Category: Uncategorized

American Halloween and German Halloween are very different!


In the US you would expect to see all sorts of costumes- cowboy, skeleton, princess, witch, movie characters, etc. Halloween is not just a spooky holiday, but a fun one for the whole family. It’s expected that children and adults alike embrace the fantastical aspects of the day as an opportunity to dress up as they see fit. There’s a lot of flexibility. Heck, people even dress up their dachshunds as hot dogs!

Not so in Germany. If you go out on Halloween in Germany, you’ll likely only see seriously spooky costumes: zombies, ghosts, witches, werewolves, murderers etc. All the “fun” costumes mysteriously disappear. There are no gag costumes or couple costumes, no astronauts or politicians, few superheroes and jedi- only creepers and jeepers. This even holds true with school children, who might come to school dressed in black, stereotypical halloween costumes. What gives?

Halloween is only a recent celebration in Germany. It coincides relatively closely with Carnival, which also includes costumes, and until 25 years ago, this was sufficient for Germans itching to dress up in a costume.

But retail pressures have brought the holiday across the Atlantic. Big sales on clothes and candy make shops prosper, and consumers keep spending. Halloween has slowly gained prominence across Europe, even though it’s mainly celebrated in the US.

However, a couple parts of the holiday have been lost in the transition across the ocean. Trick or Treating hasn’t really caught on yet, though “Süß oder saueres!” is a rough German equivalent. And important for our inquiry: the idea of costumes outside of the stereotypes haven’t caught on yet either. Germans have seen Halloween in American movies and TV for decades, and have recognized the stereotypical spooky costumes as the only possible. That’s why German Halloween is dominated by werewolves, ghosts, witches, and axe-wielding murderers!

Things continue to change. Maybe this year you’ll see a different mix. But don’t be surprised if you see a 6 year-old with a knife dressed as Jason. It’s just how things are!

A remarkable story of German-American friendship recently took place in the small town of Gerolzhofen between Frankfurt and Nürnberg. A former American pilot who was shot down over Germany and taken in war captivity is visiting the place where he almost lost his life for the first time in 76 years.

Roland Martin was a pilot of the “Iron Maiden” on October 14, 1943 as part of America’s second major attack on a ball bearing factory in Schweinfurt. As the youngest pilot of the US Air Force at that time, his plane and those of other pilots were shot down shortly before his 20th birthday. Six pilots had already left the plane with parachutes; the rest had to face an emergency landing. Due to the high losses, this day went down in US history as the “Black Thursday”. Although all 10 crew members survived the emergency landing, Martin was picked up by German ground troops after two weeks on the run. As a prisoner of war he remained in a prison camp at the Baltic Sea until the end of the war. The fact that today, despite this history, he came back to the scene of the events shows how much German-American relations have developed in times of peace.

This history of enmity between Germany and the USA has found a moving and happy end, which we owe also to the Americans, who committed themselves to a peaceful reconstruction of Germany after the war.

Roland was visibly touched by his visit to the launch site, especially by the frankness of the Germans. It shows that friendships can nevertheless emerge from death, suffering and destruction in war. “Today we meet as friends” summarizes Gerolzhofen’s mayor Thorsten Wozniak. When Roland received the honor to write down a few words in the Golden Book of the City of Gerolzhofen, the 95-year-old was in tears. 

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. There are many sad stories to remember, but also rays of hope, just like the connection between Roland Martin and Germany that shows that over time enemies can become friends. We look back on decades of support from America and are grateful that we live together in friendship and peace today.

original story by Norbert Vollmann
English adaptation by Kimberly Klebolte

It’s that time of the year again! Oktoberfest in Munich kicks off ever so soon!

That means soon the beer tap will be broken and cries of “O’ Zapft is” will ring in the festival and celebration. Beers will be poured, songs will be sung, dances will be…danced.

Picture this: thousands of people, dozens of huge tents, a ferris wheel and some carousels – This world-renowned folk festival is held annually in Bavaria and attracts more than six million people from around the world in search of German beer, music, and food. Locally, it is often called the Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds.

But until Munich Oktoberfest arrives, we’re on the hunt for other Oktoberfests around the USA. And since we’ve spent our weekend at St. Paul Oktoberfest in Minnesota, we thought we’d track down every single Oktoberfest in Minnesota that we could find. Our source for the map is Funtober’s article: “OKTOBERFEST IN MINNESOTA”.

Here are the towns and cities with Oktoberfest. Some even more than one!

