Sunday, March 22, we had the honor of being invited to Anna B's confirmation.
Indulge us in a couple of memories, guaranteed to make Anna self-conscious. The first time we saw Anna was on a visit to Germany about 12 years ago. She was just 2, and had a lot of personality, as two-year-olds do. But looking back, it was obvious that even then, she was a people person, and always wanted to be sure you were having a good time. She spoke "baby German", but even I understood that I was being pulled into her room to play with her stuffed animals. Once there, I was told "Setz dich! Setz dich!" - sit down, sit down! I was handed a black and white stuffed cat, and play proceeded. Later that visit - it was Christmas time - Richard and I and Peter (her father) took her out for a sleigh ride in the below freezing weather. Her mother, Ulla, was getting the Christmas tree put up and decorated. We helped Anna put on her "handschuhi" - mittens (pronounced "hahnd-shoe-ee" in baby German), and went out. It was a challenge for us adults to stay warm, but Anna fell asleep all bundled up!
The next time we saw her, she was around 6, and wanted to hold both our hands as she skipped through the open-air farm museum. She was singing songs and telling Brothers Grimm stories, but not the sanitized Disney versions! In the story she learned, Cinderella's step sisters went so far as to cut off their toes so that the shoe would fit. I was surprised to hear a 6-year-old singing "Hallooo, hallooo! Es gibt Blut im Schuh!" German kids are raised with a much less candy-coated view of things.
So, now she's 14, and it's time for the big celebration for her Confirmation in the Protestant Church. Richard thought of it as a "coming-out party." Ulla compared it to planning a wedding. Invitations were sent out, and a big meal was planned at a very nice Fraenkisch restaurant/beer brewery a few km away. The family was occupied for weeks before, planning the party, and getting all the "girls" new dresses, and Peter a new suit. Anna helped design a silver and garnet ring that was the gift from her parents, and her grandfather gave her matching earrings. Unfortunately, they aren't seen in the picture at the right.So, the service: it was our first Protestant service in German. And it was mostly clearly comprehensible, except, as Richard joked, for one Fraenkisch (local dialect) phrase that the pastor inserted into the sermon. The readings and prayers were familiar, and some of the hymns had familiar tunes. It was good that the words to the hymns were printed out, so that we could sing along. The creed, the Abendmahl/Eucharist liturgy, and the Our Father were all familiar, but we couldn't have recited the German words (which we didn't have in front of us) only because of sheer lack of practice. But the sermon was delivered in lively fashion by the 42-year-old pastor, who asked, "What is one thing people can depend on, that's consistent in their lives?" And he pulled an FC Bayern scarf out of the pulpit, and put it around his neck, to the chuckles of the reserved congregation. FC Bayern are the Yankees of the soccer world here in Germany. You either hate 'em, or you love 'em. As he went on, he pulled out an FC Nürnberg scarf (they lost their first-league status last year), also to chuckles, and made the point that some people stick by their team even when it's disappointing. And then he said, "But I have someone who always sticks with me, through thick and thin, and never disappoints." At this point, he opened his robe to reveal a yellow and green T-shirt that said "Jesus is my coach" and so made the point to the confirmation class that they should be depending on God for guidance and help. Then he introduced the WWJD bracelet that he wore, and told us what the English was. Then he translated it into Fraenkisch "Was wuerde Jesus doa?", which sounds so much like the English version that we thought it was funny. It also brought laughter from the local population. The confirmation class would all receive a wrist band at the "memorial" service the next day.
The confirmation class were asked to confirm their beliefs in the church, and received a blessing from the pastor while kneeling on a pad put on the edge of the podium for that purpose. The girls were obviously nervous, almost to the point of breaking out into a fit of giggles, but they mastered themselves. Anna confirmed later that when they had to leave their seats, stand before the pastor and kneel to receive his blessing was the most nerve-wracking part. So they passed from "Konfirmandinnen" - those to be confirmed, to "Konfirmierten" - those who have been confirmed. Leave it to the German language to put it so succinctly.
