No. 3/2019

English Revisited: A Edition

IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial 2

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About Gherkins 3 and

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Page 2 About Gherkins and Tinsel A Non-Scientific Account on the Festivals

It is the time of the year when in the northern , Christmas, of course New Year’s Eve hemisphere the days become shorter, the and . Many of those Christian cele- nights longer, and colder weather makes us brations were neatly placed next to Celtic/ all long for warmth and a cosy, welcoming Pagan traditions to market the new belief- atmosphere. As the year is coming to its end, system to Celtic, Germanic and Nordic tribes. diverse celebrations invite us to reflect and What is more, quite a number of those deal GLOSSARY become sociable. Reason enough to look at with light and the hope of a new beginning.

CE / BCE what is celebrated where. However, there is more to discover… common era / before The end of the year? Which end of the year? What is on in October? common era Note that “the end of the year” does not fall The first Christian holiday associated with plethora: on the same date for all religions and cul- light is All Souls – November 1st – when peo- many different tures. Muslims celebrated New Year (which ple would go to the graveyards to put candles marks the start of the migra- pranks: and flowers on the graves of tion of the prophet Muham- small tricks their departed nearest and dear- mad from Mecca to Medina stingy: est. The evening before Hallow- to escape prosecution in 622 cheap—does not like to een (Samhain in the Celtic lan- CE) on August 31st this year. spend money guage) marks the end of the Muslims are now in the year outlandishly: summer and harvest and the 1441. Jews celebrated Rosh bizarre looking beginning of the winter season. HaSanah (the creation of Ad- On Samhain/Halloween the dead am and Eve) on September and the living world are said to 30th and entered the 5780th overlap, and demons can roam year. The Chinese and Viet- the world – which is why people namese will celebrate New dress up as demons and put Year or Spring Festival jack-o’-lanterns on their window- (which introduces the new sills. Bonfires are lit that have zodiac animal – the clever rat) at the end of their roots in Celtic tradition and people cook January, on the 25th and 26th 2020. Though dinners to eat with family and friends in re- the most famous Hindu festivals in Europe is membrance of the dead – some are even said Holi (March 9th and 10th 2020), Hindus, who to invite the dead and converse with them! follow one of the oldest religions in the world Today Halloween is chiefly seen as another with a plethora of gods and manifold celebra- reason to dress up, celebrate and have fun, tions, started the new year in the middle of and children may go from house to house Diwali (October 25th to 29th) this year. Having shouting “trick or treat” asking for sweets. adopted the Georgian calendar, Christians Pranks, though blamed on the fairies, have and those in Christian-dominant areas cele- always been part of this festival in the Anglo- brate New Year’s Eve on December 31st. As phone world. Anyone who was stingy with this is the most widely used system to meas- giving or treats could be certain that things ure time in years, the formerly used BC and would go missing and show up somewhere AD (before Christ and anno Domini, i.e. after else or be broken. The real party, however, Christ) have been changed to BCE (before happens in Mexico where the day is called common era) and CE (common era) to ac- Día de los Muertos and, as its working title commodate non-Christian settings as well. says, includes the celebrations of the dead So what is there to celebrate at the ‘end of the and some outlandishly imaginative death year’? masks.

Writing about calendars, the time between Around the same time of year and as men- October and January is packed with festivities tioned before a number of Hindus, Jains, and holidays. Here in Stuttgart there are a Sikhs and some Buddhists celebrate one of number of Christian holidays and festivals their most popular family festivals that sends celebrated by children, students and all those Indians travelling across the subcontinent, enjoying a good time: All Souls, St. Martin, Page 3 Diwali: On the first day of this festival Laksh- music, which after a time of abstinence peo- mi, the goddess of wealth, is welcomed to the ple enjoy again. freshly cleaned homes. The second day com- Festivities in November memorates Lord Krishna’s and Kali’s victory over the demon Narakasura, which symboliz- In comparison, St Martin (celebrated on the es the victory of light over darkness, good 11th of November alongside the beginning of over evil, and accordingly goes hand in hand the Carnival) is a more sombre affair. In Ger- with fireworks and loud noise. On the third many, children take pains to craft their own day dyas (earthen oil lamps) are lit to worship lanterns and proudly parade their creations Lakshmi respectively Kali (in Bengal, Odisha next to the ready-made ones in the nightly St and Assam) and gifts and sweets are ex- Martin’s parades (often headed by a St Martin changed when families gather to welcome in costume and on horseback) while singing GLOSSARY the New Year. This also marks the end of the St Martin’s songs. Sweets and treating are fiscal year– and as the New Year has arrived, also a key element here, as the according to banter: small jokes and witty merchants open new accounts on the fourth legend St Martin (a Roman soldier) shared his small talk day of Diwali and prayers are offered. On the winter cloak with a beggar who addressed fifth and final day the relationship between him from the side of the road. (Not that half a

