Repent

I know that most of the UK is heavily into the “Xmas” swing, hardly having time to struggle out of the Halloween suits in time to celebrate Guy Fawkes - where is that good Roman Catholic when one needs him? -  and hoping the sparks didn’t set light to the prepared wooden huts of the town centre Christmas Market.
 
Here in Germany, we are not so far advanced. Today is a public holiday that one can’t, as an employee, take off free except in the state of Saxony where they have to pay 0.5% more nursing care insurance tax for the privilege. In Bavaria, the school children get the day off.

It is “Buss und Bettag” - Day of Repentance and Prayer -  a Protestant feast day and is in addition to the National Day of Mourning for all victims of war and terror which took place last Sunday. The origins date back to the Bible, it being a “moving feast” often called out at times of emergency such as the invading “Turk Danger” from the 15th century onwards.

In 1990, it was made a fixed date public holiday throughout Germany but in 1995, in need of money to finance nursing care (not healthcare), the Government abolished it so as to in effect make a longer working week/month for the same wages and spare the employers costs. The laws on religious public holidays are the responsibility of the 16 individual states, which explains the differences in Saxony and Bavaria.
 
[And by the way, Munich had cause to thank the Turks knocking on the gates of Vienna around 1785. The American born, British Benjamin Thompson on his way to Austria to help out, was in Bavaria when he got the message he wasn’t needed. He got to be in charge of Bavaria’s military, Minister of War, Chief of Munich police, developed warmer underwear for the soldiers, built almshouses, established the potato in Bavaria, invented Rumford soup and a new design of stove fire for the poor and started the design of the “English Garden” in central Munich (larger than Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and St James’s Park put together) so that the poor could enjoy their free Sundays. And he did all of that in 11 years returning to England as Graf von Rumford and was to act as Bavarian Ambassador but being a British national, the UK would not accredit him. He then sorted out many matters in London and became a Sir.  [b]Sounds the sort of guy who would sort out Brexit over a hearty English breakfast.[/b]]
 
One tends to forget about the day but as I got back into the car this morning after the crisp dog walk, the very popular (#1 or #2 place most years) pop music station, sort of equivalent to Radio 2 of the 70s, was not playing “Hotel California” but for one hour, broadcasting the Protestant service from Munich, led by the head of the Bavarian Protestants, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm. “Bedford” comes from him marrying an American and incorporating her name in his.

Naturally, the Head of Germany’s Roman Catholics and Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Marx, was there along with most of the leading Bavarian politicians. Marx and Bedford-Strohm get on amazingly well and have caused a few ripples in their combined fight for a sensible approach to Christianity and together warning the Catholic-dominated Bavarian Government from their, now abandoned, slide to the right and misuse of the Christian religion in the race to show they are the true "Upholders of Christian Values" against the onslaught of the attacking Islamists and vote stealing far right AfD party.

What I got to hear of the sermon was truly inspiring as he talked about the end of WW1, the returning soldiers so filled with violence and unbelievable horror and with no way to let it out except on their own families, the total failure of the Church to protect those put in its care from mistreatment (both main churches have suffered from this here) and of course the violence that comes from the modern “violent/hate” form of discussion - Peace is not a “given”, it has to be fought for, every single day.
 
So we are still firmly in the month of “remembrance and reflection”. No Christmas Market to get us in the spirit. That has to wait until Friday evening of the 1st Advent weekend with the opening of the Nuremberg Christmas Market. In Early Christianity, the entire period from 11th November, St Martin, until 6th January was a time of fasting. The conventions for the modern day Advent didn’t start until the 7thC and were only finalised in 1570.

I personally feel we are lucky that we still have 10 more days spared from “Last Christmas” booming out the radio. And the first "Best Wurst" Christmas market stall.