Summer Session 2013 - German 1A at the Downtown Campus

German 1A will be offered at the Downtown Campus during the 2013 Summer Session.

Time:  6:00-9:30 p.m.
Days:  Mondays, Wednesdays
Location:  DNTN 419
Duration:  6/10-7/24

The Downtown Campus is located conveniently across from the 5th Street Parking Garage, BART, and buses.  Students who take and pass German 1A with a grade of C or with a pass option can jump right into German 1B in the Fall!  Registration begins April 15. 

Lernt Deutsch mit Videos! From Deutsche-Welle

Check out this Deutsche-Welle telenovelle, "Jojo sucht das Glück" and get into learning German in an interactive way.  The 33 episodes chronicle a young Brazilian woman's experiences learning German and discovering German culture.  Choose "Interaktives Deutsch Training" to access overview (with exercises), interactive exercises, script, and vocabulary.    Each episode comes with subtitles, as well as the option to download the video and take it with you on MUNI!  Click here to get started.  Viel Spass!  Here's the first episode from YouTube, without all the helpful materials:

German Word of the Week: Wort der Woche: Mummenschanz

Mummenschanz

Enlarge imageVenetian-style carnival in Hamburg, Germany (January, 2013)(© picture-alliance/chromorange)From its historic connotation as a game of chance (Glücksspiel) played with dice, "Mummenschanz" has come to be associated with the carnival season in Germany to mean "Maskerade" (masquerade) and "Maskenspiel" (mummery, or a play involving mummers).

"Der Mummenschanz" (masculine) is derived from the Middle High German expression "schanz(e)," which meant "Würfelspiel" (game of dice) or simply "Spiel, Wagnis" (game, risk).

The etymological origin of the first part of this compound noun (Mummen), is by contrast more lost to the mists of time. On the one hand it is dated back to the Middle High German verb "mummen" or "mumman," which was used to describe a "Glücksspiel" (game of chance). On the other hand it also may be derived from the word "mumme" (mummer), which referred to a mask or a costumed person. Related modern German verbs include "vermummen" (to mask, dress up) and "einmummen" (to cover up in warm clothing).

Enlarge imageA happy and a sad mask(© picture-alliance/Lehtikuva/Hehkuva)

The historic expression (die) "mumschanz" or "momschanz" (feminine) was purportedly used as a figure of speech since at least the 16th century as both a general description of a game of chance played with dice and in connection with the custom of people dressing up in masks and costumes during the Christian "Fastenzeit" (Lenten or fasting period) or "Fastnacht" (carnival, shrovetide, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras) to visit homes and play dice games together.

Regardless of the precise origins of "mumme" in the German language, by the 18th century the relation to games of chance and dice had largely disappeared, so that "Mummenschanz" mostly came to mean "Maskerade" or "Maskenspiel," albeit with an often ironic tone.

Hence in modern parlance "Mummenschanz" may be deployed as a figure of speech to describe all manner of mischief-making mockery. The website of the European Parliament might, for instance, describe a comment regarding a stalled political procedure as follows: "Meines Erachtens ist es an der Zeit, diesem Mummenschanz und dieser Parodie einer demokratischen Debatte ein Ende zu setzen." (I believe it is time to call a stop to this masquerade and this caricature of democratic debate.)

Enlarge imageLet the good times roll: Markus Stegmann of the Schwenningen "Fool's Guild" (Narrenzunft) dusts off carnival masks (Schemen/Fastnachtsmasken) on January 6, 2013 in Villingen-Schwenningen, in the southwestern Greman state of Baden-Württemberg.(© picture-alliance/dpa)

The "Mummenschanz" tradition also has roots in other parts of Europe, including France and England. In this vein, a "mummer" is an Early Modern English term for a mime artist. And "Mummenschanz" can also be a mummer or a Mummers Play (also known as mumming), a seasonal folk play performed by troupes of actors known as mummers or guisers.

The Mummers Parade, held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the United States. The parade can be traced back to at least mid-17th century roots, blending elements from Swedish, Finnish, Irish, English, German and other European heritages, as well as African heritage. The parade is related to the Mummers Play tradition from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a mummer is (1) "a performer in a pantomime" (an actor) or (2) "one who goes merrymaking in disguise during festivals."

