Still snowing! Although it snowed on and off all day yesterday, and at times, very heavily, the sun also came out. And with the beaming sun, it got a good bit warmer than they were expecting, so it didn't stick. But overnight, we got more and today, although they are tiny, tiny flakes, it is sticking. At my husband's work, though, they didn't have the bouts of sun we did, and they had up to 8 inches total by the time he left. We are all of 20 km from him and about 100 ft. lower, so just a little elevation can make a big difference.
As you fellas out there know, this weekend is a big weekend for the gals. It is a day to celebrate love, eat chocolate, look at pretty flowers, and well, feel all gooey about the world. So I asked yesterday on my blog if they celebrate it here, too. And the answer is yes, but in a much more subdued sorta way. The stores have a few cards and small sections devoted to pink or red items covered in little hearts. Of course the chocolate is always available here, but it is not covered in pink wrappers or different in packaging at all. But they do still have the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. Some restaurants have Valentine's Day meal specials advertised, but again, it is really very low key. One item that is the same, though, is the huge mark-up on roses. I'd be very happy, as always, to just have my cheap non-rose flowers or a little ticking item around my wrist (can you tell I found a watch I like in Germany??)
The subtlety is partly due to when the holiday came to Germany. Prior to World War II, there really wasn't much exposure to this event, despite the fact that in the United Kingdom, it was very fashionable to send cards during the 1800s. The idea of St. Valentine as a romantic notion, though, first sprang up in the 1300s in part due to the writings in a book called Legenda Aurea that took details from some of the Catholic saints' lives and embellished them in love, mystery and heroism. Valentine, the person (or persons, it is not clear that the real Valentine is even known anymore) who was killed and buried on February 14th, was said in this book to have secretly married young couples and who, after being jailed for his acts, wrote his dying letter to his beloved and signed it "From your Valentine." As for the real Valentine, all they seem to know for sure is martyrdom date and place of burial.
Through the ages, the idea of this date being linked to love, though, has gained popularity. France aided this by establishing the law of "High Court of Love" on Feb. 14, 1400, to aid in legal issues involved with relationships. It surfaced again in Hamlet in 1600. It took it's final hold on things during the mid 1800s when, as stated above, it became very fashionable to make and send the greeting cards we all search for these days. By the time of World War II, with many a man off to the dangers of the war, the holiday was romanced even further. Once the war ended, and Americans and Germans were on close terms and American military men continued to have a presence in Germany, the custom of this holiday, and many others, were subtly embraced by the German populace. I think it is fair to say that open expressions of emotions, in general, are harder to come by here in Germany, regardless, so I am sure this day also poses some serious awkwardness for the normally reserved populace. As for us, we will do as the Germans do - quietly celebrate, perhaps a nice meal, and of course, eat chocolate. Take a moment and discuss about typical celebrations for this holiday in your part of the world as well as other countries. See how they are different or the same. And to you, I wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day!!
I will again be taking tomorrow off as I have several errands to run before we have one of my best friends from the states come visit us starting the 21st. But I do want to give you a sneak peak at the theme for next week by revisiting an old question: Do the Germans celebrate Halloween?
The words for the day are (to) love: lieben (lee behn) and heart: das Herz (hairts).
Auf Wiedersehen,
Frau Spitzer
