Late fall seems to bring in tons and tons of fog to Bavaria. Every day driving to work I sort of feel like we're in the middle ages. Getting up at 6 on a Saturday seemed to heighten this feeling!
Most of Cologne was destroyed in the war, but the large cathedral still stands. It was rather pretty.
We were really excited because this cafe where we ate breakfast on Saturday sold Rogue beer from Oregon. We decided it wasn't worth it to buy it, rather to wait until we get home in a few weeks. It sure was tempting though ...
Finally, we bought this odd doughboy thing. We couldn't figure out exactly what it was, or why he has a corncob pipe, or why every bakery in town was selling them. Someone at work seemed to think it was tied in with a religious holiday ...
We're getting excited to travel home for the holidays! They are rapidly approaching over here - especially since everyone starts their holidays around the second week of December, and all of Nurnberg is already preparing for Christmas. The market has moved out of the main square into the surrounding streets in order to make room for the famous Christmas market that starts in two weeks. The city was putting up its decorations today. Many stores already are banked by evergreens, and many facades are already covered with lights. Pictures of all that coming very soon!!
1 comment:
Hi John, I asked my friend, a native Cologner, about it and this is her response:
i can help you solve that mystery:
the "doughboy" is called a "weckmann". weck-en is a special sweet yeastdough (very declicious) and mann is man. so your name giving was quite accurate. these are usually given to children around "st. martinstag" (the day of the saint martin), which is a very important patron of the catholic church dating back to roman times. (the romans founded cologne, it was called "colonia agrippina" = agrippina was a roman noble woman).
the story behind the st. martin's day is:
he was said to ride his horse on a very cold night in november, when he saw a beggar besides the street. he felt sorry for the man and so he took his sword to cut his cloak in half and shared it with the beggar.
on st. martinstag children carry self-made lanterns in a procession and sing songs in the honor of saint martin. there's also a big bonfire involved, which they walk towards to (usually starting at your local - primary - school and then ending at the bonfire). at the bonfire, there's always a guy on a horse who's wearing a red cloak and roman armour, including a helmet and sandals, to represent the saint.
...and this is when the children recive the weckmann or sometines only a wecken, which is the same dough, but in form a loaf not a man. after that they are allowed to walk around their local neighbourhood and sing the same honoring songs in front of people's doors, who in return give candy to the children. a little bit like halloween , but no costumes and proper singing "de hellje zaente maertins, dat wo ne juude maaaan...." (cologne dialect).
ok, so why a weckmann?
i've just read that the human figure is a really old christian tradition and represents a bishop. the pipe he carries was in fact a bishops crozier. i've read that these breads were actually baked in many parts of germany, but i only know from my childhood in the rheinland and for us it was definitely something you were given officially by the saint martin impersonator (or his helpers) on saint martinsday.
i loved saint martin when i was little!
and now i really really want a weckmann!!!!!
i must check if i can find one in berlin..............
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