Take away 1, 2 becomes 3

The time has come to return the extra hour borrowed last October, at the start of wintertime,  Winterzeit. October 28th 2012 was a 25 hour day. For a quick recall read: http://shormilajunak.blogspot.de/2012/10/turn-back-clocks-its-wintertime.html.

On the night to Sunday 31.03.2013, the clocks will jump one hour from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. in all of Germany and Sommerzeit, summertime will start. At the stroke of the hour, clocks at railway stations, airports, traffic controls, radio and television will automatically skip an hour. All mechanical clocks will be adjusted manually.   The night will be shorter by one hour, one hour less sleep for everybody. This Sunday will consist of only 23 hours. An unheard event in India, where a day consists of 24 hours all year long, without exception.

However, in the land of the orderly and precise, twice a year, man pulls asunder the orderliness of the divine timekeeper.  And he suffers for his audacity. His biological rhythm is thrown out of sync yet again. A 23 hour day is stressful. People complain of tiredness, lack of concentration and experience problems falling asleep. Advice from health gurus abound in plenty: a brisk walk in the fresh air, herbal teas or start adjusting for the Lost Hour three days in advance, by going to bed, say, 20 minutes earlier each day.

Office goers leave for work the following Monday when it is suddenly darker than usual. Those driving through woody areas have to be cautioned against wild animals, such as deer and rams, who are most active during these early hours and are often seen running across the road.

Introduced in 1980 as an energy saving gimmick, the majority is not convinced of its effectiveness. There is no concrete proof the trick works and that it has resulted in significantly reducing energy consumption. Over 70% of the people surveyed, according to a study, would like to do away with the daylight saving time. 

So much for now. Have a wonderful 23 hour day!

Signing off from Frankfurt am Main

Shormila Junak

Searching History for an Answer

In my previous posts, I have written on some particular traits that arguably define the typical German character. That is, if you like arguing.

Being German is a responsible, serious business not to be taken lightly. And like all good businesses, the society functions efficiently within the parameters of well defined rules. 

The members of the society have Important tasks to accomplish every day, some of these are listed in my post "The importance of being German" http://shormilajunak.blogspot.de/2012/09/the-importance-of-being-german_11.html

It also has a self regulatory mechanism in place to ensure the adherence of recalcitrant, wayward members at no extra cost to the exchequer. A truly social, democratic corrective mechanism called "The national hobby of finding fault". See my post http://shormilajunak.blogspot.de/2012/08/the-national-hobby-of-finding-fault.html for more on this.

Rule bound, punctual, precise, matter-of-fact and orderly with a rigorous thoroughness. Typical Prussian traits. Is it possible to search history and pinpoint a period in time responsible for elevating these character traits as role models for the perfect citizen, groomed with calculation to serve a larger purpose? The purpose may have changed over time in content, if not in reach, but the characteristics defining the role models have retained their relevance right into the twenty-first century.

The 16th century is a good place to start. The Protestant Reformation movement in the 16th century was spearheaded by two critical events in Germany: the translation of the Bible from Latin, a language restricted to the educated elite, into the German vernacular by Martin Luther and the invention of the mechanical movable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. The very first era in mass communication was ushered in, which coupled with a rise in literacy, snatched the monopoly in education and learning from the elite and made it available to the public at large. 
Against a backdrop of increasing discontent with the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope, the ready availability of translations of the Bible put the teachings of Martin Luther directly into the hands of the masses and thereby transformed society forever, threatening the existing political and religious structures. He made a call to purify the Church and questioned the supremacy of the Pope by claiming the Bible to be the ultimate spiritual authority. Needless to say, Martin Luther was excommunicated. Lutheranism and the Protestant Church were born.

Our role model citizen is now ready to be shaped.

By the late 17th century the adherents of Martin Luther felt the church had moved away from its original ideals, distanced itself from its followers and fallen prey to the shortcomings it once sought reform. A movement called Pietism started within Lutheranism, stressing a return to its original disciplined pristine simplicity. As a practical form of Christianity, Pietism put the character of the individual on centre stage, focusing on inner development over doctrinal authority imposed by the Church and practical acts of charity, prayer, Bible reading over intellectual sophistication. 

