Archive for 'Culture'
Changes to Oktoberfest 2016 Posted by Larissa on Sep 20, 2016
It’s that time of year again! Oktoberfest started last Saturday and will run till the third of October. Following this year’s events around the world, Oktoberfest has enhanced its safety procedures to make sure that all visitors are in a safe environment. I’ve listed the changes below (don’t worry, there aren’t that many!) and if…
4 Times Germans Took Their Sense Of Order Hilariously Far Posted by Sten on Sep 15, 2016
My father has told me many times a proverb that also he grew up with: Ordnung ist das halbe Leben (order is half your life). Yes, Germans cherish tidiness and order, which can go into the absurd. Sometimes, Germans just take their Ordnungssinn (sense of order) too far! Enjoy! 4. Maschendrahtzaun Back in the 1990s, one particular woman became…
German Children’s Stories 2: Zappelphilipp Posted by Constanze on Sep 14, 2016
Guten Tag! Today I’m tying two topics together: An untranslatable word (we haven’t had one of those for a while!) and a classic German children’s story. One of these inspired the other. Want to learn more? The German word I am focusing on today is der Zappelphilipp. What does der Zappelphilipp mean? A ‘Zappelphilipp’…
German Nationalparks – Part 14: Hunsrück-Hochwald Posted by Sten on Sep 10, 2016
In previous months, we have already explored a large part of the geschützte Schönheit (protected beauty) of German nature. We went to the windige Küsten (windy shores) of the Wattenmeer, the eindrucksvolle Felsen (impressive rocks) of the Sächsische Schweiz, the Jahrhunderte alten Wälder (centuries old forests) of the Bayerischer Wald, the Erzminen (ore mines) in the Harz, the Tiger (tigers) roaming around in the Eifel, the Tausend Seen (thousand lakes) of Müritz, the hohe Gebirge (high mountain…
How My Brother Became an Old Sock Posted by Sten on Jul 30, 2016
A few days ago, my brother turned 25. Socks were hung up everywhere to make it clear: He is now an Alte Socke (“old sock”)! The Alte Socke receives a Sockenkranz (sock wreath), which is hung up outside the house, so everyone can see that a member of the household has turned 25. Old Socken are filled with Stroh (straw) or something else like…
You Won’t Expect The Thing Germans Say If Somebody Burps! Posted by Sten on Jul 27, 2016
Rülpsen (burping). It is a thing we all do, to save our Magen (stomachs) from having to deal with all the air we swallow with food and drinks. For Niesen (sneezing), people of many cultures tell the sneezing person something like Gesundheit! (literally: “health!”, meaning “bless you!”). It is usually some way to wish that person good health, as Niesen is often associated with an Erkältung (cold)…
German Children’s Stories 1 Posted by Constanze on Jul 22, 2016
Guten Tag! A little while ago somebody requested posts on children’s books and stories. I thought, where better to start than the German books my mum used to read to me as a child! DER STRUWWELPETER Der Struwwelpeter is a very famous German children’s book by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann. Hoffmann wrote it because he couldn’t…