How to Celebrate

One of the things I love about Germany, and this applies to most of Europe, is the centuries-old traditions they have to mark the beginning of things, the end of things, the middle of things, etc.

For example, recently in Bavaria, they have just finished Fasching, their name for 'Carnival'.  The reason for Fasching was explained in our German class - in German, obviously.  Hence I didn't understand much of it.  Since then I've picked up a bit more. Carnival is a 'big thing' in the north, especially Cologne, where they use huge floats to make political statements to protest about events of the previous year. (2016 must have provided them with a hell of a lot of material.)  It's less of a big thing down south, but people still dress up as police and blue-haired princesses and blast rowdy music from stages in the city centres while dancing in what appears to be auditions for Eurovision. In the Black Forest region, they wear wooden masks representing Voodoo priests and witches, and then get confetti thrown at them to 'drive them out': this apparently represents driving away winter, the darkness, and all the 'bad things' to make room for the light of spring and all things good.  In Bavaria, the word 'Fasching' comes from the medieval word 'vaschnc' which in modern German means 'Fastnacht' or the 'fasting night'.  This fasting begins immediately after Fasching and is known to the rest of us as Lent.  Shrove Tuesday is the culmination of the festivities, and at 11.11am on the 11th of the 11th month the Fasching Prince and Princess were selected to reign over the 'crazy season' which officially begins on 7th January.  There are Fasching balls for every society or guild, such as the Washer-women's Ball, the Carnival in Rio, and the Schabernackt, as well as endless office parties.  Fasching doughnuts are sold by the dozen.  During this period 'anything goes' and it is said that the birthrate rockets from the 'women's day' which begins the festivities.  Well, I wouldn't know about that.

How shall we respond?

With everything that is going on in the world right now, like many others I've been finding it hard not to feel overwhelmed.  I've found myself trying to distance myself from the news, unfollow Facebook posts that lead me into demoralising discussions with people who hold the polar opposite viewpoint to mine, or tempt me to read conversations by strangers across the world who are closed to everything and everyone who does not see the world in exactly the same way that they do.  Then I start to feel bad about my non-engagement. I mean, how is anything to change in the world if we don't engage with unpleasant, disturbing and disagreeable people and situations?  How would women have ever gained the vote? Or Europe been saved from Hitler in World War II? Or precious drinking water protected from the Dakota Access Pipeline due to the actions of the Standing Rock Sioux?

Cultural Diversity

I have made some new friends, from my intensive language class.  It's a good way to make the transition into a new country, that's for sure.  I love the cultural diversity.  Classes consist of up to twelve students and in mine there was me, the only native English speaker, a Brazilian, two Romanians, two French, an Italian, Portugese, Filippino, Thai, Russian and a guy from New York.  Of all those, some of us are meeting outside classes for meals on a semi-regular basis.  I am particularly good friends with the Brazilian, French, and Russian students.  They all speak fluent English which is both lucky and unlucky for me.  Occasionally, when our teacher was away, we would join another class where there was a Columbian, Palestinian, and several Italians.  Occasionally we talk about customs in our respective countries; festivals, laws, and similarities and differences between languages.