word annehmen and the English equivalents are below:
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For the enquivalent to the German word, ablehnen, the expressions are on the same level as this traffic light:
The green light represents the polite way of saying no, the yellow light is the more stern way, and the red light is the most forceful way. The most commonly used words to describe “No!” are decline, reject and refuse. Like the traffic light, the difference among the three verbs is as follows:
As a hint, each of the words also have an equivalent, whose meanings are different, but they are in reference to the actual meaning of the word.
Decline: Two meanings come to mind when it comes to this word. The first has to do with deteriorate, the other to go down. While it is OK to politely decline to the offer a friend gives you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the friend doesn’t like you. Yet if you reject your friend’s offer multiple times, then you might want to ask why, for it could be a sign that a friendship is deteriorating.
Reject:There are several words that come to mind when it comes to rejecting something sternly. One can repeal, annul or back out of an offer. Yet you can reject an offer and at the same time end a relationship and leave someone behind. As a hint, when you reject something plainly and to the point, it is a sign that you want to end something and move on. Reject is a tool used to end a partnership but on a professional basis.
Refuse: Two words are used to describe the harshest form of a “No” word: refuse and waste. Refuse is British and means garbage in American English as well as Abfall in German. The stress is on the first syllable. Waste is the same as garbage as a noun, but as a verb it means using time in a worthless manner. If you use the word refuse, your implying that the other person is wasting your time and you want nothing to do with him/her. If you use refuse, then the person is being tossed into the pile of garbage, full of disappointments, but in the clearest (and hopefully) verbal manner.
Review:
Decline <=> deteriorate, go down
Reject <=> repeal, annul, back out, end, leave behind
A. Look at the expressions below. Determine whether they represent a red light (severe), yellow light (stern but moderate) or green light (polite). Please keep in mind that both the three words plus their synonyms are featured in the examples.
I refuse to talk to my dad. He’s such a racist!
Patricia declined to comment on the incident.
Sam rejected Torsten’s request for a paid leave of absence
The police officer apprehended the driver after he refused to show him his driver’s license.
The teenager refused to show his tatoo to the leader of the gang and was subsequentially beaten.
Anna declined Ted’s offer for a beer after work.
I refuse to be a victim to this abuse!
The President rejected the proposal to sign the treaty, citing high costs to carry it through.
The clerk rejected the form because there was missing information.
The opposite team declined the offer to penalize the home team for the foul.
The marriage was annulled due to irreconcilable differences. Annul is the same as which of the three words: ______________________
I’ve decided to leave the group because of the contract and I wanted to go solo. Leave is the same as which of the three words: ___________________.
The relationship has deteriorated recently because of cultural differences between the couple. Deteriorate is the same as which of the three words:_______________________
I will not speak with that piece of garbage. Not after what he did. He’s a waste of time. Waste and garbage are in reference to which of the three words: _____________________
I passed up on the offer to work in Auckland for family reasons. Pass up is the same as which of the three words: __________________________.
The bishop shunned the couple for same-sex marriage. Shun is the same as which of the three words: ______________________.
We renounced our citizenship because we didn’t want to pay double taxes. Renounce is the same as which of the three words: ____________________.
Scott sat out during the game because of a nose bleed. Sit out is the same as which of the three words:_____________________.
The plaintiff’s lawyer objected to the defendant’s claims in court. Object is the same as which of the three words: ____________________.
People in the hall protested at the proposal to tear the historic building down. Protest is the same as which of the three words: ________________________.
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B. Complete the following sentences, using either decline, reject or refuse. Pay attention to the details!
Charles _______________ to apologize to his brother for the fight because he had started it.
The cat ________________ to come down from the cupboard. So Sam took a broom and chased him down.
Georgia _________________ Harlow’s offer to dinner at the diner in town. She was not interested in him and he understood.
I _________________ to comment on the story because I’ve only heard it for the first time. Please give me time to digest the news.
The Senate ________________ the proposal calling for the increase in taxes among the wealthy.
The wedding proposal was __________________ because she didn’t love him. She loved someone else.
The protesters _________________ to leave the town square, so the police sprayed water on them.
I _________________ to back down to Mr. Henning because his argument for me clearing my classroom was not justified.
My boss _________________ the offer for a higher position because he loves his job.
