Happy May to all my friends and readers
New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch
"Versteckspiel"
"Playing Hide and Seek"
The little seagull chicks are playing Hide and Seek. Let's hope nobody finds them.
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The official name in Low German is "Maimaond" which doesn't need any further explanation, I think.
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New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch
"Versteckspiel"
"Playing Hide and Seek"
* * *
The official name in Low German is "Maimaond" which doesn't need any further explanation, I think.
* * *
May starts with a holiday. The night to the 1st is celebrated as Walpurgis Nacht (Walpurgis Night). According to legend, witches meet on the Brocken in the Harz mountain and dance with the devil.
The rest of the country usually dances in the night, we call it "Dance into May". According to tradition, a fire is lit (though not all communities do that anymore) to drive away evil ghosts. In many areas, boys bring a maypole (often cut from birches) to their girlfriend. They get decorated with strings of crepe paper in many colours and put next to the girl's bedroom window (see left picture). Nowadays, it's often the whole group that brings one to each other.
In some areas, boys bring a heart decorated with paper flowers and the initial or name of their beloved.
(some examples in my pictures)
The 1st of May is a holiday in Germany, International Worker's Day. Everyone uses it for a day out. You see many people on their bikes or with little toy wagons which we call Bollerwagen. If you have little kids, they can take a rest in there, the others fill it with beer for their "arduous" trip. Of course, things are different this year.
And then there's Pentecost which usually falls into May. And Ascension Day, another holiday in Germany. These are two important days in the church and because it brings extra holidays (Pentecost Monday and Ascension Day Thursday) for those who don't celebrate anything in church.
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The 1st of May is a holiday in Germany, International Worker's Day. Everyone uses it for a day out. You see many people on their bikes or with little toy wagons which we call Bollerwagen. If you have little kids, they can take a rest in there, the others fill it with beer for their "arduous" trip. Of course, things are different this year.
And then there's Pentecost which usually falls into May. And Ascension Day, another holiday in Germany. These are two important days in the church and because it brings extra holidays (Pentecost Monday and Ascension Day Thursday) for those who don't celebrate anything in church.
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Weather lore (or farmers' rule) for May:
"Mairegen bringt Segen." May rain brings blessings.
From May 11th to 13th, we celebrate the days of the Ice Saints St. Pancras, St. Servatius, and St. Boniface. They are followed by St. Sophia on the 14th and we call her
"the Cold Sophie".
"Mairegen bringt Segen." May rain brings blessings.
From May 11th to 13th, we celebrate the days of the Ice Saints St. Pancras, St. Servatius, and St. Boniface. They are followed by St. Sophia on the 14th and we call her
"the Cold Sophie".
When I say "celebrate", I don't mean that there is a particular feast, it's just that the weather gets quite colder again around those dates on those days and we blame it on the Saints.
Hubby and I have been lucky to have received our first vaccination last month since we are both on the high risk list. I hope that most of you will get yours soon, as well, so that we can all go back to normal one day.
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Have a happy May with this beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch.
Hubby and I have been lucky to have received our first vaccination last month since we are both on the high risk list. I hope that most of you will get yours soon, as well, so that we can all go back to normal one day.
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Have a happy May with this beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch.
You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about them.
Thank you once again for another lovely informational post. I love these. Our Labor Day is the first Monday in September and is just another excuse for people to grill and drink and celebrate the end of summer.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Sarah. I love putting these things together because I know many of my friends like to read about it. I also post this on my FB page, so not as many comments here as there are readers. But if there is only one person who enjoys it, it's worth the effort. And always nice for me to reminisce of something I did years ago or still do today and pass on to my boys.
DeleteHappy May!
I am glad you put in the effort for these, thank you! I love seeing the similarities and differences across the world. Happy May!
DeleteThat's what I love about having international friends, it has always fascinated me.
DeleteHappy May to you as well. Nice to hear about various celebrations. We have more or less similar ones in Sweden.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. And a happy May to you, too.
DeleteYes, I know, these posts are probably not half as interesting to you as they are for our friends overseas. But there are some other feasts in different countries, as I noticed myself. And in Sweden, my son experienced some different ones, so there's always something.
Funnily enough, I learned that the ice saints are called järnmän (iron man) because of a mistranslation from Eis to Eisen. I thought this might interest you. Or you have another story.