National Anthems

It is clear, especially after the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014, that the United Kingdom is comprised of four distinct nations, each with their own unique culture and set of institutions. Indeed, it is a source of pride amongst football aficionados that each nation of the United Kingdom has its own football association and national football team. Before Scotland and Wales play matches, they proudly sing the national anthems of their respective nations; namely, “Flower of Scotland” and “Land of my Fathers”. However, England is lacking on the national anthem front and the England team still sing “God Save the Queen” despite it being the national anthem of the whole United Kingdom.

Recently, English Members of Parliament have debated introducing an English national anthem that can be sung at sporting events and a petition has sparked up online demanding that an English national anthem be introduced. The most popular choice is “Jerusalem”, a famous hymn describing the apparent visit of Jesus Christ to “England’s green and pleasant land”. The hymn was written by poet William Blake during the Industrial Revolution and it is riddled with nostalgia; Blake is in mourning for a time when a religious figure could walk barefoot across the whole of England and appreciate the “green and pleasant land”. The song is national anthem material as it highlights that England is special; the most important man to have lived on Earth (Jesus Christ) chose to visit this country above others and ,thus, England has been blessed by holy feet. Of course, it is a false story but that fails to remove the patriotic meaning behind its Christian verses.

So, what implications would the introduction of this national anthem for England have? Many argue that it would just ensure that “God Save the Queen” is reserved for tournaments in which the UK is competing as one country. However, it is important to note that this debate has entered the public’s attention in the aftermath of the most divisive referendum in Britain’s history; whether Scotland should become an independent country which highlighted that identity can be more important to people than traditional political issues. Introducing an English national anthem would affirm that there is a distinctive English identity and England is taking a step forward as a self-confident nation. It would then be very easy for people to argue that the United Kingdom is just a fairly useful invention (as Labour Party founder Keir Hardie argued in the early 20th century) rather than a country in which its inhabitants have any emotional attachment to or pride in. And in an era where nationalism is rife, this is a dangerous prospect for anyone who believes in a United Kingdom.

Loony Dook

The start of a new year can lead to many things: writing resolutions, forgetting distressing events of the last and looking forward to better times. Not many people would associate New Years Day with the chance to run into freezing water dressed as a nun.

However, that’s exactly what the residents of the Scottish town of South Queensferry would associate with a New Year. For the last three decades, the “Loony Dook” has been a fixture of Scottish New Year Celebrations and it now attracts participants from as far away as Canada, Japan and Australia. “Loony” is short for lunatic (a mad person) and “dook” is a Scots word meaning to bathe or take a dip into water.

The idea is for participants to run into the freezing waters of the Firth of Forth in fancy dress, raising money for charities in the process. It was created  in 1986 as a perfect way to get rid of that typical Scottish hangover and, originally, the only participants were a few locals. Over the years it grew in popularity and now several hundred people travel to South Queensferry to participate in the infamous event.

 

 

 

“Slàinte!”

It’s the time of year when variation in language is low – “merry Christmas”, “happy New Year” or the rarer “’tis the season to be jolly” – we hear it year after year.

Why not wish your friends and relatives good health at Christmas or for 2016 with this simple Scots Gaelic word?

Commonly used when toasting with a dram, it may be extended to “slàinte mhath”, and basically means “your good health!”.

Pronounce it “SLAN-tchuh” (roughly) and regenerate the audio landscape of Christmas!

In der Weihnachtszeit als auch zu Silvester gibt es fast keine Abwechslung in der Sprache. “Frohe Weihnachten”, “einen guten Rutsch”…wir hören jedes Jahr dasselbe.

Wünschen Sie  Freunden und Verwandten Gesundheit für Weihnachten oder Neujahr mit diesem einfachen gälischen Wort!

Es bedeutet “Prost!” und könnte zu “slàinte mhath” verlängert werden, und wird oft in Schottland benutzt, wenn man auf etwas mit einem “dram” trinkt.

Sprechen Sie es “SLAN-tchuh” aus und erneuern Sie damit die Hörlandschaft für Weihnachten!

 

(The picture is of Glenfiddich, one of the most famous distilleries – why not visit?

Das Bild ist von Glenfiddich, die eine berühmte Whiskybrennerei ist – warum nicht besuchen?

‘Weihnachten’

If you’re anything like me, the mere mention of Weihnachten causes images of bustling Christmas markets in towns richly steeped in history to dash across your mind. Indeed, Germany is famed for the Christmas markets that take place up and down the country each year, with glorious treats galore, and rich, aromatic smells drifting around each stall- not forgetting cosy, little ornaments that can be bought.

Naturally, Weihnachten will vary from region to region; family to family; person to person- but what is it that all celebrations of die Weihnachtszeit have in common? For me, beyond both religious and corporate connotations, it is a time of peace, friendship and- most importantly- togetherness. Because, above all, Weihnachten is a time to celebrate all that is really beautiful about our cultures and each other; a truly unifying experience that cuts rather dramatically across both borders, and mindsets.