She __________________ the draft because it was irrelevant.
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C. Look at the following sentences and convert them using the antonyms.
Example: I refuse your apology! <=> I accept your apology!
I decline the offer to marry you. <=>
I refuse to talk to him. <=>
The proposal was rejected by a unanimous vote. <=>
The fine for speeding was rejected. <=>
The peace treaty has been refused by both parties. <=>
After watching the video and reading (as well as doing) the examples, you should have an idea on the ways to express yourself if someone offers you something in English and you want to accept or deny the offer. Regardless of severity vs politeness, the main factor is: “No means no!” If a person declines, rejects or refuses something, then there is a reason for that. It is only OK with the consent of the other and NOT based on your assumptions. What was learned in your childhood that “No means yes.” is no longer the norm in this day and age.
When it’s no, it means no. Regardless of how no is interpreted.
“History is History. It’s the Future we should worry about.” That was a comment one of my students in English class mentioned last year as we talked about the events involving World War II. In a way if the younger generations were not living or haven’t experienced the past of their forefathers, it would be easy to say it’s time to move on and worry about the present.
However, History is History and our history can reshape the future we should worry about- more than ever before. Germany has had its share of history, which makes it one of the most unique countries to use as reference. It survived two World Wars, 45 years of division with the Wall (or should I say Walls) and with that two different political systems. It went through three revolutions (1848, 1953 and 1989), the third of which resulted in German Reunification and all this time, it went through series of transformation in terms of architecture and infrastructure. It was the forerunner of the Autobahn, it developed the first city underwater canal system, it developed and expanded shipping canals to connect all bodies of water. It even built the finest historic bridges- many of which are still intact despite withstanding war and wear. It produced the finest writers, like Schiller and Goethe and the best musicians we still listen to, like Bach, Beethoven, Haydn and Mendelsohn. All of these accomplishments but also trials and tribulations were remembered- through the preservation of historic places and the creation of monuments, statues and memorials. Even the Stolperstein- small bricks with memorials of those who perished in the Holocaust, can be seen on German streets today.
Can you imagine pieces of history, like the concentration camps, remnants of the Berlin Wall and the border that used to divide Germany into West and East, statues of controversial figures and the like disappearing from memory? Many Germans have attempted to try that but the wounds are too deep and the scars still fresh, even though World War II ended 75 years ago and Germany was reunited as a whole 30 years ago. We will never be able to erase history, no matter how we try and do that.
Yet it is happening in the United States right now. Statues of prominent figures who were controversial have fallen, brand names with black people as slogans are being retired, memorials dedicated to the war that had divided the nation are being destroyed. All to protect the black population because they are being considered second class. The paranoia that has come out of the death of George Floyd, who was wrongfully killed by four Minneapolis Police Officers on 25 May, 2020, has brought the issue of racism right up to the forefront. At the same time, the paranoia is destroying the very history that we were taught in schools- how the United States grew up with free states and slave states, that blacks were kidnapped in Africa and shipped to the southern states for use on farms, how they were mistreated. We had a Civil War that put an end to slavery and to a short-lived Confederacy. Still despite being free, the blacks were still being persecuted through segregation and racial profiling. Even the Civil Rights Movement by Martin Luther King didn’t solve the problems of the racial divide. Systemic and systematic racism has been a wound that is bleeding in the United States for centuries. Even when we finally come together to talk about this topic, even in the most uncomfortable way, the scars will never disappear even when the wounds are healed.
It’s July 4th, 2020 and it’s time to think about
The American Question: Who Are We? What have We Done For This Country and The Entire World? How Can We Learn As Americans For The Future?
Based on the German Question that was raised after the end of World War II, we should be raising this question and looking back at our history, not just looking at what we accomplished but looking back at, coping with and lastly, understanding the dark sides. We have had as many dark moments as there are controversial books written about them. The Tulsa Massacre of 1921 is one of those dark events that we never talk about in classroom but is considered a defining moment in the history of racism in the United States. We have controversial figures that also became greats in their times. Some owned slaves but still shaped our country to what it is. Others rounded up Native Americans and put them on reservations and tried assimilating them. We all are guilty of our transgressions but to run away from them and not talk about them is the same as murdering people and then fleeing the country. It’s time we start talking about the most painful parts of the past and come to terms with it. It’s time we teach our generations the real history of our countries and get them to understand why they happened and how we reacted. It’s time to open up to other cultures, whom we’ve persecuted and discriminated for so long and find out who they are and why they suffered all along.
