German Language Blog

The time has come again. Easter is almost here. Since Germany is a Christian country, its people celebrate the annual commemoration of the Auferstehung Jesu Christi (Resurrection of Jesus), commonly known as Ostern (Easter).

Both designations German Ostern and English Easter have the same linguistic roots, and there are different explanations of its origin. Among others, it is assumed that it derives from the Old Germanic word Ausro, which means “dawn”. The modern names Ostern or Easter may be associated to the point of the compass “East”, where the sun rises.

In Germany, the Easter holidays start on the Friday before Ostersonntag (Easter Sunday), which is known as Karfreitag (Good Friday) and last until Ostermontag (Easter Monday).

How Germans celebrate Easter may differ from family to family. Good Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Usually, families have lunch or dinner together on this day. My family and I are quite traditional and do not eat any meat on Good Friday but only and primarily fish and eggs. This year, Karpfen (carp) is on our lunch menu, which we will eat with salt potatoes and cucumber salad.

Karsamstag (Holy Saturday) is commonly known as Ostersamstag (Easter Saturday) or Stiller Samstag (Silent Saturday). Although this is not an official holiday, Christians commemorate Jesus, pray to him, and are waiting for his resurrection.

Especially, young people “do not” like Good Friday and Holy Saturday because most of them like to go dancing on the weekend but dancing is strictly prohibited on these days. I can remember that I went dancing several years ago on Gründonnerstag (Holy Thursday) and I was fairly confused when, at midnight, the disco staff cordoned off the dance floor – since I was not aware of this prohibition. Although it is not allowed to dance on these days, people are still allowed to go to a club or bar, drink alcohol and listen to the music played there.

Ostersonntag (Easter Sunday) is probably the day that children like best because on this day they may hunt Easter eggs. When I was a child and all my relatives lived still nearby, the whole family met for breakfast and afterwards hunted eggs in the garden. Since we were many people it was usually quite annoying when someone of us found an Easter basket, which was meant for somebody else.

By the way, as a little child I was not a gifted Easter egg hunter. On one Easter Sunday I got up earlier than my parents and did not know that they had already hid some baskets for me. In order to bridge the time for the official go-ahead I decided to watch TV, until my parents get up. I was watching TV for, probably, one hour when my mother entered the living room seeing me sitting in the armchair. And she asked me if I am not interested in checking my Easter baskets. I asked her what she meant by that and she asked me to turn my head again toward the TV set. It took me some further time to recognize the basket under the TV stand. In other words, my Easter basket was starring me in the face for the whole time and I did not spot it.

Typical German Easter basket filled with chocolate eggs and coloured hen's eggs.

I have predominately applied myself to grammatical topics so far and completely – unintentionally – ignored children’s topics. Therefore, I would like to dedicate this post to all children and ageless people by focusing on German Abzählreime (counting rhymes).

Before children can begin to play a game , e.g. Verstecke (hide and seek) or Fange (tag), they often need to agree which of them may start. In order to prevent any quarrels, counting is a fun way to determine the beginner. Below you can find a selection of German counting rhymes as well as the English translations. Mind that the English versions do not always sound so nice because I focused on the literal translation rather than on well-formed transcriptions.

1. Ene, mene, miste

Note: German “miste” and “meck” are nonsense words. I only used “fox” and “won” in the English translation to make it rhyme with “box” and “gone”.

2. Müllers Kuh

3. Amerika

4. Der Storch und der Hase

5. Das Ei

6. Die Micky Maus

How often a counting rhyme has to be repeated depends, firstly, on the counting rhyme itself and, secondly, on how many children are involved. Rhymes 1, 2, 3, and 4 can be used to ‘count down’ which child may start. Rhyme 6 can be used when only two children are involved. And Rhyme 5 can be used when a game needs a kind of leader, so that the child who does not join in has to fulfill another part in a game.

What are common counting rhymes in your mother language?

As I checked the news today, I read an article about an extraordinary project in Germany that I want to share with you.

In a Wald (forest) near the town of Meßkirch ,which is situated in Baden-Württemberg close to Bodensee (Lake Constance), a medieval abbey and village are going to be built – strictly under historical circumstances. That means: No machines, no coffee, no raincoats. The projects is going to be realized only with materials and resources that were used in the 9th century.

As I read this, my first question was “Why”? But the reason is simple: This way, scientists try to gain new expertise of the Mittelalter (medieval times). In addition, the whole projects is going to be public. That means that visitors could take a look at the Baustelle (building site) and get a real impression of the people and circumstances of the middle ages. “Living history” is the keyword for this kind of concept as opposed to staring at dead artefacts in a museum.

The plan of the Kloster (abbey) and the village is based on the “St. Gallener Klosterplan” that was drawn in the 9th century by the abbot Haito of Reichenau. In his opinion this was the plan for a perfect abbey but it has never been built this way.

More than 1100 years later, Bert Geurten, the executive board of an association that was established to realize the project, set himself the goal to finish the plan. The whole complex consists of 52 buildings. The village is not only planned for Mönche (monks)…there would be Landwirtschaft (agriculture), Schmiede (blacksmiths), Werkzeugmacher (toolmakers) and Schreiner (carpenters) as well. Even a medical unit would be installed. Because in the medieval times, the church didn´t want their monks to leave the complex of the abbey and stay untempted.

Today the first Schätzungen (estimations) say that the complex would be finished in about 40 years. In 2012 a lot of preparations are made and from spring 2013, the first oxcarts are going to pull stones to the construction site. From the mortar to the walls, from rain protection to the Speiseplan (bill of fare) – everything should be like in the 9th century. The craftsmen will earn little money and there will only be one free weekend in 8 months. Even the visitors won´t have a chance to eat French fries and drink Coke during their stopover at the construction site. Everything is going to be cultivated and manufactured on the fields around the village.

By the way: the visitors are a major part of the project, because the Finanzierung (funding) of the abbey will consist of entrance fees.

Bert Geurten says, that goals is not to have an abbey and the village around it, but to built it! He has 62 years now. In 2050, when the abbey will be finished, he probably wouldn´t be alive anymore. But he dares to have a Grab (tomb) in the crypt for being the founding father.

What an odd project isn´t it?

Here´s a little documentary that I found on youtube (German):

Some vocabulary to this post:
der Wald – forest
der Bodensee – Lake Constance
das Mittelalter – medieval times or middle age
die Baustelle – building site
das Kloster – abbey
der Mönch – monk
die Landwirtschaft – agriculture
der Schmied – blacksmith
der Werkzeugmacher – toolmaker
der Schreiner – carpenter
die Schätzung – estimation
der Speiseplan – bill of fare or menu
die Finanzierung – funding
das Grab – tomb