siblings is celebrated (Bahai Duj) when broth- winter cloak would have kept either the sol- ers give their dier or the beggar warm – it’s the gesture that sisters pre- counts.) Quite a number of the St Martin’s sents and the parades end – if not in tears because a lantern sisters in turn has not lit up or burned down – around yet pray for their another bonfire with stockbrot (bread on a brothers. The stick roasted over an open fire), roasted pota- ritual and toes and chestnuts. Sunday roast then will be gods ad- goose, red cabbage and dumplings indoors. dressed dur- Nearly coinciding with St Martin, a number of ing this festi- Muslim communities around the world cele- val may vary brated the birth of prophet Muhammad on from region to the 10th of November this year. What is region and more, Sikhs celebrated the birthday of the would be first of ten gurus, Guru Nanak on November worth their own article.

In 2019 Jews celebrated Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Tora in October. Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is the day of purification and with that the holiest of all Jewish holidays, when Jews abstain from food, drink, bodily pleasures and wearing leather, and pray for forgiveness to cleanse the soul. For those who wonder, “Why leath- er?”: The custom refers back to when – ac- cording to the Tora and Bible – the Jews sinned by starting to worship a golden calf on their journey to the promised land. On Yom 12th this year. Kippur the migrants were forgiven for their The ubiquitous secular American holiday sins and Moses received the commandments Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US when on Mount Sinai. Five days after Yom Kippur millions of people travel back to their nearest falls the Jewish Thanksgiving for the fall har- and dearest to gather around a turkey in No- vest, Sukkot, which commemorates the 40- vember. The celebration really goes back to a year’s journey from Egypt to Israel. Also here military conquest (the Puritans settling in the there is plenty of food, treats and joyful ban- new colonies), and now represents the white- ter amongst family and friends. Immediately washed remembrance of the roots of the following the 7-days festivities of Sukkot, are United States with the landing of the pilgrims Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Tora where at Plymouth Rock. Many school children take there is more eating but also dancing and

Page 4 part in plays and decorative arts of both fall creasing demand for presents, the chief logis- colours and abundance. Since Thanksgiving tics manager (if there is one single one) must is one of the few non-religious celebrations, it live in parallel universes Irish scientists ar- is gratefully celebrated by most cultures in gued on Youtube or at the speed of light the United States. Though all gather around a Another explanation for the miraculous and turkey, the side dishes vary and can include flawless appearance of gifts is that there is pumpkin, dal (Indian) or tamalis (Mexican). not one party organizing this but a team: San- (So far to the salad bowl?) Thanksgiving also ta Claus (St Nicholas of ), the Kris Krin- marks the start to the end of the year’s shop- gle ( Germany), the erstwhile kindly ping spree: On , the Friday after Pagan witch (Italy) and Grandfather Thanksgiving, retail stores go in to the ‘black’ Frost (Russia). In Germany and the Nether- with their sales figures, as some Americans lands St Nick (there called ) leaves GLOSSARY shop until they drop. presents for children on December 6th, while spree: Time Out or In for December his good humoured sidekick de long period of uninter- (Netherlands) or Knecht Ruprecht (Germany) December then brings the holiday which is rupted activity question whether all this gift giving has a ba- most visible in this part of the world: Christ- carolling: sis in good behaviour throughout the year. mas! In this holiday Christians initially cele- going door to door and Along the Rhine, in the Palatinate, Saarland, brated the birth of Christ with prayers singing Christmas songs Odenwald and parts of Baden Württemberg and church services, good food for all those but also amongst the Dutch flawless: involved and light. This reli- without any mistakes communities in Pennsylvania gious holiday was also the fur-clad crotchety Pagan erstwhille: aligned to a Pagan tradition: might stand in for St former that of . Yule is on the day Nick and Ruprecht. In the east- chirps: of the winter solstice, Decem- ern parts of Austria one or more sound similar to a bird ber 22nd this year. Yule tradi- with devilish horns tions include cruse: replace him. On Chistmas Eve (carolling), the and earthenware pot then Santa or the Kris Kringle the decorated tree stem from bring presents for the German- the Norse peoples. In Scandi- speaking children while the navia the St Lucia procession Dutch children will have to be featuring girls dressed in happy with what was left on white following the “Lucia their doorstep on December Queen” (one head girl wear- 6th. ing whortleberry wreath with lighted candles on her head) heralds the Christmas season on This is very far removed from the Christmas December 13th. promoted by Coca Cola and the American film industry, but still is lived tradition. For Also Pagan, but an integral element of Christ- sure, even if Coca Cola did not dye Santa’s mas, is the . Celtic in origin, it was coat red, it made Santa clad in red and Rudolf widely known as symbol of fertility in other the red-nosed reindeer an icon. Click here for the cultures too, such as with the Romans. Gift videos giving at the turn of turn of the year was and There is more to discover has been important both in the Celtic/Norse/ Books and movies mirror reality, and so we Pagan and finally Christian traditions. After liked it immensely when in Miracle on 34th all, once the shepherds had paid Jesus their Street Susan, the child protagonist chirped, respects and worshipped him, the three holy “Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas!”, at eve- kings came with gold, myrrh and frankin- rybody whom she met in the street. The Jew- cense. Because gift giving was associated ish Hanukkah lasts from December 22nd to with Yule, gifts were exchanged on New 30th this year. Hanukkah celebrates the victo- Year’s Eve in many parts of Europe until the ry of a small army of Jews over Greek-Syrian 18th century. The practice then gradually colonizers and the wonder that one single spread out to Christmas or Epiphany. cruse of olive oil kept the menorah burning Over the past century gift giving became for eight days. Like Christmas and Diwali, more and more important. Today Christmas Hanukkah is a festival of light and hope. sometimes feels more of a consumer festival