We need to discover all aspects of history and not just the few we preach about in class. History should be a requirement during all of the time in school and history teachers should be well-trained to talk about the hardest of topics, critically, objectively and simplistically, so that we all understand and can think about them. Statues and memorials should be back in their places but talked about in detail- not destroyed or desecrated. We need the Stolpersteins on America’s streets- sidewalk memorials for those whose lives were wrongfully taken- this applies to not only victims of repression and discrimination, but also social tragedies including the school shootings. Books banned from the libraries should be read again so that we all need to understand the history of our country as a whole. And lastly, extremist media- especially those from the far right, should be taken off the air once and for all. In the past four years, there have been too many prominent racists who have stoked hate and division for our country and have degraded all of America’s minorities as well as the country’s neighbors. It’s time to send the likes of Rush Limbaugh and members of One American News Network, Fox News and all of the Trump family packing. In this country, there’s no place for hatred, racism and all kinds of division that has brought the country to the brink of another civil war. Instead of just judging people based on the color of the skin, their socio-economic background and the like, we should be sitting down and talking about the history our country and our identity.
The American Question- Who We Really Are?
And hence, returning to that quote the student said: “History is History. It’s the Future We’re Talking About.” It’s one that can be interpreted as letting go of the past and looking ahead. Yet with all the problems facing us, we need history more than ever so that we can learn from our past mistakes and use them to shape our future. So in this case, history is history. It’s the history we need to embrace now more than ever before so we can tackle the issues that are important for future generations. It’s one that goes beyond the upcoming elections on November 3rd that will bring change to the country- hopefully for the better. It’s one that will shape our country for years to come.
Enjoy the 4th to my fellow Americans at home and abroad.
This week’s Genre of the Week pays a tribute to some of the greatest soul and R&B (rhythm and blues) singers who have passed recently. One of them happened to be the predecessor to Elvis Presley in terms of fame during the infancy of rock music, Little Richard. Known as the Innovator, the Originator and the Architect of Rock and Roll, Little Richard was known as the person who created rock and roll with its combination of piano, brass and swing, and set the foundation for other artists of his time to follow suit, namely, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran and especially, Elvis, who later became the King of Rock and Roll. While Little Richard provided the swing, especially with his smash hit, Tutti Frutti (released in 1955), other musicians experimented with instruments which led to rock music splitting into its many forms later on during the 60s, 70s, and 80s, such as heavy metal, R&B, dance (including disco) and pop music. Little Richard continued his career in R&B and soul music, thus leaving 73 years of legacy for many generations to listen to and learn about how rock music was born, raised and fanned out into the forms we listen to today. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The Swing died on May 9th at the age of 87.
One of the first things that came to mind upon hearing of his passing was a mixture of swing and rock, where Tutti Frutti was paid a tribute. In 1989, Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers created a mix of techno, pop, jazz, classic rock and swing with the release of Swing the Mood.
Little Richard’s masterpiece was included together with what other pieces of music? Hint: One of them was a song by Elvis, another was first used in a TV sitcom Happy Days. There are two versions. Listen to them and try to figure out who sang what song and in which year. Enjoy this one as we pay tribute to Little Richard.
Short Version:
Long (12 Inch Record) Version:
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers also had two other songs that were released, paying tribute to classic rock and swing, That’s What I Like and Let’s Party. They too were released in 1989 and all three of them reached Nr. 1 in the Bilboards. The group from Yorkshire, England later became known as Mastermix DJ Music Service and to this day, produce music and dance mixes for radio and for online streaming.
MUNICH- The Munich Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer and volks festival. If there is one word that first comes to mind when it comes to German culture, this one is at the very forefront. Established by King Ludwig I in 1810, the festival takes place from the middle of September until the first Sunday in October- a span of 16-18 days- attracting over 10 million visitors from around the world to the venue of the event, the Oide Wiesen.
In the 210 years the Oktoberfest has been running, it has been cancelled 24 times. The last one was in 1949 because of World War II and the reconstruction efforts in the American zone that followed.
Because of the Corona-Virus, make this year the 25th time the event has been called off.
