Earlier this week my host parents told me we were going to be celebrating this Friday since I've now completed a quarter of my exchange in Germany. They promised that the whole town would come out, there'd be a parade, a massive bonfire, and we'd have some traditional goodies. Well, I've got to say they definitely delivered on that promise-- only catch is it was actually the Sankt Martinstag celebrations, which are an age-old tradition and happen every year. It just so happened that they fell on my anniversary. Regardless, it was one of the coziest, more whimsical ways I've spent my Friday night in long time.
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| Fireman glowing to my right and bonfire burning to my left. |
Martinstag is officially on November eleventh, but the local festivities were this Friday. The elementary schoolers prepared all week for a parade that winds through town and ends at a huge bonfire. But oh my goodness, the parade was adorable! First off, the kids are in kindergarten through fourth grade, so that's pretty precious in itself. Add in that all of them are singing St. Martin songs in their little voices and carrying these cute lanterns they worked on all week just for this parade.
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| Hallo, Sankt Martin! |
There was even a guy on horse (Okay, okay, St. Martin was there on his horse) who led the whole procession through town. In addition to all the little kids, there were some adults who marched along playing instruments to accompany the singing. The weather had been blustery all day, but once the evening began, it was clear, still, and a perfect pearl of a full moon was shining. It felt uncannily like a Wes Anderson movie.
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| There's quite the debate on the most humane way to eat a Weckmann: start at the legs or go right for a clean decapitation? |
Once everyone was at the big town bonfire, we each enjoyed a Weckmann, which is a kind of bread with raisins inside, shaped like a little man, carrying a tiny pipe, and always eaten on Martinstag. Very yummy, especially when fresh. The bonfire was one of the biggest I've ever seen in person, and nice and toasty! There were local firemen and women all over the place keeping tabs on it.
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| At the end of the festivities, they folded the ashes into a neat little tarp. |
At Viktoriaschule we had our first Gottesdienst of the school year. It was a special church service during second period having to do with the upcoming Martinstag. There's a giant church across the street from school, so we all just went over there for a good half hour and listened to students and teachers talk and sang a bit. The featured songs were Hallelujah, My Sweet Lord from the Beatles, and Der Himmel geht über allen auf which apparently they sing every Gottesdienst.
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| Just chilling on the couches in the back of biggest Protestant church in Aachen. |
All in all, it was a culturally-infused Friday. I've been here a little over three months now, and am pretty psyched that I've gotten to experience so many culturally-infused days. It's amazing how much your little mind can absorb. I'm looking forward to the Weihnachtsmarkt, Karneval, and all of the other experiences I probably don't even know exist yet here in Wes Anderson Land.