Today is Göppinger Maientag (see here what's that about). Although there are not as far as many people in the audience as there used to be according old pictures, I am still less and less fond of crowds. The heat doesn't help.
Just now I have been told that our old costumes which have been replaced piece by piece are gone completely now, so the parade might not have satisfied my nostalgic feelings, anyway. So instead of standing in the heat, I will have a look at the broadcast of our local TV channel tomorrow.
This had reminded me, however, that I had not yet taken a picture of this year's Maientag badges to update my page.
As the motif is the Oberhofenkirche this year, the second oldest building in town and the church where I was baptized a million years ago, I got the complete set of five this time, but then gave one of them away. That wasn't a big deal as the badges' quality is a little disappointing this year, anyway. They didn't raise the price, but sacrificed quality for it. (Update: After sending the city a message, I now know that the business, which had made the badges in the last decades, closed down and they had to look for a new supplier on very short notice.)
When taking pictures of my jewelry, I lock myself in. Maybe you understand why if you read this post on Ponder's blog (which is Gundel's responsibility now). Actually this would have been a post for Gundel, but she's in some hidden spot, fast asleep, no doubt.
It's impossible to do a jewelry photo session with dem Dekan, especially with the light tent out, but I just wanted a quick shot of the badges and expected no problems with that. Just my acrylic plate, lamps on, click.
"I can help, Mom!"
So much for a quick shot. Der Dekan loves to help with everything and even more eagerly if there is a chance to 1. steal something (I knew he had his eye on the Maientag badges because he had tried to steal them from the shelf once before) and 2. to push something off somewhere. My daylight lamps had been in danger more than once although it got better after I removed the photo box.
I still tried to take my quick shot (closing the door would have been sooo much quicker). I could do this before he jumped up ... I mean, before he tried to squeeze himself in next to the lamp ... before ... before ... in the end I took my picture while trying to hold him with the elbow because he had creeped even closer, pushing the lamp nearer to the edge, AND reaching for the badges. Then I picked up the lamp and gently nudged him off the bench. He was not happy, after all he had only wanted to help.
It would have made a great video, but unlike other people I can't get myself to risk destruction for a video that probably would have been blurry, anyway. I chose an intact bulb over viral fame .... just kidding.
At least I got this one picture of him (the others were, you may have guessed it, blurry ;-)).
It’s always interesting to me how long a tradition or holiday has been celebrated in Europe. We are such a young country. I think people have always acknowledged religious holidays like Easter, so that probably came with people emigrated to the US. But even Independence Day didn’t become an official holiday until 1870, although informal celebrations happened before. Our newest holiday, recently declared Juneteenth a national holiday. It is one that black Americans have celebrated for a long time. It marked the point in which the United States government sent troops into Texas to force Texas to free their slaves. It happened two years after the United Stares government passed the law freeing slaves. (Sometimes I wish Mexico had kept Texas!)
ReplyDeleteDer Dekan is so adorably helpful. Haha!
370 years isn't bad, eh?
DeleteIf a whole group from Göppingen had emigrated, they might have taken this holiday with them. I think people still do that, maybe not on such a big scale, to honor their ancestors' traditions, and their ancestors took it with them to have a bit of the old home in a new home.
I love hearing about such traditions, for example the many local festivals in Japan and their origins. Once again, that reveals how much of a dinosaur I am! ;-)
(And I understand what you say about Texas. The developments there and elsewhere are really scary to me.)