Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day in Germany is not at all the same.   First of all, it’s not on November 11.  November 11 here is a very different day.  Very opposite.  It is the beginning of the pre-carnival season. Fasching (carnival, Mardi Gras) is very big here in this region.  Ironically on Nov 11 at 11:11 they have this crazy celebration in which the town gathers at the town hall.  Many dress up in carnival costume, particularly those who belong to the different organizations who organize the carnival festivities.  A fools' court is set up where the mayor of the town is “judged” for his “transgressions”; such transgressions as making November 11 a Sunday, or for putting a roundabout in an “inconvenient” spot.  And they “steal” the key to the town hall from the mayor which they keep until Fasching/carnival is over.  Or something of the sort.  Kerstin, Larry and I walked up to the Rheinstetten city hall on November 11 in the rain so that we could really see what it was about.  It was very strange and surreal.  We had to leave a little early because we had plans to visit Tante Herta otherwise we would have been able to have some Glühwein too. 

I told those, who were willing to listen, about Nov 11 for us in Canada.  The few I asked in Rheinstetten could not tell me whether there was a similar such day in Germany.   I thought maybe it was just on another date perhaps.  It wasn’t until Nov 17 when we were in Kaiserslautern coming home from our dress rehearsal and I noticed a large German flag flying that hadn’t been there before.  Kirsten explained that the next day, Sun. Nov 18, is Volkstrauertag (literally translated as People’s Day of Sorrow/Mourning)  She knew that it was the day to remember the soldiers who had fought and fallen in the wars.  The city and maybe an organization or two lays wreaths at the few memorials one finds.  But really not much is done.  It is not talked about in the schools.  It doesn’t seem to be commemorated in the homes.  Kirsten’s children didn’t know what it was.  It is always on the 2^nd last Sunday of the church year.  I don’t know whether much attention is given to it in the churches.  It seems that churches are fairly empty anyway.  I guess, in short, it’s not much of a people’s day of mourning since there don’t seem to be many people who are even aware of it.  Onkel Werner and I had a conversation about it.  His take is that people are not interested.  They were the losers.  And there were so many shameful atrocities.  But why can’t we remember, that despite all of that, there were soldiers and mothers and children who died and suffered and gave up lives, homes and families.  Does it really matter what side you were on or whether you lost or won?  Does anyone really win in a war? 

Unknown Soldier

Onkel Werner then took us to the cemetery in Weinheim.  There is a whole section of the cemetery dedicated to the soldiers of the two wars.  Four of the graves were of young children of Weinheim who were playing in the street one day when a plane patrolling the neighbourhood noticed some activity, came flying down and dropped bombs, killing all of the children.  One of them was the brother of Onkel Werner’s neighbour.  Does anyone really win a war?  We enjoyed the time walking through the cemetery and remembering. 

World War I

WWII: Some of the soldiers, women and the four children of Weinheim