The shift of emphasis to the inner being enabled the authorities greater leeway in imposing moral discipline. Pietism became the new form of State religion in the absolutist State under Elector Frederick Wilhelm of the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty. Strong work ethics, commitment to the state and discipline characterized the Pietist. The aims of Frederick Wilhelm and Pietism coincided wonderfully. By the time Frederick the Great came to power in 1740, the Prussian kings wore military uniforms and practised an ethic of austerity whereas other European courts were characterized by ostentatious pomp and splendour.  The most far-reaching influence of Pietism was in the military and bureaucracy, the Prussian civil servant was known for his efficiency. 

Pietism was a significant movement that played a leading role in defining the ideal Prussian character traits. 

The Prussian state under the Hohenzollerns rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe, leading to the formation of the German Empire in 1871. Widespread social disturbance after World War I and the formation of the Weimar Republic finally forced the Hohenzollern monarch to abdicate in 1918. The House of Hohenzollerns ended after a rule spanning several centuries.

The legacy initiated by Pietism carries on.

On that note, signing off from Frankfurt am Main

Shormila Junak
17.03.2013







      

Festive and some other Customs

December is a month rich in tradition and Germans are very particular about their customs. They are followed meticulously. The festive season called the Adventzeit starts four weeks leading to Christmas and each Sunday is a festive occasion. The countdown starts on the first Sunday, the first Advent, in every household by lighting one of the four candles on the Adventskranz and this officially inaugurates the season. On the fourth Advent, the last Sunday before Christmas, all candles are lit, each now of a different size and the spirit is in full swing.

 Source: http://www.blumen-frankfurt-versand.de/frankfurt/adventskranz-mit-4-kerzen.html

An Adventskranz, one candle is lit each Sunday leading to Christmas

Love and brotherhood of mankind is in the air mingled with the tantalizing aroma of roasted almonds, cinnamon, crepes and Glühwein, a hot sweet wine particular to the winter season, floating from the stalls in the Weihnachtsmärkte, Christmas markets. The Weihnachtsmärkte start on the first and end on the fourth Advent. Adventzeit is incomplete without a glass of hot Glühwein sipped standing at a stall in a Weihnachtsmarkt milling with people, in the freezing cold.

German children have to do some more counting. They are presented with an Adventskalender with 24 doors on the first of December; one door is opened every day to reveal a piece of chocolate.

                                                     Source: https://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/print/29449

An Adventskalender, 24 doors with hidden goodies

The discipline, with which one and only one door is opened each day, is a source of infinite wonder to many an Indian mother. Variations are sold now-a-days, with small toys instead of chocolate behind the doors, but they have by far not been able to replace the magic of the traditional Adventskalender.

This is also a time for socializing, parties and dinners. At a dinner party hosted by a German, it is customary that the host starts eating first, usually after raising a toast. The guests follow, sip after the host takes his first sip, and start with the meal on a cue from the host as he/she starts. A reverse order to the Indian “phele aap” tradition in which the guest is served and is expected to start with the meal first.

At a restaurant, pub or a Bockwurst stand, bills are always split unless expressly agreed otherwise in advance. The Indian custom in which one person pays the bill under the assumption that between friends equalization takes place in the long run does not apply. It is not precise enough. Waiters ask before presenting the bill whether the guests want to pay “getrennt oder zusammen” split or together, and are prepared to divide it minutely without batting an eyelid.

The communion between a German and his money is sacred and inviolable.

Polite greetings are extremely important, anywhere, at any time of the day whether on entering a lift full of strangers or passing a neighbour walking his dog. Rather a Guten Tag too much than too less. The unsuspecting expat will be stamped rude and taciturn in the highly structured German mind for this apparently minor transgression. A polite acknowledgement of the presence of others is placed high in the rule-book of everyday etiquette.

Also, a big deal is made of handshaking in private dos. Enter a party, meet a sea of people. Shake hands, shake hands. A new person enters. Shake hands. Leaving the party? Say goodbye. Shake hands, shake hands.

On that note, signing off from Frankfurt am Main

Shormila Junak

29.11.2012

A Curious thing called Curry

If we were to choose one word that captures the quintessence of Indian cuisine abroad, the one word that represents all Indian food from north to south, east to west, regardless of region or culture, that word would indisputably be Curry. Say “Curry” and the whole world known you mean Indian food.

The term Curry refers to a yellow or mustard colour spice available in nearly every supermarket in Germany or European city and is an essential ingredient in Indian cooking abroad. It has managed to work its way up the cadres of spices and firmly established itself as a true representative of Indian cuisine. Ahead of widely used garam masala, paanch phoron or sambar powder known to every Indian housewife.

