GERMANS
GERMANS
national minority in the Republic of Belarus
National traits of the Germans:
• pedantry and accuracy;
• sentimentality and romance;
• punctuality;
• order in everything;
• economy;
• preserving family traditions, etc.
0.03% of Germans live in the Republic of Belarus. The first settlements of Germans on the territory of present-day Belarus appeared in the era of the Reformation. Their descendants still live in the Grodno region and the Mogilev region. There are only 4 old buildings of Lutheran churches in Belarus. But only in Grodno in 1995 the church was given to the believers.
THE NATIONAL COSTUME
German traditional clothing took shape in the 16th and 17th centuries. based on medieval clothing and urban fashion. Linen fabrics were used for underwear, and woolen fabrics were used for outerwear. The quality of fabrics has always been high.
The German national costume is subdivided into trachten - perhaps both male and female and dirndl - female costume.
The women's dirndl consists of a gathered skirt, a blouse, a corset with lacing or with buttons, and an apron with embroidery and lace. The colors of the suit can be different, but more often they are blue for skirts and vests and white for blouses. A shoulder scarf was often worn. In some regions, a dress was worn instead of a skirt and sweater. Headdresses were distinguished by a special variety - scarves tied in different ways, caps and straw hats of various shapes and sizes. The traditional men's costume consisted of a shirt, short (knee-length) or long pants, a sleeveless jacket (later a vest), a scarf, shoes or boots. The Tyrolean costume is widely known - a white shirt with a turn-down collar, short leather pants with suspenders, a woolen red sleeveless jacket (waistcoat), a wide leather belt, knee-length stockings, shoes, a hat with narrow brims and a feather. There is professional traditional clothing for shepherds, chimney sweeps, miners, Hamburg carpenters. The head was covered with hats with narrow brims, decorated with feathers or with brushes made of hair. And they put on leggings on their feet, and on them boots with thick enough soles. Previously, leather shoes were worn on the feet.
NATIONAL CUISINE
National German cuisine is based on three whales - sausages, sauerkraut and beer. Sausages and sausages are a matter of national pride, cabbage is the head of everything, and beer is the main German drink. They drink it with breakfast, lunch and dinner, sometimes they drink it instead of water to quench their thirst. Bavaria is considered a real paradise of German beer.
Each region of the country has its own culinary characteristics and original dishes, which are distinguished by their diversity, solidity and excellent taste.
German cuisine is considered very nutritious, with an emphasis on meat and potatoes. In addition, German cuisine contains dishes made from unprocessed meat. These are chops (Kotelett), and schnitzels, and meatballs (Klops), boiled pork knuckle (Eisbein), brisket on ribs (Rippchen), etc. Less popular are dishes with finely chopped pieces of meat. Boiled and stewed vegetables, rice, legumes are served as a side dish for meat. Egg dishes are also widely represented in German cuisine. Among them are stuffed, baked eggs, eggs with cheese, eggs with tomatoes, eggs with potatoes, scrambled eggs with smoked herring, omelets with potatoes and herbs. But it should be noted that the Germans are humble in the addition of seasonings, so German cuisine is not spicy.
We can say about the Germans that they also adore sweet and flour products. In German bakery Vaskerei, you can count over twenty varieties of bread, and a German lunch often ends with sweet pudding, jelly, mousse, fruit salads, seasoned with a variety of sauces and syrups, and ice cream. German pies headed by apple strudel can rightfully be considered the pride of Germany.
NATIONAL DANCE
Germany is made up of different regions, each with its own unique characteristics and its own varieties of dance. However, most German folk dances can be performed to the rhythms of a landler, waltz or polka. From the point of view of folk dance, the concept of "German" includes dances not only in modern Germany, but also in Austria and parts of Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Some of the most famous "German" folk dances actually originated in Austria.
Landler (village) - a simple dance, sedate and at the same time a little mischievous, similar to a homely Austrian peasant, it is danced to a 3/4 rhythm. Waltz is the evolution of the landler. It began to spread like wildfire in all the halls of Europe in the 19th century. Waltz is also danced to 3/4 like the landler, but faster. For the first time in history, a man and a woman dancing in pairs were so close to each other that they even hugged each other. Because of this, the waltz was initially considered scandalous and immoral. Polka originates in the Czech Republic. It has come into vogue since about 1830, it is performed in a 2/4 rhythm with a characteristic short rhythm change of 3/4.
German folk dance often reflects the events that take place in people's daily lives. Watching folk dances, you can learn about the activities that were previously common in any area of life of ordinary Germans. In German folk dances, you can often find typical movements from certain professions. For example, in the “webertanz” dance of the weavers, people lined up in two rows imitate the movement of threads in a loom. There is also a polka of blacksmiths - "ambosspolka" and a march of lumberjacks - "holzhackermarsch". The Germans are a very thrifty people, they sacredly honor their traditions today, so they often hold various kinds of folk dance festivals, using traditional folk costumes.
NATIONAL TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
Germany is a country with vibrant traditions that are so interesting that they were borrowed by other Europeans. An example of this is the tradition of the Germans to decorate a coniferous tree on New Year's Eve or to hang wreaths from pine branches on the front doors, to celebrate Halloween and All Saints Day.
All existing traditions and customs of the Germans can be divided into:
• federal (which are observed throughout the country)
• local (observed by residents of certain lands and regions).
The traditions and customs of the Germans are closely related to their religious life. Most of the country's population are Catholics, and they all celebrate the holiday of the Confermation (First Communion), giving it a meaning similar to the "birthday".
Another religious tradition of the Germans is the annual celebration of St. Martin's Day (November 11). Traditionally, on this day, with the arrival of darkness, a procession of children holding flashlights and singing German songs is held. For this festive dinner, the Germans traditionally serve a baked goose.
In addition, the Germans celebrate Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter.
In Germany, the popular holiday "Advent" - four weeks before the birth of Christ, that is, the expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. An Advent calendar is made for children, so that opening the door of each new day (up to Christmas Eve - December 24), the child would find a small surprise behind it.
With the arrival of autumn, Germany celebrates a holiday similar to our "first of September", that is, a child's trip to first grade. On this day in Germany, you can meet on the streets of little first-graders holding bags of sweets in their hands. Parents fill the bags, thus congratulating their "child" on the holiday, but with one condition - you can open the bag and eat sweets only after returning home from school.
Well, and, of course, various beer festivals are traditionally celebrated in Germany. The most popular is Oktoberfest. The holiday is held in mid-September and early October, with an average of about 16 days.
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