Because of the high risk of infection and the inability to keep to the hygiene standards, Bavaria’s minister Markus Söder and Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter in a press conference has called off the event for this year. This is confirmed by German news channel NTV. Also the Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing, which is the largest Volksfest in Bavaria and attracts 1.5 million visitors annually has been called off. Tat was supposed to take place on the second Friday in August.
At the time of this article,Bavarialeads the way in the number of Corona Virus cases, with 37,849 infected. Nationwide, Germany has a total of 147,065 cases. As many as 4862 residents have died of the virus, 1286 of them in the second most-populous state in the country. Over 2.48 million infected cases have been reported worldwide even though that number could be even higher. Germany has been gradually restarting its businesses and returning to normal but under certain circumstances. Mouth-masks are required by law (even in Bavaria) while in public. Distance between people at 1.5- 2 meters are still in place, travel by plane or train has been at a snail’s pace due to reduced numbers available. All in an attempt to keep the reproduction rate at below one person. Still it will take some time before a vaccination is created and adminstered to the population. Experts are predicting a timespan of 2-4 years before they can be available to the public. In the meantime, medication to treat Covid-19 have been made available but only partially. Tests are also being carried out to determine how immune people are to Corona. Yet, officials have made it clear that until a vaccination has been made available, restrictions will need to be kept in force to protect everybody from getting infected, for the virus not only targets the most vulnerable- the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, but also younger people, including the healthy.
And that will make it more difficult for organizers of the Oktoberfest to heed to the requirements for the next festival, which is scheduled to take place September 18th to October 3rd, 2021. Should the vaccination not be made available, visitors will have a difficult time keeping a distance from one another to avoid getting infected while at the same time, enjoy a big mug of beer, a pretzel and white sausages, the cornerstone of a nutritous meal at the Oide Wiesn. Yet Germans have learned to be creative when it comes to products made in Germany. After all, many of them have originated from the Oktoberfest. Perhaps some inventor will find the best of both worlds to solve this unique problem in time for the 2021 festival.
It’s a typical day in Berlin. Specifically, in the Reichstag Building at Brandenburg Gate. Politicians from both sides of the spectrum- the ruling coalition on one hand and the opposition on the other- convene to discuss (and dispute) laws and regulations designed to keep people safe and regulate businesses to make Germany a better and more attractive place for residents and visitors. There are some critiques and sometimes political insults- especially against the right-winged Alternative for Germany (AfD). But nonetheless, business is professional and the laws are passed or rejected without much fanfare.
That is unless it’s Ash Wednesday and you find yourself in Bavaria.
Every year, each political party to their quarters in Bavaria. There, the boxing gloves go on, the beer is flowing from the barrels, the crowds go wild and each of the prominent politicians have at it on the mikes- free-wheeling insults thrown at other political parties and certain people, complaining about the problems that Germany is facing and trying to rile up a jam-packed audience who in the end jeers, boos and hollars at them, while holding up the beer steins, the beer filled to the brim and spilling over.
Every year since 1946, Germany has held its annual Political Ash Wednesday rallies, where parties gather to Bavaria to unload their frustrations that had been brewing for the past 364 days. Yet the origin of this event goes a lot further back- specifically, the 16th century. In 1580, farmers convened on this day to the market square Rossmarkt in Vilshofen/Danube to discuss and complain about the current events and other items affecting their business. The politics of Bavaria and later the German empire were added to the mix in the 19th century. Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party (NSDAP) used this day to convey his message of a pure Germany, which garnered thousands of supporters and paved the way to his claiming power in 1933. He kept the tradition until World War II broke out.
After the war, the tradition was revived in 1946 and in the same city as in the past. For the first six years, the Bavarian Party (BP) was the only party that kept to its original tradition, yet in 1952, the Christian Socialists (CSU) joined the fray as an attempt to steal away supporters from the BP. The Social Democrats joined the rally in 1965 with their own agenda, but being held at Wolfersretterkeller in Vilshofen. As of today, eleven parties have held this traditional rally in Bavaria but in different cities:
Free Democrats (FDP): Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Halle in Straubing
Green Party: Landshut
Left-wing party „Die Linke”: Passau
Ökologische Partei (ÖDP): Passau
Republican: Geissenhausen
Pirate Party: Straubing
AfD: Osterhofen
The CSU has held their rally at Dreiländerhalle in Passau since 2004 as it can hold up to 6000 guests. Passau has become the main attraction for the rallies for half the parties have met there to express their colorful views to their delegates and supporters.