Curry as a spice is not found in a traditional Indian kitchen, it is unknown to the cook in India.

Curry? What is this Curry? wonders the expat Indian pushing his trolley down the supermarket aisle, to stop in front of shelves stacked with rows of condiments and stare at the yellow tin labelled “Curry”. Is it a kind of turmeric?

Curry is a spice mix. It consists of coriander, turmeric, fennel, cumin and fenugreek mixed in various proportions and ground to a fine powder. Some types also include cloves, garlic, ginger, chillies and mustard in the mix, to name a few spices. Each brand of curry powder has its own particular taste and aromatic accent.

To the Indian cook, the word “curry” signifies gravy or sauce. Popular dishes such as chicken curry, mutton curry and vegetable curry derive their names from this original usage of the term.

So how did Curry become an ambassador to Indian cuisine abroad?

Indian food started gaining popularity outside India in the 1950`s and `60 resulting in widespread growth of Indian restaurants. Indian cuisine soon acquired a large following and Indian cooking attracted the interest of cooks and hobby-cooks abroad. The spices required for the dishes were not readily available; some were rather exotic and most were not present in the normal assortment of spices used for western cooking.

The innumerable rare and exotic spices were mixed to a blend that approximated the aroma and flavour conjured by an Indian cook, merchandised as Curry, and made easily available to all fans of Indian cuisine. It soon became an essential ingredient in Indian dishes abroad.

And so the Curry was born.

On that note, signing off from Frankfurt am Main

Shormila Junak

15.11.2012

Diwali, St. Martin's Day: Diyas and Lanterns in November

Light represents love, life, hope and joy. It is the purest form of energy, light gives and nurtures life. The light within, the very essence of the human soul, the light at the end of every tunnel, light has inspired many:

“Knowledge is light, love and vision.” Helen Keller

“Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart.” Khalil Gibran

“Love is not consolation. It is light.” Friedrich Nietzsche.

Light plays a central role in the celebration of festivals in November: Diwali in India and Martinstag, St. Martin's Day, in Germany.

It is only appropriate that Diwali, a Hindu festival honouring the joyful homecoming of a son and rightful heir to the throne be celebrated with the illumination of millions of diyas, candles and coloured lights in homes and cities across the country. It is a celebration of the triumph of the just, a reassurance very important to society. The Festival of Lights enjoys a secular character unequalled by any other festival in India, which is testified the morning after Diwali by the amazing quantity of litter from firecrackers in every neighbourhood.

A festival in India is incomplete without the mention of food, food gives the final, glorious touch to all Indian celebrations. Friends, relatives and business associates exchange boxes of dried fruits and nuts, sweetmeats and baskets of fresh fruits at Diwali; the larger these are, the better. The bursting of firecrackers in the evening is followed by dinner and card parties with unabashed gambling late into the night, accompanied by the free flow of alcohol.

Martinstag is celebrated on 11.11 all over Germany, it is also the start of the traditional forty-day fasting period ending on Christmas.

Children make their own lanterns in schools and kindergartens for the Laternenumzug, lantern-procession on St. Martins Day. They can be seen on the cold and dark November evening, snugly dressed in warm winter woollies, walking double file in a long procession through the neighbourhoods, proudly singing and carrying their self-made lanterns. Parents trot next to their youngsters, carrying their own self-made lanterns. Schools and kindergarten organise a special evening dedicated to lantern-making in which children and parents work on their lanterns together.

“First the work, then the pleasure” goes a very German idiom, lanterns for the Laternenumzug are rarely available for purchase.

The Laternenumzug ends with a party around a bonfire, with loads of goodies and singing.

Martinstag is celebrated to honour charity and love for mankind.

Martin von Tours, born in 316, was a Roman soldier. On a bitter, cold winter night he came upon a beggar on the outskirts of town, scantily dressed, freezing in the cold. Martin von Tours took off his own warm cloak, cut it in two and handed over one half to the beggar. That night Jesus appeared in his dreams, wearing the half cloak Martin had given the beggar, revealing he had been none other than Jesus himself. Thereafter, Martin von Tours became a monk and dedicated his life to the service of God.

11.11 is the feast day of St. Martin.

On that note, signing off from Frankfurt am Main,

Shormila Junak

6th November 2012

Turn back the clocks, it's Wintertime!