In this month of Zusammengehörigkeit, just think about how you can extend this spirit to the people around you; how you can spread these messages of beautiful, German Weihnachten amongst others.

For some this Weihnachtszeit, things may never have seemed darker- so spare a thought or a smile, and have a think about how you can make someone’s day all the merrier! 😀

‘der Zuchtmeister’

Said in a tense & critical  manner, this word brings its meaning perfectly into life. Even in English it conjures up a caricature – the ‘martinet’, ‘taskmaster’ or ‘disciplinarian’ looms over us as the word is spoken.

Like many German words this separates into 2 – ‘Zucht’, and ‘Meister’. ‘Zucht’ means ‘discipline’ and has implications of biological breeding so it really is strict – hence ‘Zuchtmeister’ means literally ‘master of discipline’. Very straightforward.

And if you missed Dave’s excellent “Taskmaster” these past few weeks, no fear – UKTV Player has it covered.

The picture comes from UKTV & shows Greg Davies & Alex Horne in “Taskmaster”.

‘Dropped cone?!’

In Cologne this dropped cone can be found. It was made by Claes Oldenburg, a famous pop-art artist from Stockholm. It is 12 meters high and weighs 3 barrels.

But what does it stand for/was the artists intention?

Even if it was fixed on top of a shopping mall called “Neumarkt” it is not an advertisement!

The artist wants to remember the  towers of the Romance churches in Cologne with it!

Since 2001 it can be marveled!

‘ace’

Er machte Geschichte. Als der 17-Jährige mit einem Ace seinen Gegner Kevin Curran niederschlug, fesselte er Wimbledon als beliebtester Tennis-Turnier der Welt.

Laut zeitgenössische Quellen war Boris Becker in Großbritannien bekannter als Helmut Kohl und nach vielen Leuten bleibt er auch  beliebtester Deutscher.

Für ein halbes Jahr wohnt er in London, neben Wimbledon, und war für 10 Jahre als Experte bei BBC Sport wieder in Wimbledon zu sehen, bevor er dorthin mit Djokovic reiste.

Neulich berichtete “The Telegraph”, dass er wegen seines Sieges 1985 eine neue Epoche für Wimbledon einführte, die jetzt nicht nur am Kern vom Britischen sozialen Kalender sondern auch des globalen Tennis-kalenders liegt.

He made history. As the 17-year-old beat his opponent Kevin Curran with an ace, he cemented Wimbledon as the most popular tennis tournament in the world.

According to contemporary sources, Boris Becker was more well-known than Helmut Kohl, the West German chancellor, and according to many people he remains the most popular German here.

For half the year he lives in London, near Wimbledon, and he was to be seen at Wimbledon for 10 years as a pundit for BBC Sport, before he came there with Djokovic.

Recently “The Telegraph” reported that, because of his 1985 victory, Becker introduced a new epoch for Wimbledon, which now lies not only at the core of the British social calendar but also of the global tennis calendar.

The picture comes from the television coverage of the final point of the 1985 Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Silberpfeil

This time yesterday was the highlight of the 2015 Formula One season so far – the quartet of Williams & Mercedes diced their way along the home of British motorsport.

At Silverstone, fawned over by most F1 teams in the nearby Motorsport Valley, strong connections between the UK and Germany were clearly visible.

At the end of a captivating 52 laps, British driver Lewis Hamilton was lauded by a swarm of admiring fans after he beat Nico Rosberg and Seb Vettel, both of whom race under German licenses, to plant his flag on the top step of the podium. His British engineer gladly and with no little joy or relief accepted the constructor’s trophy on behalf of the British-German film, as British and German anthems sang out in audio harmony the exemplary teamwork of this successful team.

Mercedes AMG Petronas GP are headquartered in Brackley, the racing arm of Mercedes, headquartered in Stuttgart. The team directors are both German-speaking whilst the strategic director is British, and the two countries have a driver each, using a British chassis centred around a German engine to roar with exultation to victory.

Having won all but one of this year’s races, the Silver Arrows, one of the few teams still in national colours (Germany was white but changed to silver to save weight by scraping off the paint), are one of the most successful constructors of modern times.

At the heart of their story is the connection the team has forged between the UK and Germany. As they prepare for Hungary, let’s remember their ideology – “Das Beste oder nichts!”

Music covers

My year as a Youth Ambassador is unfortunately almost over so I wanted to do a final project dealing with the arts!

I asked Y10 to create an album cover for their favourite British or German bands. They were allowed to use any magazines, newspapers etc. they could find and of course their own drawing skills.

The final results were all really good and the class found out which bands are actually from the UK!

Do you recognise some of the bands they chose, or which song the covers depict?

~ Veronica

“Das ist mir Wurst”

When someone says “Das ist mir Wurst” then they probably want to say “I don’t care”

In this picture you can see a kiosk joking with the meaning!