However, the Political Ash Wednesday events can also be found on the national level. For the past two decades, one can find such events in Apolda (Thuringia), Marne (Schleswig-Holstein), Volksmarsen (Hesse), Fellbach (Baden-Württemberg), Recke (NRW), Demmin (MV), Biberach an der Riss (BW) and Wallerfangen (Saarland). Biberach is the meeting point for the Greens and Wallerfangen for the Linke. The Christian Democrats (CDU) have held such events in more than one of the aforementioned cities.
If there is a comparison for Political Ash Wednesday, one could do so with the Presidential Campaign in the United States in general. We mustn’t add Donald Trump in the mix for he is the “krassest” of examples for political insults and making fun of people in the most degrading fashion. Subtracting him, the Presidential Campaign does not include the beer but it does include complaining about the situation affecting the country and playing down the other candidates’ promises of making it better for everyone. It does include strong messages that arouses the masses and encourages them to support their candidates. For the political rally in Germany on this special day, it solely has to do with addressing the problems and the “problem children,” which strengthens the German (and to a certain degree, European) stereotype of complaining, daily, profusely and professionally. It makes a complaining choir sound like a discord, especially if one has too much to drink.
If one needs an idea how a Political Ash Wednesday works, have a look at a couple examples for you to listen to. Examine their views, their facial reactions and gestures and the crowds that roar over the events.
Then look at a typical US Presidential Campaign Rally:
And then look at Donald Trump:
If there is one thing that they have in common, it’s in connection with the GIF-pic at the beginning of the article. It had been originally been planned to beused to talk about Hamburg’s governmental elections and the successful attempts to solidify the existence of the SPD and Greens and the (near) ouster of the FDP and AfD in response to the scandal in Thuringia. Then after watching the speeches on this Ash Wednesday, it came to this commonality that is typical of politics in general: Politicians may be the biggest role model for the public and they debate on laws that are supposed to help people. They are the ones that hold the torch. Yet on a day, like Ash Wednesday, they go unplugged, strip down, and show their teeth, bashing anyone trying to dethrone them.
If Ash Wednesday is the day for using the witty tongue and creative insults, they come but once a year in politics. This means we don’t need a day for bitching and complaining, unless you are the typical German politician who holds it in until this special day, then lets loose over a stein of beer. Since we have this, Bavaria will forever be in the minds of many who use this day to unwind and unload.
And with that, raise your beer steins and “Prost!”
The Bavarian Party, which re-established the Political Ash Wednesday Rallies, still exists as a party. Yet unlike its heyday in the 1940s, when it garnered 21% of the votes and rivaled the Christian Socialists (CSU), it has averaged only 2% of the votes since the 1970s. Today only three districts are controlled by the BP. Its main platform is an independent Bavaria as a country and not part of Germany. This has been rejected by the CSU and other parties.
Photo by Torsten Bolten [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5DAmerican Football: a national past time. Every year in the Fall, we would flock to the football stadiums and watch the two teams, each consisting of 11 men, dressed up in football uniforms and helmets, move the ball to each other’s end zone to score. There are spectacular catches by the wide receivers; just as many deep throws by the quarterbacks or pushing the linemen back by the running backs; just as many as clean tackles by the defensive linemen; but also just as many boos and cussing by penalties that are debateable, just to name a few. 2019 marked the 150th anniversary of the first game of the sport of football. As it developed over the years, rules and regulations were refined and equipment was reshaped to make the game safer for everyone to play. The most popular foot league in the world is the National Football League, which celebrates its 100th year in the 2019/20 football season. The most popular game in the US celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017- the Super Bowl.
Despite all these facts, what do we know about the sport? This is where the Files has a cool activity series for you to try out. Consisting of a guessing quiz and some exercises in connection with English grammar, this guide will give you a chance to test your history of the sport. At the same time, it will also test your skills involving active and passive verb forms in English.
To better understand how they work, a table below shows you how they function:
A more detailed version can be found with some activities involving the history of street lamps, which you can click here.
