Silvester in München
Happy new year, Raspberry World readers! Thank you for stopping by this year. I hope each of you has a great year in 2006. And now for a remembrance of a new year's eve past...
In Germany, New Year's Eve is known as Silvester. Here are a few memories of a Silvester we celebrated in Munich on December 31, 2003.
The festivities all over Germany start in the early evening with Dinner for One on TV. This twenty-minute black-and-white comedy sketch -- performed in English -- has been seen on German TV for over 30 years. It's the story of Miss Sophie's 90th birthday dinner, and watching it on TV is a new year's eve tradition in Germany (and in other European countries as well). This sketch is one of the few programs I ever saw broadcast on German TV in English without being dubbed into German. It was recorded in Hamburg in 1963, and became a Silvester tradition in 1972. "Same procedure as every year."
After watching "Dinner for One," most people attend parties or go out with friends or family. We went out to dinner at a fondue restaurant with our friends. Fondue and other unusual foods like sushi are popular choices for Silvester. As always, dinner in Germany can last for hours -- unlike Americans, who tend to eat and run, staying afterwards and socializing is an important part of the meal for Germans dining in restaurants. But most people will be finished and out on the street by midnight, because that's when things get really fun.
Silvester is the one night of the year where it's legal to shoot off fireworks in the streets. And I mean any private citizen can launch fireworks of (apparently) any size from any street in in the city. At least, that's what it seemed like to me! As we walked through downtown Munich, there was smoke everywhere! This photo gallery from Marienplatz during Silvester 2003/2004 captures the atmosphere well.
The same night the pictures in that gallery were taken, we were in the English Garden with our friends Sonja and Pete. Pete had brought a big bag of fireworks and some sparkling wine, and we joined hundreds of other people to shoot off fireworks and drink Sect in the snow. Before too long, the air was full of smoke... but you could still see the fireworks shooting up above the buildings throughout the city. We had a great time experiencing the German celebration of Silvester!
But as you might imagine, this tradition can be pretty dangerous. That January, I was visiting a friend who lived in another part of town, and she pointed out the building just across the street from her apartment. The roof of the building had caught on fire during the fireworks and the top floor of the building had burned!
Here's a German article for children about Silvester fireworks. The article points out that although the tradition for private Silvester fireworks is very strong, it's also dangerous. Here's a more serious article on the topic of children who are injured by the fireworks every year.
Other Silvester traditions include good luck symbols, like pigs and four-leaf clover. But the most memorable thing, to me, was walking through Odeonsplatz just before midnight and seeing grown men lighting fireworks in front of the Theatinerkirche. Wahnsinn!
In Germany, New Year's Eve is known as Silvester. Here are a few memories of a Silvester we celebrated in Munich on December 31, 2003.
The festivities all over Germany start in the early evening with Dinner for One on TV. This twenty-minute black-and-white comedy sketch -- performed in English -- has been seen on German TV for over 30 years. It's the story of Miss Sophie's 90th birthday dinner, and watching it on TV is a new year's eve tradition in Germany (and in other European countries as well). This sketch is one of the few programs I ever saw broadcast on German TV in English without being dubbed into German. It was recorded in Hamburg in 1963, and became a Silvester tradition in 1972. "Same procedure as every year."
After watching "Dinner for One," most people attend parties or go out with friends or family. We went out to dinner at a fondue restaurant with our friends. Fondue and other unusual foods like sushi are popular choices for Silvester. As always, dinner in Germany can last for hours -- unlike Americans, who tend to eat and run, staying afterwards and socializing is an important part of the meal for Germans dining in restaurants. But most people will be finished and out on the street by midnight, because that's when things get really fun.
Silvester is the one night of the year where it's legal to shoot off fireworks in the streets. And I mean any private citizen can launch fireworks of (apparently) any size from any street in in the city. At least, that's what it seemed like to me! As we walked through downtown Munich, there was smoke everywhere! This photo gallery from Marienplatz during Silvester 2003/2004 captures the atmosphere well.
The same night the pictures in that gallery were taken, we were in the English Garden with our friends Sonja and Pete. Pete had brought a big bag of fireworks and some sparkling wine, and we joined hundreds of other people to shoot off fireworks and drink Sect in the snow. Before too long, the air was full of smoke... but you could still see the fireworks shooting up above the buildings throughout the city. We had a great time experiencing the German celebration of Silvester!
But as you might imagine, this tradition can be pretty dangerous. That January, I was visiting a friend who lived in another part of town, and she pointed out the building just across the street from her apartment. The roof of the building had caught on fire during the fireworks and the top floor of the building had burned!
Here's a German article for children about Silvester fireworks. The article points out that although the tradition for private Silvester fireworks is very strong, it's also dangerous. Here's a more serious article on the topic of children who are injured by the fireworks every year.
Other Silvester traditions include good luck symbols, like pigs and four-leaf clover. But the most memorable thing, to me, was walking through Odeonsplatz just before midnight and seeing grown men lighting fireworks in front of the Theatinerkirche. Wahnsinn!
2 Comments:
Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
Happy New Year! I can't wait to see your post a year from now! 2006 will definitely be an amazing one for you guys. Before we had our first child I heard two things over and over. They both turned out to be true so I'll pass them on to you. You won't believe how much having a child changes things and you won't believe how good it will be.
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