Monday 1 November 2021

Happy November!

Happy November to all my friends and readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch


"Kleine Amsel im Winterglück"
"Little Blackbird in the Happiness of Winter"


We hardly ever have snow in November in our area but I know there are plenty of people who could have this picture this month.

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The Low German name for October is "Windmaond",
the English translation is "Wind Moon", a good description.
The month is usually cold, foggy and windy. But I love it.
The heat of the summer is definitely over and I can breathe.

* * *

Due to the numerous occasions to commemorate the dead, November is also known as the "Month of Mourning", of sad memories. It starts with "All Saints' (or All Hallows') Day" on the
1st, followed by "All Souls' Day" on the 2nd. Usually, the graves are blessed on All Souls' Day but since that's not a holiday in Germany, it takes place either on All Saints' Day, if that is a public holiday in the state or on the weekend following All Souls' Day. If a state is primarily Catholic, All Saints' Day is a public holiday, if it is more Protestant, All Saints' Eve (Halloween) is a public holiday.

The Sunday before Advent is the "People's Day of Mourning" where we commemorate members of the armed forces of all nations and civilians who died in armed conflicts.

Then there is the "Day of Repentance and Prayer" on the penultimate Wednesday before Advent. It used to be a public holiday but is now only celebrated in Saxony.

* * *

Weather lore (or farmers' rule) for November:

Hat der November einen weißen Bart, wird der Winter lang und hart.
If November has a white beard, winter will be long and hard.
Of course, if winter starts at the beginning of November, it will be long.
I haven't seen that since I was little, though.
Many greetings from climate change.

Bringt Allerheiligen einen Winter, so bringt Martini einen Sommer.
If All Saints' Day (November
1st) brings a winter,
Martini (November 1
1th) brings a summer.

* * *

I had a special day in October, my blog turned 11. I'm happy to have been a member of a great community for so long.

* * *

According to a study by the university in Aarhus, Denmark, the willingness to adhere to these rules is linked to personal empathy. That means: The more compassion a person can show for others, the more likely it is that they will adhere to the applicable distance rules and wear mouth and nose protection.
I guess that also goes with the willingness to get a vaccination. There are people who are sick and can't have them but for the rest, there is no excuse. When we get vaccinated, we also do it for those who can't.
Luckily, all the people in our immediate circle had no problem with it and have had their two shots.

* * *

Have a happy November with this beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch.



You can find many more wonderful pictures on their website here.

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.

2 comments:

  1. Snow here is rare, but I love the images of winter!

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    Replies
    1. It's definitely a lot nicer to watch on a picture than having to get through it in real life, Jen. LOL

      Anyway, I just had a message from a Finnish friends who mentioned that they didn't have many storms in October but also snow already. So, there are areas where you get it so early.

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