"Green" Thursday

Those who follow the liturgical calendar (church calendar) observe today as Maundy Thursday.  It commemorates the evening when Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples - the "Last Supper" before his death on the cross.  It's also when Jesus washed this disciples' feet, which is another symbolism of the day.  Coins (alms) might also be given to the poor as a sign of charity. 

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Maundy might be a word that is derived from the same root from which we get the English word "mandate".  In John 13: 34 - 35, Jesus gave his disciples a mandate, a new commandment: 

...that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

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In Germany, today is called Gründonnerstag (Green Thursday).  Why green?  Some sources say that green symbolizes the "new beginning" of being forgiven of sins.  Apparently, some churches decorate with green, budding branches for a green themed decor. 

In my hometown of Frankfurt, many people look forward to eating grüne Soße (green sauce) this time of year.   It's called Grie Soss in the Frankfurt dialect. This herbal sauce is equivalent to chimichurri or salsa verde - and yet, it is uniquely Frankfurterisch. 

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One needs 7 herbs to make green sauce:  Kerbel, Schnittlauch, Petersilie, Pimpinelle, Sauerampfer, Kresse & Borretsch

1.  chervil - also known as French parsley
2.  chives
3.  parsley
4.  pimpinella - an herb of the carrot family, which includes anise, also considered medicinal
5.  sorrel
6.  cress - garden cress, related to mustard and watercress
7.  borage or starflower, also considered to be medicinal

This wonderful blend of herbs is combined with yogurt, sour cream, cooked egg yolks - through a sieve, mustard, garlic, oil, and lemon juice - then cooked, chopped egg whites and salt and pepper.  It is served with boiled eggs and boiled potatoes.  A true Frankfurter will drink Appelwei' (apple wine) or Apfelsaft (apple juice/cider) with this meal. 

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A real Frankfurter recipe can be found here:  Traditional Grüne Sosse

My recommendation is you get on an international flight TODAY and fly immediately to Frankfurt and try this sauce for yourself.  ;)

On the 1st Day of Spring: More Ostern

I was last in Germany about 6 years ago with my son Andrew, who was 13 years old at the time.  I love springtime in Germany!  German florists are AMAZING - the above picture is a shop in the train station in Frankfurt.  

Germany is well known for its Christmas markets, but did you know there are also Easter markets?  Once again booths are filled with delicately painted, hollowed-out eggs, crafts, and flowers - along with food and drink. 

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The Easter rabbits below are very much like ones my mother had to set around our living room.  We also had little, wooden duckling figurines:

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There are so many more things I could say about Easter in Germany, but a google search would show you way more than I can adequately explain.

I will mention, lastly, the one thing I find MOST clever about German Easter - and that is that they celebrate not only Easter Sunday but also Easter Monday, which is a holiday in most German states.  I have always thought that Easter deserved an extra day of celebration!   

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Getting ready for Ostern / Easter

Easter is on Sunday, April 1st this year!  That is only a few short weeks away, and I have converted my mantle and other decorations to reflect SPRINGTIME & Easter.  The daffodils are blooming where I live (although I know other areas of the country are still covered in snow!). 

I put my favorite table cloth on my dining room table.  The embroidery on it is in the picture above & below.  This burlap cloth is from Germany- not really sure if it was my Oma's, but I did get it from my mother. 

Growing up, my mother often set up a Osterbaum (Easter tree), which is a German Easter time tradition.  Our tree usually had branches of Weidenkätzchen (literally translated:  willow kittens - or pussy willows) or sometimes just flowering branches put into a vase.  Then Easter eggs were hung on it.  Sometimes, we hollowed out our own eggs by blowing the yolks and whites out - it was very tricky, delicate work!  Here's some instructions if you care to try it:  how to blow out eggs

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By the way, did you know the little gray, fuzzy "blooms" on the pussywillow are called "catkins" in English?  These catkins appear on the stem long before the branch's leaves come out, and they are considered one of the earliest signs of Spring.  Various forms of pussywillows are native to Northern Europe, Northwest Asia, and Northern America.  

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