Haritage
Published on Dec 09, 2015
No Description
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
My mother's side of the family is of German heritage. My great-great grandmother and great-great grandfather Robinson to America looking for a better life than they had back in Germany. They came separately by boat to America. They weren't coming blindly. The young Germans knew other Germans who had already made the leap and immigrated to America. The two met in a German settlement in North Dakota. They got married and from there, moved to live in Montana. This is how my grandfather ended up growing up in Montana.
Photo by Werner Kunz
Life in Germany at that time was quite crowded. In the early 1900's, Germany was being flooded with immigrants from all over Europe. They were all looking for a better life in Eastern Europe. Germany's rapid pace of change caused cities to become over crowded and people had to start living further and further away from their workplaces. This caused problems for the original citizens of these cities. This was most like a push factor them to leave. One pull factor for my great-great grandparents was the availability of free land in America. When they moved to Montana, they received acres upon acres of free land which they used for their ranch. This ranch is where my grandfather grew up.
Photo by James Cridland
The current living situation in Germany is similar to how it was 100 years ago, over crowded. It really depends on where you live, but if you are in a big city, it is very expensive and crowded living. The job market in these international cities is extremely competitive and new openings are scarce. In smaller towns though, living is much less expensive and most civilians live a very minimalistic lifestyle. This so called "minimalistic" lifestyle focuses on family values and using all available natural resources unlike the "big city" lifestyle which focuses more on material things. Germans value order, and are thrifty and hard working. They respect perfectionism and have a sense of community and a strong desire to belong.
Photo by Werner Kunz
One big tradition in Germany for the past 203 years is Oktoberfest. It traditionally starts in the last week of September and goes until the first Sunday in October. It all started with the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12 in the year 1810. All of the citizens of Munich, Germany were invited to the royal festivities which were held on the fields in front of the gates to the city. The fields were later renamed Theresienwiese or Theresa's Fields to honor the Crown Princess. Locals have shortened the name to Wiesn. At these festivities there were horse races. These races were what brought people back for years to come. They were a key part of what made Oktoberfest a real thing. Along with horse races, t…
Photo by SteFou!
For the first few decades of Oktoberfest, the activities and entertainment were small and not too eventful. The first carousel an two swings were set up in 1818. Visitors were bound to get thirsty so to fix this predicament, small beer stands were set up to quench their thirst. The amount of stands grew rapidly. The beer stands were eventually replaced with beer tents and halls to facilitate the masses in 1896. At this point, the festival was basically split into two main sections, the beer side and the fun-fair side. The fair side continued to grow in number and size in the 1870's as it tried to reach out to the rest of Germany. Lots of different foods are also present at the festival but, traditional German cuisine, though varying considerably from region to region, makes generous use of meat.
Photo by Evil Sivan
Germany's Oktoberfest has grown into the largest festival in the world. To this day there are still carnival rides, but they are now a lot more advanced in technology and safety. The festival today includes many different events including the Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries, the costume and Riflemen's Procession, and a concert involving all of the brass bands represented at the festival. The only thing that has ever kept the city of Munich, Germany, even briefly, from holding Oktoberfest is war and cholera epidemics.
Photo by Polybert49
One other notable tradition in Germany is Silent Holidays. On these select religious holidays, the sale of alcohol is prohibited and bars and clubs are closed. A fun tradition for young school children is Schultüte. This is a big paper cone that is filled with different treats and goodies hoping to help cushion the blow of having to start school again. Recently, some universities have been using this tradition for their students but instead of candies and little toys, the cones are filled with college essentials such as energy drinks.
Photo by BeautifulFreaks
I am German and proud of it. I love the culture and it's assertiveness while still being reserved and respectful. I also love the rich traditions. My family celebrates Oktoberfest every year. We eat Knödel (potato dumplings), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), and my all-time favorite, Bratwurst. My Grandpa makes homemade brats every year in his basement in Rhinelander, WI with the help of my grandma. Our church also has an Oktoberfest party every year where you can learn about the German culture and try all of the traditional foods. Another tradition my sisters and I used to participate in is St. Nicolas Day. It comes every December 5. On every St. Nick's Day, we would put out a shoe for St. Nick to leave little treats and presents in. It's basically like getting an early Christmas stocking. The tradition that is most present in our family today is when we pray the common table prayer in German at the dinner table. I always make sure to say it in a really deep voice just like my grandpa especially when he's visiting.
Photo by Nokton
Some physical traits that have carried throughout the generations of our family. One of these traits that I share with my mom and Grandpa is my olive skin. We also share our big bone structures. Knowing that I am german and seeing how it has been passed down from generation to generation in my family gives me a lot of pride in not only my family and our heritage, but also in Germany.
Photo by jay.plemon
The Common Table Prayer
English: Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.
German Translation: Komm, Herr Jesus, unser Gast zu sein und lassen Sie diese Geschenke zu uns gesegnet werden. Amen.
Photo by Joachim S. Müller