Pierz, MN

St. Paul, MN

Stillwater, MN

Longville, MN

Minneapolis, MN

East Grand Forks, MN

Grand Forks, MN

Delano, MN

Grand Marais, MN

Shakopee, MN

New Ulm, MN

Gull Lake, MN

Pelican Rapids, MN

Deerwood, MN

What did we miss? What state should we do next?
@GermanyinUSA

By William Fox, German Embassy

Have you ever been on a metro train that passed through an empty station?
The word Geisterbahnhof means “ghost train station” – and as its translation implies, it signifies an empty or out-of-service station that gives off a ghostly vibe. This word originated during the Cold War, when so-called “ghost stations” arose in Berlin’s public transportation system. Today, however, the word may also be used to refer to any desolate train station, regardless of its location.

When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, the transportation system in Berlin was drastically affected. Parts of Berlin’s metro system (called the U-Bahn) were in the East and others were in the West, leading to a divided railway system. Many lines ran through both parts, and in most cases, they were split to create individual lines. In these instances, trains would stop at the border and turn around. But some Western lines – specifically the U6 and the U8 – ran through small portions of East Berlin. These lines took Western commuters from one part of West Berlin to another, but not without going through the desolate Eastern stations that became known as Geisterbahnhöfe.

These ghostly out-of-service stations were heavily guarded by East German police. Barbed wire fences and an electrically charged third rail ensured that no East Germans would escape into the railway system. Trains slowed down as they traveled through these stations, but they did not stop. Looking out the U-Bahn windows at the dimly-lit platforms, commuters often had an eerie vibe. Over time, each of these desolate stations were referred to as a Geisterbahnhof. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, these stations reopened and have since been modernized – but the word is still used.

Today, the term Geisterbahnhof describes any and all disused train stations. From New York to Hamburg to Moscow, many of the world’s metro systems have stations that are out of service – either temporarily or permanently. Looking out at the empty platforms as your train passes through one, the hairs on the back of your neck might stand on end as you imagine the ghosts of a station that has been shut down.

By Nicole Glass, German Embassy

If you’ve ever been to Berlin, you know that the city is filled with art, monuments and interesting buildings. The city is rich with history; in fact, Berlin is home to 170 different museums, which is more than you could ever see in just one trip!

And for art and history buffs, a new building has just opened: the James Simon Gallery. Located on the fringe of the Museum Island along the Spree River, the gallery will serve as the central visitor center between the Neues Museum and Museum Island, orienting and directing visitors to the island. But the gallery is not just an assembly space; it also features an auditorium and a changing exhibition space, giving visitors plenty to do and see between its own walls.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the opening ceremony of the gallery on Friday, stating that the building complements the existing museums on the island – a “universal museum of human history.”
The building was designed by British architect David Chipperfield and is named after James Simon (1851-1932), a German-Jewish art collector who has contributed many items to Museum Island, including the Nefertiti bust.

If you’re in Berlin this summer, you’re right in time to see this long-anticipated building, which is now open to the public!

By Nicole Glass, German Embassy

German-Americans are the largest single ethnic group in the United States, and their influence can be seen across all industries. From cuisine to businesses to holidays and traditions, Germans have brought many of their customs and products to the US – including grocery stores.

Two of America’s largest grocery store chains, Trader Joe’s and ALDI,  were under the management of two German brothers who ultimately split up ownership.

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In 1913, Anna Albrecht opened a small store near Essen, Germany. When her sons Karl and Theo came of age, they both started work in the food industry. While Theo worked in his mother’s store, Karl gained experience in a delicatessen. After the Second World War, the two brothers took over their mother’s business together, naming it Albrecht Discount (in short: ALDI).

By 1950, thanks in part to the Marshall Plan, business in postwar Germany was booming and the brothers’ discount supermarket had expanded to 13 locations. By 1960, they had about 300 stores throughout much of West Germany. But the brothers didn’t always get along, and in 1960 they clashed over whether or not they should sell cigarettes in their stores. As a result, the brothers divided the company into Aldi Nord (“north”) and Aldi Süd (“south”), splitting up ownership by region. Theo claimed ownership of the north, while Karl took over the south.

Over the years, both grocery store chains expanded internationally, opening locations across Europe, the U.K. and even as far away as Australia and the United States, opening its US headquarters in Iowa in 1976. In the US, Aldi Süd simply goes by the name ALDI, and has about 1,300 locations across the country. Aldi Nord, on the other hand, operates under the name Trader Joe’s and has about 418 locations.

Both stores have seen success in the U.S. While ALDI prides itself on its overall low prices, Trader Joe’s has become known for its affordable organic food selections. A 2013 Market Force Information study found that Americans ranked Trader Joe’s as their favorite grocery store, with Publix, Whole Foods, Wegmans and ALDI also ranking high.

Both Karl and Theo Albrecht passed away in recent years, but their grocery chains continue to expand in both the U.S. and Germany.

By Nicole Glass, German Embassy