Glühwein
This is about Christmas in Germany. I have come to associate Christmas with Glühwein, a sweetened and spiced warm wine served absolutely EVERYWHERE. I was given the following pamphlet at an on-campus movie. I think this piece demonstrates a few things about German society: views about alcohol, views about Christmas, something about German Beuracracy with a capital B, and their tight personal relationship to Glühwein. This is my first attempt at real translation, but I think it gets the point accross. Maybe it's not even funny if you don't already have some personal experience with Germany and Germans.
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Today and Monday, despite a long-starnding tradition, we are not allowed to offer you, our loyal public, Glühwein* during the showing of ''Feuerzangebowle**''. Group 54 of Building Services took away our permission to serve Glühwein with the reason that, since the excessive missuse of Glühwein during the Student Parliament campaign° which dirtied the lectures halls and university buildings°°, Glühwein will now be forbidden across the board. Although we put in our request for this event on October 4th, we were first informed on Wednesday about the new Glühwein ban. In response we offered to put down a deposit for the movie hall and to clean the hall ourselves, but nothing helped to lift this ban. Even meetings with the rectorate were fruitless. We had already purchased the Glühwein, but are now not allowed to give it to you. If you are of the opinion, like we are, that this is the highest measure of anti-christmas spirit, we would appreciate it if you would pass your opinion along to those responsible for this action, namely....
*Glühwein is a hot-spiced wine served everywhere in Germany around christmas time.
**Feuerzangebowle is itself a Glühwein with added rum (among other things). It is also the title of a German movie from the 30s shown around xmas time. It is shown in Univerities (like this event) and complimentary Glüwein is given to all the students who attend.
° During the Student Elections every political party had tables set up with complimentary Glühwein and Stolen, a German xmas sweet bread.
°°Notice it was because of the excessive dirt, not because of the inordinate amount of alcohol being given to students for free as they walked between lectures, that the Glühwein was banned.
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a note about the evening: The other students, unlike me, seemed to have already known about this ban, and as I walked into the movie hall, I was greated by the intense smells of cinammon, oranges, and hot red wine. Every single student had brought his own personal thermos with Glühwein. And to accentuate the christmasness, each had also brought a tupperware of homemade christmas cookie to spread out on clothe napkins, as well as candles to light on the lecture hall pull out desks. It was a very christmassy scene, like only the Germans can do it.
***********
Today and Monday, despite a long-starnding tradition, we are not allowed to offer you, our loyal public, Glühwein* during the showing of ''Feuerzangebowle**''. Group 54 of Building Services took away our permission to serve Glühwein with the reason that, since the excessive missuse of Glühwein during the Student Parliament campaign° which dirtied the lectures halls and university buildings°°, Glühwein will now be forbidden across the board. Although we put in our request for this event on October 4th, we were first informed on Wednesday about the new Glühwein ban. In response we offered to put down a deposit for the movie hall and to clean the hall ourselves, but nothing helped to lift this ban. Even meetings with the rectorate were fruitless. We had already purchased the Glühwein, but are now not allowed to give it to you. If you are of the opinion, like we are, that this is the highest measure of anti-christmas spirit, we would appreciate it if you would pass your opinion along to those responsible for this action, namely....
*Glühwein is a hot-spiced wine served everywhere in Germany around christmas time.
**Feuerzangebowle is itself a Glühwein with added rum (among other things). It is also the title of a German movie from the 30s shown around xmas time. It is shown in Univerities (like this event) and complimentary Glüwein is given to all the students who attend.
° During the Student Elections every political party had tables set up with complimentary Glühwein and Stolen, a German xmas sweet bread.
°°Notice it was because of the excessive dirt, not because of the inordinate amount of alcohol being given to students for free as they walked between lectures, that the Glühwein was banned.
****************
a note about the evening: The other students, unlike me, seemed to have already known about this ban, and as I walked into the movie hall, I was greated by the intense smells of cinammon, oranges, and hot red wine. Every single student had brought his own personal thermos with Glühwein. And to accentuate the christmasness, each had also brought a tupperware of homemade christmas cookie to spread out on clothe napkins, as well as candles to light on the lecture hall pull out desks. It was a very christmassy scene, like only the Germans can do it.
posted by Nina at 3:11 PM
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