Religion: From custom to gut: From the origin of the Lord’s Day parties

religion
From custom to belly: From the origin of the men’s day games

Participants of a “Father’s Day Tour” pull through the area with a handcart on Ascension Day. photo

© Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa

Ascension Day has become a men’s day of honor in Germany. The religious background is disappearing – not just since yesterday.

A clacking walking stick and the popping of a few beer bottles: According to biblical tradition, when Ascension Day is due on Thursday (May 18), small and large groups of men will be out and about in Germany, depending on the weather conditions. Then it’s all worldly and often with alcoholic reinforcement with handcarts, horse-drawn carriages or on foot over hill and dale. For most, the following applies: the path is the goal – and the next inn is not far.

The origin

In Germany, Men’s, Gentlemen’s or Father’s Day falls on Ascension Day. Christians have been celebrating Jesus’ ascension into heaven on this day since the 4th century. Today, on the 40th day after his resurrection at Easter, the return of the Son of God to the Father is commemorated.

Since the early Middle Ages, on the three days before Ascension Day, believers have gone in procession to ask for a good harvest and protection from natural disasters. In addition, the custom of organizing magnificent processions for the festival has survived to this day, such as the traditional Gymnicher ride in Erftstadt near Cologne.

As early as the Middle Ages and early modern times, the religious background is often lost. Even then there was a lot of drinking. In the late 19th century, the first “men’s tours” to the countryside come into fashion, women are not among them. In 1967, the “Volksblatt” from Austria even warmly recommended fathers for the day: “A Sunday drive in the car where nobody says a word.”

Public holiday: Ascension Day has been a public holiday in Germany since 1934 – albeit with a gap in the GDR era: With the introduction of the general five-day week in the summer of 1967, Ascension Day was also canceled in the east along with Easter Monday and the day of liberation. Only in the last year of the GDR, 1990, did the Council of Ministers reintroduce the holiday.

Variant Father’s Day

Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day has its roots in the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century, a woman made a strong case for this: Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane in the state of Washington wanted to honor her father with a special day, who was raising six children alone after the early death of his mother.

The day was first observed in 1910 and since 1972 it has been on the US calendar every year on the third Sunday in June. As with Mother’s Day, the commercial aspect is also involved. Early on, there are newspaper advertisements aimed specifically at gifts for men. Thanks to the economic aspect, Father’s Day is also becoming popular in Europe.

alcohol

It is well known that beer is not necessarily for the slim figure. A small bottle of Pils has 140 calories – about the same as cola. In the alcohol-free version, you can save some energy with beer, according to the Schleswig-Holstein consumer advice center there are still around 80 calories per 0.33-liter bottle. Speaking of alcohol: on a boozy day out on a men’s day, it’s better to leave your car or bike at home. Every year on Ascension Day there are more accidents under the influence of alcohol than on comparable days. According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 182 on Father’s Day in 2021, and by far the most in the lockdown year 2020: 312 accidents, followed by New Year’s with 232 accidents.

dpa

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