Many German offices shut down on Heiligabend (Christmas Eve) and don't open again until after Neujahr (New Year's Day). That means everything must be done on December 23rd! Since they won't be back to work until the new year has begun, they have finished one year of business and are truly "between the years" when they go home on December 23rd! In German it is called "Zwischen den Jahren" and most people do not work during this time, at least not in offices, schools, and so on. Germans sure do know how to take a break, that's for sure.
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| Friends gather here at the Basement Club. 2024 will be 8 years. Time flies and memories remain. |
That is of course the perfect time to log into Second Life meet up with friends and chat about the past year and the plans for the new year. Relax and reflect and do not worry about the upcoming year.
With all these nasty superstitions, you may want a lucky charm to ward off any potentially unpleasant stuff. Germans consider the following items as bringers of good fortune:
1. Chimney sweeps (Schornsteinfeger) – You may have to settle for a miniature likeness, sold with clover pots around New Year’s in Germany.
2. Ladybugs (Am.), ladybirds (Br.) (Marienkäfer) – Not only are these insects good at devouring aphids, but they are also considered lucky – perhaps because they are so helpful and beautiful.
3. A lucky pig (Glücksschwein) – It doesn’t have to be a real live pig. A wood or plastic piggy charm will do just fine. Pigs were once a symbol of wealth and prosperity. If you had pigs, you were doing well. (get some pigs in Second Life for luck)
With all these nasty superstitions, you may want a lucky charm to ward off any potentially unpleasant stuff. Germans consider the following items as bringers of good fortune:
1. Chimney sweeps (Schornsteinfeger) – You may have to settle for a miniature likeness, sold with clover pots around New Year’s in Germany.
2. Ladybugs (Am.), ladybirds (Br.) (Marienkäfer) – Not only are these insects good at devouring aphids, but they are also considered lucky – perhaps because they are so helpful and beautiful.
3. A lucky pig (Glücksschwein) – It doesn’t have to be a real live pig. A wood or plastic piggy charm will do just fine. Pigs were once a symbol of wealth and prosperity. If you had pigs, you were doing well. (get some pigs in Second Life for luck)
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| One of my very good friends Draki (what a deer) came to visit me. |
4. Four-leaf clover (Glücksklee) – Many cultures consider clover, particularly the four-leaf variety, to be lucky – Germans included.
5. Penny coin (Eurocent) – Symbolic of money, but not too expensive. Back in the days of the Deutsche Mark, it was a Pfennig. Even further back: “Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist des Talers nicht wert.”
I hope you will come and make some memories with all of us here at the Retreat and the Basement Club, especially in between the years. We have a feeling you like it and will stay for the rest of the year. The Retreat is open all year round for all residents to enjoy and hang out at.
You can also read up on some old superstitions that I wrote about a few years back. They still exist.
Guten Rutsch! (Have a happy, prosperous New Year!)
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