Wow did the wind howl last night. And the heavy rain they forecasted, although it came later than they expect, did indeed come. It is pouring today. The wind is still blowing, but nowhere near the level it was last night. I expected to wake up and see tree damage, but the only thing that was amiss was a pile of newspapers that were now scattered through the street and sidewalks - a wet lumpy mush where ever they landed. Temperatures are hovering around 40 degrees, but by later today, that is supposed to change. We shall see.
I can't believe it is the 21st of November. I can't believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away. But then again, it may be because there is no Thanksgiving here that it has snuck up on me. Alas, the answer for yesterday's question for the day, "Do Germans celebrate Thanksgiving?", is no. Thanksgiving, although not entirely an American holiday (Canadians celebrate it on the 2nd Monday in October and as a harvest festival), is not observed here. In many other countries where it is celebrated, such as the United Kingdom, parts of Asia, Australia, and India, as well as Africa, it is not called Thanksgiving, but either Harvest Festival or some sort of harvest themed day. Each one has their own unique cultural foods and traditions in the way that we have our foods and traditions. Research some of these other traditions and see if you can add a dish from that tradition to your Thanksgiving.
What Germans do have is Erntedankfest (ehrn teh dahnk fest), that is more of a religious observance of thanks. It is not celebrated on any particular day; there is no national observance; and it tends to only be a rural church event.
Will we be able to celebrate the holiday? Find out on Tuesday!
The word for the day is Celebrate: feiern (fi ern where the "i" makes the long i sound as in kite).
The question for the day is: "Is there a difference between a German driver's license and an American one?"
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
