![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Quirky German Observation #1
Apr. 30th, 2003 02:36 pmFirst of what will be an occasional series of observations/musings on German customs, daily life, and other oddities that strike this foreigner living in Germany as remarkable in one way or another.
Tomorrow is May Day, or Labour Day, here in Germany and a public holiday, but it seems that the celebrations begin tonight. Apparently, according to tradition, this is when witches come out and about instead of waiting for Halloween. What happens is that teenagers play tricks by taking things from people's yards, etc and hiding them someplace else. And they don't get in trouble as long as they don't damage things. A strange custom, and I'm here wondering where to temporarily store all the plant pots so they don't go walkabout. Does this include larger items such as patio furniture? I guess we shall see tomorrow morning.
A rather sweeter side of this custom is that teenage boys also draw a chalk line in the road from their house to their girlfriend's house...sometimes a few kms away. Why? I don't know...but it is sweet.
Tomorrow is May Day, or Labour Day, here in Germany and a public holiday, but it seems that the celebrations begin tonight. Apparently, according to tradition, this is when witches come out and about instead of waiting for Halloween. What happens is that teenagers play tricks by taking things from people's yards, etc and hiding them someplace else. And they don't get in trouble as long as they don't damage things. A strange custom, and I'm here wondering where to temporarily store all the plant pots so they don't go walkabout. Does this include larger items such as patio furniture? I guess we shall see tomorrow morning.
A rather sweeter side of this custom is that teenage boys also draw a chalk line in the road from their house to their girlfriend's house...sometimes a few kms away. Why? I don't know...but it is sweet.
