Haslach, a town in the Black Forest with 7000 people celebrates end of February the “Storchentag” (Day of the Stork). Children walk through town with white bags that is led by the “Storchenvater” the father of the stork. They call “Heraus, Heraus!” (get out). Customarily, the towns people throw sweets, fruits and pretzels out of their windows. Continue reading “Storchentag” in the Black Forest
An exciting day for the people of Würzburg. The Bocksbeutel wine bottle that was found in NY City carried the Coat of Arms of the Bürgerspital in Würzburg Some well known Vintners of Würzburg researched the archives and found something interesting. An old price list from 1910 had with all probability the wine listed that was found from the year 1904. A “Würzburger Stein” from … Continue reading An empty Bocksbeutel wine bottle from 1905 was found in NY City
The Pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart is every year at the end of August at the Ludwigsburg Castle Gardens. It has a display of 450,000 pumpkins that are artistically designed into sculptures. In 2019, the theme of the pumpkin exhibition was „Fabulous Fairytale of the World“ A couple years ago, in September 2019, I was fortunate to see the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival north of … Continue reading A Fairytale World of Pumpkins north of Stuttgart
The history goes back to almost 400 years ago. The bubonic plague (black death) raged in many parts of Europe and did not stop at Oberammergau. To put an end to the misery, the people of Oberammergau decided to take a vow. Continue reading Oberammergau, famously known for its Passion Plays since 1634
Decorating an “Osterbrunnen” is a German tradition of sprucing up public fountains with garlands and painted eggs for Easter. It began in the early 20th century in the Upper Franconia (Fränkische Schweiz) but also has spread to other regions. The decoration is usually kept from Good Friday until two weeks after Easter Continue reading “Osterbrunnen”, the decorated Easter Fountains in Franconia
August L. Janssen, the future “Wirt” and proprietor of the Hofbräuhaus in New York City was born in Emden, Germany. At age 20 and after attending the University of Göttingen in the year of 1887, young Janssen, as so many other Germans at that time, took a ship to NY city in the hope to immigrate to America After Janssen arrived in the US he … Continue reading A Hofbräuhaus opened in 1908, but not in Munich
Cover photo above: Work of a Peony Rose painter anno 1784, a painted filk art headboard in the Ackerhus Museum. The fillings show the two seasons of Spring and Summer in the form of two women. When King Max II (1811–1864) wanted to connect to the peasants, he began actively promoting the art and customs of the people in the 19th century. With his doing … Continue reading Traditional painted furniture, the “Bauernmöbel”
A Chimney sweep, a Pig, a Horseshoe or four leaf Glover. f you want to help your luck in the new year, you can try lucky charms. I’ll reveal how these little helpers achieved their symbolism. For example, the chimney sweep saved houses from a fire. They are also known as messengers of good fortune. Continue reading New Years Lucky Charms
