DW: New Year always holds promise of a better life

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Fireworks in Berlin on New Year's Eve
People around the world celebrate the New Year in all sorts of ways, but one thing unites them: the quest for luck in their lives. Germany has its own particular rituals when it comes to luck.

Whether it's eating lentils in Brazil, wearing flowers in India, or exchanging eggs in ancient Persia, for millennia people have performed rituals in their hope for a fresh start on New Year's Day - regardless of which calendar they use. They've also used different methods to get an inkling of what the future will bring.

In Germany, people regularly began Bleigiessen, or "pouring lead," to divine their futures around 1900, according to Alois Doering, an expert in regional traditions at the Institute for Applied Geography and Regional History (LVR) in Bonn. Records of the custom in Germany, however, date as far back as the Middle Ages.

A woman pours molten lead into waterBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: What will the New Year hold?
It goes something like this: After a festive dinner on New Year's Eve, or Silvester, as it's called in German, people sit in a circle and alternately melt lead (or sometimes wax) on a spoon held above a candle. The molten lead is then poured into a vessel of cold water, where it immediately hardens.

The future in various shapes

The group then interprets the shape of the hardened lead, which becomes an indicator of what the future has in store for the lead pourer.

A ring or heart could mean marriage, an egg could herald an addition to the family,a tree could imply growth in one's capabilities, an angel could signify that the person will experience goodwill. And a boat or car could indicate an upcoming trip. There are also far-fetched interpretations, like the shape of a pineapple pointing to unrequited love.

A person holding a spoon full of lead over a candleBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Pouring lead has enjoyed greater popularity in recent years
Pouring lead is a custom that was practiced thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece. It was done throughout the year to understand not just what path one's personal life could take, but also to help forecast the political future, Doering noted.

Over the centuries and across continents, people have read everything from tea leaves, to coffee grounds, to crystal balls. Hundreds of years ago, as young women sat around peeling potatoes for dinner, they would try to "read" the letters of their future husbands' names from the peels on the floor, Doering said.

"But pouring lead is special because it's festive, which is why people like doing it as a group on New Year's Eve," Doering told Deutsche Welle.

Making sense of it all

He also noted that rituals in general - drinking champagne and kissing at midnight on New Year's Eve, baptizing babies, or remembering loved ones with a funeral service - are fundamental for communication between human beings and mark passages through life. Also, the more isolated people become, the more significant rituals are in re-establishing personal ties. People toasting to the New Year with champagne and decorationsBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Here's to the future!


As we progress in this world of high-tech or try to grapple with this financial crisis, fears among people begin to mount," Doering said. "And then people take an increased interest in superstitions, the irrational and the mystical."

Even if the lead predictions don't come true in the new year, at the very least they make for an entertaining New Year's Eve.

Author: Louisa Schaefer
Editor: Kate Bowen

DW: Germans remain the undisputed kings of travel

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05.12.2009

If there is one title the Germans appear unwilling to relinquish, it is that of travel world champions. Figures released this week show that no nation's feet itch like theirs, even in these times of economic hardship.

Wanderlust is alive and well, Klaus Laepple President of the German Travel Association (DRV) assured delegates attending the annual conference in Egypt.

He said that "almost as many Germans had been on organized holidays (in 2009) as in the previous year," and that the industry had only suffered a three to four percent loss as compared to 2008. He attributed this slight drop into sales volume to lower prices brought about by the global economic slump.

But it is not only organized foreign vacations that are thriving, short trips, tailor-made trips and sejourns on home turf are also popular with the German public.

So why, when other traditionally travel-happy nations are being forced to trade their two weeks in the sun for day trips closer to home, are Germans still gaily trotting the globe as if nothing were amiss?

Setting priorities

Part of the answer is money. Although Germans have also been hit by the financial crisis, their general antipathy towards overspending means they have more money stashed under their mattresses to pay for things they really want.

And what many really want, according to DRV spokeswoman Sybille Zeuch, is a holiday.

"The average worker gets six weeks of leave per year," she told Deutsche Welle. "And they want to use it to travel."

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Concerns about money and the environment are moving more Germans to holiday on their own turf

Zeuch says the chance to get away from it all is one thing that very few Germans are willing to do without.

"They want to leave the challenges of the daily grind behind them, to experience new things and to gain new impressions from overseas," she said.

Klaus Braehmig of the government committee on tourism says it is this impulse to expand their horizons by exploring new landscapes and cultures that keeps Germans on the move - come hell, high water or financial recession.

"They are open to the world which means they are curious about other people and their habits and customs," he said.

Following the literary leader

That interest dates back several hundred years. Braehmig cites Goethe's travel writing as a major source of inspiration for the German travel bug in that the renowned writer "made travel socially acceptable."

"And in so doing, he did his bit for European dialog," he added.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe documented his European travels

That dialog faltered twice along the way, with devastating consequences for the continent and a virtual eradication of the European tourism industry. But then the came the post-war years and the new-found freedoms helped out by Germany's 1950s-era economic miracle.

Add to that the fact that for 40 years citizens of East Germany were denied access to much of the world and it is not hard to understand why Germans appear to be on a mission to explore as much of the globe as they can.

"There are very few places Germans have not been to," Zeuch said, conceding that going to far-flung destinations is on a par in status terms with a sparkling Mercedes in the driveway.