It is that time of the year again. This Saturday night to Sunday morning the clocks' will be turned back one hour at 3 a.m. to 2 a.m., and with it herald the end of "Sommerzeit", summertime and the start of "Winterzeit", wintertime.
 

The same drama repeats itself every year, as the very first time since its introduction in Germany in 1980.

 

This one extra hour is the subject of conversations, intense discussions and gives everybody an excellent opportunity to study behavioural patterns. Newspapers, magazines and television devote entire articles and programmes to this topic. It is, after all, extremely disturbing to deal with a day with an extra hour thrown in, and the occasion is minutely dissected and studied in various angles. The biological pendulum of the individual has to abruptly readjust itself, a serious event for a people obsessively preoccupied with themselves and the state of their health.

You can sleep an extra hour today, take advantage of it, the media informs solicitously. Those who breakfast punctually at 8 a.m., toss and turn racked by pangs of hunger and have to wait another hour until it is really 8 a.m. An aggravating situation for the internal clock, especially for the elderly used to fixed routines, who complain of being thrown out of their Gleichgewicht, equilibrium at their Sunday afternoon Kaffee-Kuchen meeting with family and friends.

Like a jet-lag of sorts, without having gone anywhere.

Sunday morning is a bit of a hodge-podge, which is probably the reason the change takes place on a weekend. Take Hannah for instance, who often celebrates her birthday with a brunch the following Sunday. Her guests arrive in two waves, with a gap of one hour. The first stragglers arrive invariably an hour too early for the party and sheepishly discover the change to Winterzeit.

With the days getting shorter and colder, more time is spent indoors. Light is responsible for the production of the “happy” hormones in the body, warn lifestyle experts to the depression prone and belt out lists of suggestions ranging from exercise, diet to ways of enjoying and enhancing indoor cosiness.

The Sommerzeit and Winterzeit was introduced in 1940 as a response to the energy crisis, to take maximum advantage of the daylight hours in offices and industry. It is usually dark when people leave for school and office during the winter and dark when they come home.

What happens when this hour is snatched back on the switch to Sommerzeit? That is part two of the drama, which I shall reserve for later.

On that note, signing off from Frankfurt am Main

Shormila Junak

27th October 2012

Stories of Autumn

 

It is October, it is Autumn and nature is dressing up for the occasion in shades of brilliant yellow, gold, red and brown. It is the time of the year the trees change colour from the lush green of the summer months to a riot of the autumn shades, like wild strokes of paint from the palette of an artist. A rewarding, almost wondrous sight for most travellers from the warmer climes of India, unused to such dramatic changes and colour in foliage. For nature lovers, “leaf peeping” is a relaxing way to unwind and enjoy long walks in the countryside or parks. All that is needed is a good pair of walking shoes, a warm jacket and the joy of cold, fresh air in the face.

Why do trees “change” colour in autumn? Interestingly, they do not. They remain true to all their colours, all the time. The yellow, red, gold and brown are covered by the green chlorophyll during the summer months and are not visible. As the days shorten and become colder, photosynthesis reduces and the leaves produce lesser chlorophyll. As the green recedes, the other colours reveal themselves in all their splendour. The most visible autumn colours are seen in the birch, maple, oak, beech and larch trees to name a few, which grow in abundance.

During this season, nature makes up for the subdued and conservative colours that Germans usually prefer in their clothes.

The Erntedankfest, thanksgiving for the harvest, is also celebrated early October in Churches with offerings of grains, fruits, vegetables as also honey and wine. These offerings are donated to charitable institutions.

Halloween, through traditionally not a German festival, has gained popularity in the recent past. Children are seen trick o' treating in gory costumes on the last day of October. Departmental stores have an entire section dedicated to Halloween, with masks, costumes, make-up and accessories for young and adult. An overabundance of pumpkins in supermarkets and marketplaces announces the season louder than words ever can. Cookbooks with pumpkin recipes are displayed prominently and placed again right next to the cashier, for those who decide at the last minute.

So how did Halloween come to Germany? Well, it took a long and winding route. The origins of Halloween, celebrating the harvest with song and dance can be traced back to the Celts, who inhabited what is today England, Ireland and northern France. In the 1800's, Catholic Irish immigrants carried the tradition of Halloween to America, which over time spread in popularity and became a secular celebration. It was imported in this form back to Europe and to Germany.

Signing off on that note from Frankfurt am Main,

Shormila Junak

10th October 2012