Karneval, Fastnacht, Fasching, Fassenacht, or Fasnet: It's a Wild and Crazy German Tradition

We here in the U.S. know it as Mardi Gras, but it Germany, it's variously called Karneval, Fastnacht, Fasching, Fassenacht, or Fasnet,depending on the region. If you visit a town in Germany’s Rhineland or in the southwestern region during the supposedly dark days of winter you’re likely to find the whole place thrown topsy-turvy. That's because the period before Ash Wednesday is known as Carnival or the fifth season.  The celebration has its roots in the spring celebrations of pre-Christian times, when people wore masks to scare away winter spirits and welcomed the rebirth of nature with singing and dancing. Today it is observed mainly in Catholic regions as a season of feasting and fun before the fasting period of Lent.

Organized revelry in the Rhineland
Parliamentarians in Erfurt get into the spirit of Weiberfastnacht or women's Carnival.  While some localities like Cologne mark the beginning of the season on November 11 at 11:11 a.m., the highpoint always occurs in the six days before Ash Wednesday when everyone from government officials to school children give themselves over to organized revelry. People may be laughing and having a good time, but for the hundreds of Carnival societies in the region, the season of festive sessions, balls and parades is serious business.

The Thursday before Ash Wednesday is  known as “women’s Carnival” in some regions. Women literally assume power and symbolically storm the town halls in many places. Men are advised to wear an old tie since the women are liable to cut it off on and compensate the bereft wearer with a kiss.

This particular Thursday is known in other regions as fat or dirty Thursday. The name goes back to the tradition of slaughtering an animal on this day for the last meal before the fasting period. To prevent the fat from going bad people cooked food which was particularly rich in fat or else used the grease for baking.

 Rose Monday parade floats poke fun at politicians and the issues of the day, like this one in Düsseldorf aimed at bankers.  Sooty Friday gained its name from an old custom according to which children daubed their faces with soot. Fewer festivities are held on this day.
Rose Monday is the climax of the Rhineland Carnival, with huge parades held in n the cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz. Millions of people line the streets singing, dancing or just rocking too and fro. The day is not an official public holiday, but few people are expected to show up at work or school.
The parades feature floats that poke satirical fun at politicians and their policies or otherwise comment on the issues of the day. Costumed musicians, dance troupes and mounted guards are also part of the fun.

Fools with rules

Carnival in the southwest town of Rottweil has long-standing traditions.  Each city and town has its own Carnival traditions, but in Southwest Germany, the Swabian-Alemannic Carnival differs considerably from the Rhineland version. In 1924, the Association of Swabian-Alemannic Fools’ Guilds was formed with the aim of reducing the influence of the Rhineland carnival in the areas of Freiburg and Tübingen as well as part of German-speaking Switzerland.
The Swabian-Alemannic carnival is governed by particularly strict rules. Generally speaking, only those who have lived in the city for more than 15 years can take part. The masks and the costume also have to conform to historical precedents – unlike at the carnival celebrations in Cologne or Mainz. Accordingly, every fools’ guild has carnival masks, usually intricately carved from wood, which are handed down from generation to generation.

Maintaining Sorb traditions
This pair of four-year-olds is all dressed up for Zapust celebrations in the Brandenburg village of Neu Zauche.  In eastern Germany, the Sorbs, a Slavic nation that settled in the Lusatia region, celebrate the Zapust or Shrovetide at this time of year. Zampern, which means going from house to house and collecting gifts, is an important part the festivities. A noisy procession wends its way through the village with the aim of driving out the spirits of winter. The merry group in fancy dress stops at every farm to ask for gifts of bacon, eggs and money. To show their gratitude the revelers treat the farmer to a glass of schnapps and invite the lady of the house to a dance.

The boisterous celebration is held every year on a weekend between mid January and the beginning of March. Another aspect of Zapust is a procession of girls dressed in traditional costumes and boys in suits who go around the village visiting those residents who have contributed most to the community such as the mayor, the pastor or local craftsmen. In the evening the young people gather in the village pub for a bumper egg feast and all those taking part tuck in to a hearty meal of bacon and scrambled egg.