{"id":3003,"date":"2011-11-30T14:42:47","date_gmt":"2011-11-30T14:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=3003"},"modified":"2017-11-14T14:13:12","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T14:13:12","slug":"german-tradition-the-abitur-%e2%80%93-more-than-just-taking-annoying-examinations-pt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/german-tradition-the-abitur-%e2%80%93-more-than-just-taking-annoying-examinations-pt-2\/","title":{"rendered":"German tradition: The Abitur \u2013 More than just taking annoying examinations (pt. 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Abizeitung<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Abi-Shirts<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to remember the time of the\u00a0Abitur<\/em>, German students usually make a journal and T-shirts. My schoolfellows and I made an Abi-journal under the motto \u201cimprisonment\u201d. We treated each student as an inmate of a prison (our school) and drew up \u2018psychological profiles\u2019 which revealed the particular characteristics and interests of students as well as possible means of \u2018socialization\u2019 that disclosed the plans for the future, that is, subjects of studies and career aspirations.<\/p>\n

Another custom is to make Abi-shirts or sweaters, which students wear on the day of the\u00a0Abifez<\/em>. It generally displays the school-leaving year. Other features are voluntarily. Some students imprint their motto and we imprinted all names of graduates.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0Abifahrt<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The most important part of the\u00a0Abitur<\/em>\u00a0is, of course, the\u00a0Abiturball<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0(prom night) and the Abifahrt. The\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0is quite similar to the American prom night. All school-leavers wear festive clothes: the girls wear ball dresses and the boys wear suits and ties. On the day of the\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0all hairdressers and make-up artists are usually booked out because all the girls want to look perfect on that night.<\/p>\n

Unlike the American prom night, it is not common that boys ask girls out. School-leavers attend the\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0either with their girl-\/boyfriend or as singles. But that does not mean that all singles go alone to the\u00a0Abiball<\/em>. Another difference between the American prom night and the German\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0is that the parents of the school-leaver accompany him\/her, so that students, their parents, and teachers celebrate and conclude school-time together. The relationships between\u00a0Gymnasiasten<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(German high school students) and teachers are usually very close, friendly and respectful.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0begins around 7 p.m. and starts with a ceremonial entering of the graduates. Afterwards, the ball is officially opened with the so-called\u00a0Er\u00f6ffnungstanz<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(opening dance). For the following hours, the attendants help themselves from the buffet, drink, talk, dance, and pose for photos. At around midnight graduates and parents separate. Parents go home and the graduates continue to celebrate in discotheques or clubs until dawn. I remember that the day of my\u00a0Abiball<\/em>\u00a0was quite warm and it was raining when a friend of mine and I left the discotheque, my feet were aching, so, I put off my shoes and walked barefoot through the rain. This wasn\u2019t a good idea because afterwards I had had a bad cold.<\/p>\n

Last but not least,\u00a0Gymnasiasten<\/em>\u00a0do a final trip together, called\u00a0Abifahrt<\/em>. It should be noted that German students go on\u00a0Klassenfahrten<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(class trips) or\u00a0Bildungsfahrten<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(educational trips) annually. My schoolfellows and I, for example, had been to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy (Rome, Pisa), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), France (Paris) and Great Britain (London). In this way, we had had the chance to get to know different cultures and practice the foreign languages we had been learning in school, which first of all had been English and French. But the final trip or\u00a0Abifahrt<\/em>\u00a0is neither intended to educate oneself nor to get in contact with other cultures. In the first instance, it is intended to have fun and celebrate one\u2019s freedom. It is the only time whenGymnasiasten<\/em>\u00a0go on a trip without teachers. Usually, all students head for the same destination but we weren\u2019t in agreement for our final destination, therefore, we split into three groups. One group went to Spain (Lloret de mar), another to Czechoslovakia (Prague) and the third to the Baltic Sea (Germany).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I hope that was enough info for you \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vocabulary:<\/em><\/p>\n

das Abi-Shirt = a T-shirt or jumper on which the motto and final school year of a class is printed<\/em><\/p>\n

der Abi-Ball = prom night<\/em><\/p>\n

der Gymnasiast \u2013 male German high school student <\/em><\/p>\n

die Gymnasiatin \u2013 female German high school student<\/em><\/p>\n

der Er\u00f6ffnungstanz \u2013 opening dance<\/em><\/p>\n

die Klassenfahrt \u2013 class trip; school trip<\/em><\/p>\n

die Bildungsfahrt \u2013 educational trip<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The\u00a0Abizeitung\u00a0and\u00a0Abi-Shirts In order to remember the time of the\u00a0Abitur, German students usually make a journal and T-shirts. My schoolfellows and I made an Abi-journal under the motto \u201cimprisonment\u201d. We treated each student as an inmate of a prison (our school) and drew up \u2018psychological profiles\u2019 which revealed the particular characteristics and interests of students as…<\/p>\n

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