As old as this countryside is, in a state not too dissimilar from today, Germany as a "country" is actually quite young - almost 100 years younger than the US. And due to the history of how it formed and World War events since, it is not surprising that there are not nearly as many "national" symbols as we have in the US. In trying to find all the symbols for the question of the day from yesterday (which was quite a hunt), I found that there just aren't many national official symbols. There are items that the US has as official symbols (flowers, for example) that are only associated with regions (like Edelweiss for Bavaria since it is an alpine flower, albeit rare in this region). but even those are not official for the region they are associated with. So here is what I did find:
The flag and most recognizable symbol: horizontal bands of black, red and gold.
The coat of arms:
The national anthem: Third stanza of "Das Deutschlandlied" ("The Germany Song") (click here to listen to it sung: http://www.world-countries.org/germany_national_anthem.html) The tune is from an older song written by Haydn.
The national animal: an eagle - featured on the coat of arms
The national tree: the Oak tree whose leaves adorn the 1, 2, and 5 cent coins
The German Army emblem: the Iron Cross
The Patron Saint: St. Michael
I could not find a national motto or flower, although I did find references that some thought it might be the blue cornflower. The national poet list (it even included the Grimm brothers) was so long, that I questioned its validity, and although, this is not so much a symbol but a unifying part of Germany, the official language is German. Of course the unofficial sport of Germany is indeed soccer, and it is what the Germans seem to be most passionate about and take the most pride in for their country, although they do enjoy their winter sports here in Bavaria.
Bavaria's official flag and coat of arms can be seen below. The Bavarian patron saint is St. Mary.
See how many symbols you can find for the USA and for South Carolina or the state in which you live. Can you make a "national symbol" for your school? How about for your family? What would your family coat of arms look like?
The question for today is "What is a National World Heritage site and how many does Germany have?"
The word for today is Symbol: it's a tricky one - das Symbol (pronounced as we would except the "s" makes the "z" sound.)
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
