May 1, 2008
May Day
It sounds like a distress call from a failing airplane. In Germany, it means a day off. We think it is the German labor day. Unfortunately, we are not in a large city where we are told we would enjoy seeing protests. We are not sure what they are protesting, but they are using their day off to do it. I am sure the Internet is full of information on what May 1st is for Germany. If you look it up, use the comments to let us know. Mainly, I just wanted to let you know we have the day off. We will be enjoying some beautiful weather (so far) and I may go for a ride this afternoon sometime.
As I commented in the previous post, we had waffles this morning!!
Germany
In rural regions of Germany, especially the Harz Mountains, Walpurgisnacht celebrations of Pagan origin are traditionally held on the night before May Day, including bonfires and the wrapping of maypoles, and young people use this opportunity to party, while the day itself is used by many families to get some fresh air. Motto: "Tanz in den Mai!" ("Dance into May!"). In the Rhineland, a region in the western part of Germany, May 1 is also celebrated by the delivery of a tree covered in streamers to the house of a girl the night before. The tree is typically from a love interest, though a tree wrapped only in white streamers is a sign of dislike. On leap years, it is the responsibility of the females to place the maypole, though the males are still allowed and encouraged to do so.