At one point, the Pastor got out his guitar, and accompanied himself while singing a song that fit the occasion. Anna said that this was one of his more interesting services, that he had put extra effort into this one, and that normally, it's not nearly so interesting. I sympathized, admitting that people "our age" (in our 40's) have no business trying to be cool. At the end of the service, the choir - a very good group - sang an African song with full voice, complete with drums and rhythmic clapping, and the pastor motioned for people to get up and get with the beat. I'd guess about a quarter of the congregation did. Later I learned that had it not been a complete surprise, more of the reserved German crowd might have been prepared to join in, but as they were used to very solemn, peaceful services, they were quite taken aback by the sudden frivolity.
At the restaurant we enjoyed conversations with the family members and close friends who have watched Anna grow up. Anna gave a little speech with lots of composure after the champagne was served. Maybe her leading roles in the school plays were paying off. Anna's godmother was there. In Germany, there is only one godparent named. It's customarily the mother's sister for the oldest girl, or a close male relative for the oldest boy. If the "godparent" is an aunt, she's referred to as the "Patintante", in rough translation, the godmother-aunt.
I had a chance to talk to Ulla's father, Herr A. He is always interesting to talk with, and admits to being a fan of America. He's been there several times. He recalled one trip, where he was with a group of 20 Germans, and the trip leader had planned an excursion to a Baptist Church in Brooklyn. The Church had extended an invitation, and 20 white Germans enjoyed a visit to this all-black congregation, who welcomed the visitors warmly and proceeded with an energetic form of worship. Herr Ackermann remembers the loud preaching, and the wholehearted singing, clapping and dancing during the hymns. He quite enjoyed it, he says, and wishes there would be more such celebratory worship in Northern Europe.
At one point, when we were all digesting and the conversation had died down, Ulla asked Anna's friend, Laura, to play some things on her guitar for us. That was a treat! Laura played a couple pieces that she had brought the music for, and attempted a couple that she knew by heart. I enjoyed her playing, and admired her guts for playing even the things she didn't completely know. Apparently, she also plays the piano well.
Another cultural tidbit: at the restaurant, the ample meal included "Festtagssuppe", or festival day soup. Ulla explained that this was simply the Fraenkisch wedding soup renamed. The soup includes light-colored grain dumplings (Griesskloesse) and darker-colored liver dumplings (Leberknoedeln) to symbolize the woman and the man, respectively. Strips of German pancakes/crepes floating in the broth symbolize the family and friends around them.
We were well fed! First came champagne with elderberry syrup. Then the soup (delicious). The menu included a salad of lambs quarters with sautéed mushrooms and small cubes of bacon (again, delicious), a choice of either breast of roast duck or pork loin, each with its own sauce and accompanying vegetables, and, as dessert, a formed frozen hazelnut ice cream with marzipan coating, accompanied by sour cherries marinated in red wine - delicious! Richard said it was the best duck breast he had ever had. My pork tenderloins were tender, and the green pepper sauce was a delicious enhancement. We were pleasantly full.
Then, the family and most of the guests got up for a walk in the fresh air. By this time it had turned a bit windy and colder. So some of us stayed inside; for us, it was sheer laziness. Mistake! Richard and I missed out on seeing a Wasserschloss, a small castle in the middle of a pond, just a few blocks down the street. And we again realized our mistake (that of missing out on the exercise) when the cakes and tortes started coming out, and the coffee cups were distributed. By then it was about 4 pm, time for Kaffee und Kuchen! The tortes were confections full of cream, and topped with nuts and chocolate, berries or fruit. There was also a cheese cake, and a couple of cakes topped with berries and a variety of fruits. In all there were seven different confections to choose from. And for good measure, a bowl full of the lightest whipped cream I have ever encountered. As people left, Ulla gave everybody paper plates to take home as many pieces as they could. Those calories will be with us long after the memories fade!
At the end, lest Anna's younger sister, Pia-Selina, feel neglected, we want her to know that we look forward to her confirmation in about three years, and think that she is just as special as Anna, with her own unique talents.