"Of course people like to say they've been to Dubai or to Vietnam or on a safari," the DRV spokeswoman said. "Those are not experiences which everyone has."

Autor: Tamsin Walker

Editor: Kyle James

German recession recovery continues with GDP growth

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13.11.2009

Increased exports are the cause for Germany's second consecutive quarter of economic growth.

The German economy had more good news this quarter as the third quarter Gross Domestic Product increased 0.7 percent over the previous quarter. The improved performance was the second consecutive quarter of positive growth for Europe's largest economy.

In the second quarter of 2009, Germany's GDP expanded by 0.4 percent.

Germany's economy, which depends heavily on exports, had been hit hard in the global downturn, and it was this vital sector where improvements were being seen.

Demand for exports rises

"Exports as well as capital formation in machinery and equipment and in construction had a positive impact on growth," according to a press release from Germany's federal statistics office.

"The German economy has emerged from the deep recession earlier and faster than many had thought," ING senior economist Carsten Brzeski told AFP.

However, the economic expansion still managed to fall slightly short of expected growth of 0.8 percent, according to Dow Jones Newswires, which polled.

A more detailed report on the third-quarter results is expected November 24.

sjt/AFP/AP
Editor: Nancy Isenson

Merkel urges US, Europe to 'tear down today's walls'"

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03.11.2009

Angela Merkel accepted a rare invitation and addressed the US Congress to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The German chancellor made it clear that climate change is a top priority.

Standing before members of the US Senate and the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged the honor given to her. "Thank you," she said responding to the applause. "It is very moving."

She noted that she was making her address shortly before the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The chancellor received a standing ovation when she mentioned the historic events of November 9, 1989.

Early on in her address, Merkel paid tribute to the six million Jews and other victims who were killed during the Holocaust. She pointed out that on November 9, 1938, 50 years before the fall of the Wall, the Nazis pillaged and destroyed Germany's synagogues at what proved to be the start of the pogroms against Jews, which she called a "break with civilization."

Recalling her childhood and youth in communist East Germany, Merkel said that in her wildest dreams she would not have thought all those years ago that it would be possible for her visit the US, "the land of unlimited dreams."

Passion for the American dream

She went on to say that although the "barbed wire" held her back, she was always "passionate about the American dream." In a lighter vein, she recalled how she was enamored of a "certain brand of American jeans," drawing laughs from the assembly.

The chancellor paid tribute to US President Ronald Reagan, who urged then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" between the East and West. "This appeal will remain forever in my heart," Merkel said.

She also paid tribute to ex-President George Bush Sr., former German chancellor Helmut Kohl and Gorbachev for their roles in bringing down the Berlin Wall.

"Where there used to be a dark wall, a door suddenly opened through it. We all walked through it," Merkel said. She recalled how, inspired by the momentous event, she herself had given up a career as a physicist to take up politics.

Bildunterschrift: The chancellor urged the US and Europe to take a leadership role in tackling climate change

Globalization, trans-Atlantic ties and Iran

Merkel also used her speech to make a strong case for globalization, saying "the alternative to globalization would be shutting ourselves off from the rest of the world."

Admitting that Europe and America did not always see eye to eye on all issues, the chancellor insisted that the US could find no better partner than Europe and vice versa. She said that this was not only based on shared history and interests, but more importantly on a common basis of shared values, in particular the common idea of the individual and the inalienable rights of the individual.

She said Europe and America were being called upon to "tear down walls of today," especially "the walls in the minds of people."

There was lengthy applause when she stated that there should be zero-tolerance towards issues like weapons of mass destruction and the likelihood of their falling into the hands of Iran, for instance, which she said would threaten "our security."

"A nuclear bomb in the hands of a president who denies the Holocaust … is not acceptable," Merkel said, adding: "The security of the state of Israel is for me non-negotiable - now and forever."

Climate change

Merkel also urged the US and Europe to take a leading role in negotiations on climate change ahead of the United Nations summit in Copenhagen next month.

"There is no doubt about it, in December the world will look to us, the Europeans and the Americans," Merkel told the joint session of Congress.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Obama called Merkel an extraordinary leader on the issue of climate change

"I am convinced that once we in Europe and in America show ourselves ready to adopt a climate agreement we will also be able to persuade China and India to come in," she added.

The chancellor wrapped up her address by drawing an analogy between two monuments. "The Freedom Bell in Berlin is like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia: a symbol which reminds us that freedom does not come about of itself. It must be struggled for and then defended anew every day of our lives," Merkel said, adding: "In this endeavor, Germany and Europe will also in future remain strong and dependable partners for America. That I promise you…"

Obama heaps praise on Merkel

Earlier in the day, Merkel met with US President Barack Obama to discuss climate change and the war in Afghanistan.

Ahead of Merkel's address, President Obama spoke of the chancellor and Germany in glowing terms, saying the fact that she would be the first chancellor to address Congress in 50 years was "a very appropriate honor."

"Germany has been an extraordinarily strong ally on a whole host of international issues," Obama said with Merkel at his side in the White House.

He also said that Merkel herself "has been an extraordinary leader on the issue of climate change."

rb/AFP/dpa
Editor: Nancy Isenson