So without further ado, have a seat and try these exercises out. Good luck! 🙂
EXERCISE 1: Use the verbs in parenthesis and complete the sentence in the lined blank. In the dotted blank, choose the correct answer in the multiple choice below.
EXERCISE 2:Look at the following sentences below and determine whether they are active or passive. Mark with an A or a P, respectively. The verbs have been marked in bold print.
In today’s game of football, only 11 players per team are allowed on the football field.
The team that has the ball is given four chances (downs) to gain 10 yards.
The offense (team that has the ball) gets another set of downs if they get 10 or more yards.
The defense tries to stop the offense from getting the downs.
If the offense fails to get 10 yards or more, they are forced to turn the ball over to the opponents. !: Two answers here.
If the offense gets the ball into the end zone of the opponent, it’s a touchdown and they are awarded six points.
Points can also be scored by a field goal (3 points), two-point conversion or an extra point kick after the touchdown, or when the defense stops the offense in their own end zone for a safety (2 points) !: Two answers here.
The team with the most points after four quarters wins the game.
EXERCISE 3: HYBRIDThis task has a combination multiple choice and verb formation. Complete the sentence by: A. choosing the correct word from the multiple choice and B. Formulating the sentence using passive or active.!: Please pay attention to the verb tense that is expected per task.
EXERCISE 4: GUESSING QUIZ
How many states did the original teams represent when the NFL was created in 1920?a. Four b. Six c. Eight
Which of the cities were NOT the founding fathers of the NFL?
a. Canton, OH b. Chicago c. Green Bay d. Cleveland e. Pittsburgh
Which NFL Team in the present-day is the oldest?
a. Arizona Cardinals b. Green Bay Packers
c. Cleveland Browns d. Chicago Bears
e. New York Giants f. Detroit Lions
Prior to the first Super Bowl, which NFL team won the most number of championships?
a. Cleveland Browns b. Green Bay Packers
c. New York Giants d. Chicago Bears
e. Minnesota Vikings f. Detroit Lions
Between 1920 and 1969, which NFL team did NOT relocate or fold?
a. Akron Bulldogs b. Buffalo All-Stars
c. Green Bay Packers d. Pittsburgh Steelers
e. Chicago Bears f. Cleveland Browns
What was the highest number of points scored ever in an NFL championship prior to the first Super Bowl?
And since the Super Bowl started?
Which NFL Team(s) has made the Super Bowl the most number of times?
Which NFL Team(s) has won the most number of Super Bowl Championships?
Which NFL Team(s) has attended the Super Bowl the most but has yet to win one?
The last Christmas genre of this holiday season features a very popular song, whose melody will get a person’s ears ringing thanks to the singing earworm. The 12 Days of Christmas was first produced in 1780 in England as a set of lyrics only. The melody was produced as a folk song by Frederic Austin and with its various forms and tricks, has been the standard Christmas song. Recently, in a book entitled Ideals Christmas, Rebecca Barlow Jordan traced the Twelve Days of Christmas to not only the 12 days of celebrating the birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ, but also to the twelve days journey by the three Wise Men, who traveled to see the baby Lord, carrying with them the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh- both of which were pinpointed to the time between Christmas Day (the 25th of December) and the Day of Epiphany (the 6th of January).
In either case, the lyrics remain the same, as in the graphic above, yet the many variations of the 12 Days of Christmas have existed and are growing. I have three versions that are worth watching as we wind down the holiday season and prepare for the next one- the first in the third decade of the third millennium. The first one features a classic produced by John Denver and the Muppets from 40 years ago. The Muppets variation has changed five times since the origin from 1979, using five different sets of characters, still, they are fun to watch, nonetheless:
The next version is a rather wild and funnier version of the 12 Days of Christmas, with two actors imitating the gifts given on each of the 12 days- until they are pooped out. This was done by the Crossroads Bible Church Group:
And the last example was performed by the Angel City Chorale, where the song is interrupted by first, many Christmas carols and then by the song Africa, by the pop group Toto. It’s one worth the laughs:
The reason for presenting the 12 Days of Christmas on Epiphany? To close out the holiday season for Epiphany represents the confirmation that the Lord hath Cometh. A perfect way to begin with the Year of the Lord and honor him for what he did for humanity. Case closed! 🙂
THE FLENSBURG FILES 