German legends

What is Frau Perchta? Goddess or Belly-Slitter?

January 8, 2021

karenanne

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German Holidays and Festivals

Deep in the Alpine region of Germany, the Christmas Season is bookended by two frightening beings, Krampus who roams on December 5th, and Frau Perchta is associate with Berchentag, the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th. But Who is Frau Perchta? Or WHAT is Frau Perchta? Is she an evil hag who kills lazy women […]

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The German Easter Holidays- Easter Weekend in Germany

German Good Luck Symbols

December 30, 2020

karenanne

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Celebrating German Culture in America

In Germany, especially around Christmas and the New Year you see them everywhere… Toadstool ornaments, Chimney Sweet figures, Marzipan Piggies with coins or 4 Leaf Clover in their mouths. These German good luck symbols didn’t just come out of nowhere… they all have history and legend to explain why they are lucky. Some luck charms […]

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Statues of Roland – Who was Roland?

What is Ruebezahl? The legendary Silesian Lord of the Mountains!

September 4, 2020

karenanne

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Children's Books

A small scale disaster (well, more of a mess) hit our house last week in the form of a flood (ok, it was just an unnoticed spill). The only thing really wrecked? A box of my old childhood Albums. As I pulled them out one by one, it broke my heart a little bit. Mold […]

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What is Frau Perchta? Goddess or Belly-Slitter?

What is the Vogelhochzeit? It’s a song to Welcome Spring!

April 16, 2020

karenanne

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Celebrating German Culture in America

Germans do love to sing, and they especially love their Folk songs. One of my favorite German Folk Songs is the Vogelhochzeit. In German School I loved singing the fi-de-ralala part over and over. And with so many verses, the song can go on longer than the Twelve days of Christmas! (I have a feeling […]

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How to make Eierlikör at Home

What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

March 13, 2020

karenanne

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German History

When I was a little girl, my Opa sent me a card that had a dried pressed edelweiss flower and a miniature hiker’s axe on it. I loved pulling back the protective cover and petting the soft fuzzy petals. For years that card sat on my bookshelf, and I would imagine the mysterious far-off mountain […]

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Statues of Roland – Who was Roland?

Castle Frankenstein in Germany- A Castle Swirled in Mystery and Legend

October 10, 2019

karenanne

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German Halloween

This summer my partner, Kevin, joined my daughter and I in Germany. Since he had never been to Germany before, and because I have a strange sense of humor, AND because Frankenstein was my daughter’s favorite book when she was younger, we decided to take him straight from the Frankfurt Airport to the Frankenstein Castle. […]

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Statues of Roland – Who was Roland?

A German Kitchen Witch Brings Good Luck to Your Kitchen!

January 11, 2019

karenanne

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German Halloween

When I was growing up, my mother always had a flying Kitchen Witch hanging in the kitchen window. Now, the legend says that a German Kitchen Witch will protect your food as you cook it… no more pots boiling over, no more burnt cakes…. just delicious foods that will nourish your family. Did it work? […]

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Ostalgie or Ostalgia for East German Products

The Pied Piper of Hamelin Story-800 Year Mystery Wrapped in Fairy Tale

July 13, 2018

karenanne

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Book and Movie Reviews

While visiting Germany many years ago I had to visit the town of Hameln. You see, when I was growing up, one of my favorite records had the Rattenfänger von Hameln story… the Pied Piper of Hamelin Story. As a child, the idea of all those kids being snatched up because the town fathers didn’t […]

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“Berlin: The Story of a City” by Barney White-Spunner

What is the Loreley? The Legend, the Song, and How to See It…

June 5, 2018

karenanne

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German legends

You are cruising down the Middle Rhine admiring the castles towering over vineyards and small villages when suddenly near Sankt Goarhausen,  the whole ship breaks into song in front of a rock cliff.  You’ve reached the Loreley. But WHAT is the Loreley? It’s not just a pile of rocks, it is a place of song and […]

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Statues of Roland – Who was Roland?

What Is Walpurgisnacht? And How did An English Nun Become Associated with Witches?

April 28, 2017

karenanne

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German Halloween

Many legends and traditions in Germany feature Witches.. think about all the Fairy Tales you heard as a child cautioning you about witches. Witches in Germany date back to the pagan times, before Christianity, and some of the celebrations or customs still show up in the modern world. Interestingly, Walpurgisnacht or Hexennacht (Witches’ Night),  Halloween’s […]

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The German Easter Holidays- Easter Weekend in Germany