than a religious holiday. To satisfy the in-

Page 5 Now you may ask, what about the third Abra- and a food sacrifice be given to the ancestors hamic sibling – Islam? Though Muslims ven- before the family began to eat. Though this erate Jesus and the Virgin Mary, Christmas is custom is less observed today, red banners usually not celebrated amongst Muslims like with blessings for the coming year are still GLOSSARY Christians would celebrate it. However, some hung up around the entrances of houses and sibling: may have a at home and ex- flats. Jiaozi (Chinese maultaschen) are still brother/sister change smaller gifts; this is very much a mat- served at midnight, when – as the name of quranic ter of personal choice. The main religious the dish says – the old and the new year adjective to Qur’an holiday for Muslims is Ramadan (commem- cross. written in the Qur’an orating Mohamed’s first quranic revelation) Looking for the smallest common denomina- which is observed by Muslims throughout the to ward off evil: tor in all these festivals, it becomes evident to chase evil away word with fasting, prayers, reflection, and that they all centre around the supply of food, charitable deeds in spring. At the end of Ram- around light, around social activities, and the adan, Eid, the breaking of the fast, is celebrat- warding off of evil. Thus it appears that peo- ed by paying respect to elders by kissing their ple – regardless of their cultural background – hands, gift giving in return and lots of splen- cherish similar cultural values: a spirit of com- did food. munity, compassion and positive outlook Last but not least (hope), enjoyment of life and “doing the right thing”. This is the other meaning behind all On December 31st the old year comes to an these holidays: Respect those whom you en- end in the Georgian calendar. Usually this is counter, live in peace with them, and do not (ab)use religion as marker between us versus them in order to discriminate negatively or to inflict harm.

Many of the described traditions blended cul- tural elements to create new identities. What was achieved forcefully by the Romans and Christians, comes in a quieter coat when look- ing at shared history with other cultural celebrated with fireworks (in Britain and the groups: When we wish you, “Einen guten US only in public places) sparkling wine/ Rutsch!”, now, we would like to remind you champagne and again abundant food. Scot- that, not only this saying but a lot of the lan- land makes an exception to the rule here be- guage we use on a daily basis, has roots in cause Hogmanay is celebrated loudly and the language of Jews and Muslims – just as boisterously with parades and celebrations many English words have Indian and African for three days – so why doesn’t that surprise origins. us!?! Norsemen brought the celebration of Having written this, one question remains: the winter solstice to Scotland, where it be- What about gherkins and tinsel? Well, what came the main holiday of the year, as Christ- the gherkin has to do with any of these holi- mas was not really celebrated by the days and where tinsel originated, you can Protestant Scots up until the 1950s. Next to find out in our quiz. cleaning your house and clearing your debts before the sound of the bells at midnight, you must remember that you should not cross

arms before the beginning of the last verse of Burn’s “Auld Lang Syne”.

If this was not enough, at the end of January the Asian communities welcome the new lu- Many thanks to Meena Ullal, Elif Polat, Avi nar year with massive fireworks to ward off Palvari and Xiao Wang who provided sub- evil spirits. stantial input beyond the Internet.

Though Christmas and Singles Day (in 2019 on November 11th) are the main shopping @ event holidays, the Asian Spring Festival cele- brations are the most prominent in the year. Vocabulary Traditionally, special foods would be cooked

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