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Clubs in Germany: Donaldists and bikers as rabbits
Silvia Haas, John Wötzel, Marco Sternsdorf and Stefanie Gleditzsch (from left to right), members of the Berlin motorcycle club Streetbunnycrew. photo
© Christian Thiele/dpa
There are more than 600,000 clubs in Germany. Many revolve around the sport. Others serve special interests. Big and small people, beard wearers or Schuhplattler get their money’s worth.
Motorcyclists in bunny costumes, men and women who prefer to use the scythe rather than the lawnmower, or men with elaborately styled beards: among the hundreds of thousands of clubs in Germany there are quite curious ones. Sometimes serious intentions hide behind promising names. An overview:
Sensing Club Germany
No lawnmowers or lawn trimmers. Meadows are mowed by the members by hand – with a scythe, just like in the past, when almost everyone in the villages still made hay for the cattle. For the club, mowing the scythe is not only good for your health, but also effective: the scythe is faster around trees or on steep slopes. And because it doesn’t make any noise, grass can also be mowed on public holidays and Sundays.
Club of long people Germany
This club is not for little people. Women must be at least 1.80 meters and men 1.90 meters to become a member. According to the association’s self-description, the “above-average height” should be the only thing all members have in common. It sees itself as a platform for tall people who can exchange ideas at meetings – for example about where to find oversized shoes, trousers or beds.
Association against fraudulent pouring
How full is my beer mug at Oktoberfest? The members have repeatedly tested whether the promised liter is actually served in Munich. The answer: not always. According to the statutes, the association pursues the purpose of “acting in general against the still widespread bad serving of many innkeepers” in the “services of consumer protection”. The members want to exhaust “all legal means” in order to achieve the full measure in the measure.
Santa Claus on Road
Behind this is not a Santa Claus rental company that appears at company celebrations or brings gifts to the festival. But motorcyclists who are on the road with their machines during the Advent season in order to “draw the attention of fellow citizens to the needy in Berlin”. Pictures on the club’s website show the bikers in Santa Claus costumes on decorated motorbikes for a good cause.
Streetbunny crew
These are also women and men on motorcycles, mostly in rabbit outfits. They also collect donations. At first they went to various events “just for fun with the pink suits”. “Since we received consistently positive attention with our appearance, we thought about what could be positively developed from it,” writes club boss Andreas Groß-Hardt. As for motivation, the association’s website says: “Cheerful people are more likely to donate than bad-tempered people.”
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Germany
The satirical association from Templin in Brandenburg made headlines nationwide when it failed in 2018 before the Federal Constitutional Court in its attempt to be recognized as an ideological community. The Church of the “Spaghetti Monsters” arose in the USA in connection with the controversy over the theory of evolution in the classroom. The “Pastafaris”, as the members call themselves, refer to the values of humanism. The website says: “What do we stand for? Everything that is good.”
Beard & Culture Club “Belle Mustache”
“A kiss without a beard is like a soup without salt,” says the association based in Baden-Württemberg, which wants to make beards more popular. There are also tips for people who don’t use the razor on their face every day. Because styling long grown beards definitely requires skill.
German organization of non-commercial supporters of pure Donaldism
In fact, this is about the cartoon character with the cheeky beak. “The Duck family and the world in which they live are particularly important to us Donaldists,” write the Donaldists on their website. The association gathers all those who like to exchange information about Duckburg.
gay platter
The men meritoriously take care that the traditional Schuhplatteln in Bavaria does not fall asleep. The special thing about it: “To this day we are the first club in the world to combine homosexuality and Schuhplattler.” With the dance – the hands hit the shoes – the members also want to promote more tolerance towards the gay scene.
Dorheim weathermen
This is not an illustrious club of meteorologists. That’s what the carnivalists in Friedberg, Hesse, call themselves. Many carnival and carnival clubs sometimes have strange names. The infernal fire devils in Tuttlingen, for example.
Club of tall people Germany Sensenverein Club against fraudulent pouring Santa Claus on Road Streetbunnycrew Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Germany Beard & Culture Club Belle Mustache German organization of non-commercial supporters of loud Donaldism Schwuhplattler Dornheim weathermen