Germans want to rename Christi Himmelfahrt

[BurtWorm]

Can you blame them? :patriot:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/02/rename_christi_himmelfahrt.php

Rename Christi Himmelfahrt!

Category: Pointless polls
Posted on: February 25, 2009 5:35 PM, by PZ Myers

Those wacky, madcap Germans are promoting a little change in their set of national holidays: some people want to change the Feast of the Ascension, celebrating the day Jesus supposedly floated up into heaven, to…Evolution Day! As you might guess, I think this is an excellent idea. There is a petition you can sign, and less usefully, an online poll:

Soll "Christi Himmelfahrt" in "Evolutionstag" umbenannt werden?

Ich bin dafür (for it) 3061 66.30%
Ich bin dagegen (against it) 1312 28.42%
Ist mir egal (don't care) 244 5.28%

They even have a charming video to go with their proposal.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. Anyone know what Himmelfahrt translates to?

Himmel I think is heaven. I'm fairly certain -fahrt does not refer to flatulence, so let's just kill that joke now. Anyone know German?

[BurtWorm]

2. fahrt means something like "fare" as in "wayfare" or 'go'

Himmelfahrt means "Ascension."

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

5. Thanks.

I really should learn German someday. I've always found that family of languages to be interesting, particularly how they form new words.

[hugo_from_TN]

8. fahrt is a trip, from "fahren": to travel

So this would be "heaven trip", or "trip to heaven"

[BurtWorm]

9. Sounds like fun!

:bounce:

[snake in the grass]

23. 1st lesson:

fart = der Furz

It's always easy to remember these words!

:-)

[sui generis]

3. so ONE group wants to make a rule for EVERYONE

it's comparatively as absurd as saying CHRIST-MAS should be renamed HOLIDAY-TIME

sorry - if one-third of the responding population is against it, find something more important to change. Please.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Did you miss the part where 2/3 are FOR it?

Those who are against it would no doubt continue to call it Ascension Day, but the official federal name for the day would change to suit the majority.

You have a problem with democracy?

[NoPasaran]

11. You certainly can't argue with public opinion

Especially when measured scientifically with an internet poll.

[sui generis]

13. snork

:rofl:

[sui generis]

12. well well well

YES. Democracy is NOT majority rules.

Democracy is protecting the rights of the minority from being usurped by the majority.

So clearly YOU are the one who has a problem with democracy - and you confuse it readily with majority rules.

In my world a majority told me that I don't have a right to decide who gets my property if I up and croak. Take your fucking majority rules and . . . . (not you personally - that was aimed at Prop 8 supporters).

Seriously, don't pick a fight with me - same side remember. Also, it's a generational divide more than anything. The vote is a bully vote against stodgy elderly germans who still go to church, and I happen to be an atheist who would rather the gummint acknowledges NO religious "holy days" period.

Just trying to be sensitive to another group of people who are being told what's best for them.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. The point is, Germany is officially a secular state, and there is no

reason to acknowledge a religious holiday as a federal holiday when the majority is against it.

I, too, would rather see no religious holidays - but the fact is Yom Kippur and Ramadan are not federal holidays here because they are not the majority religion. If the majority in Germany is non-religious, then religious holidays are an anachronism.

That doesn't keep religious people from celebrating them, any more than lack of federal recognition keeps anyone from celebrating Hannukah or Eid.

[sui generis]

19. tradition!

Although a secular state, what means is cathedrals must conform to business tax and hiring regulation and be run according to the same arcane business laws everyone else conforms to.

Not really arguing with you - it's just as silly to focus on it in secular Germany as it would be to focus on it in secular U.S..

On the multi-faith component; yes picking christianity over islam or judaism isn't fair, but to BE fair, christianity has been around longer Germany.

I'm in favor of bringing back pagan human sacrifice - that's been around even longer. It used to be you could sacrifice any slave, regardless of whether they were christian or not, but then Otto or one of those squeamish papal dudes got his sparklies all in a twist and issued an edict and we were only allowed to sacrifice NON-christians. Nowadays we can't even have slaves. The bastards are taking our traditions away from us - it's getting where you can't even sacrifice an American republican any more, and they aren't even human.

cheezus.

:P

[Kalyke]

15. But Democrac y also protects the minority.

That's it's purpose, actually.

[MineralMan]

4. How about "Pristine Hillmanfarfegnugen"

That has a nice ring to it...

[sui generis]

14. that's farfegñügen to you

sheesh. :P


woopsie I mispeeled it myself

[MineralMan]

24. Ewe shud bee moor kerfull. Speling iz reel importent.

Aye spel gud awl thu tiem.

[Towlie]

6. If they shoot off fireworks they could call it "Earschplittenloudenboomer Day".

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. I believe it would be Earschplittenloudenboomertag

"Day" is English, not German.

[dionysus]

20. wanna get high?

:rofl:

[robertpaulsen]

16. Would I be out of line suggesting that Christi change his name to Bobby?

:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

I know, I know. Feel free to:

:spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank:

[SoCalDem]

18. Ditto on "Bobby"

:hide::rofl:

[InvisibleTouch]

21. Why not just use Darwin's birthday as Evolution Day?

Aside from the fact that it makes a lot more sense, I don't see any need to mess over somebody else's holiday, even if one doesn't ascribe to their beliefs.

[SurfingScientist]

22. I signed the petition... but the holiday is used for less than religious purposes anyway:

First, yes , it's best translated as ascension.

However, the unofficial name of this holiday is "Fathers' Day". The classic way we celebrate that day is as follows:

1) Assemble a bunch of guys, together with a coaster wagon loaded with beer and other spirit(ual) beverages, and (optional) food or BBQ equipment.
2) Take above assembly on a hike on a scenic trail, enjoy the spring day, blossoming trees, lush green meadows, majestic medieval castle ruins that our landscape is littered with. Make frequent roadside stops, rest, use coaster wagon's payload to stay hydrated.
3) On the way home, use the (now empty) coaster wagon to carry any passed-out victims of the strenuous hike. Deposit those dormant heroes of man-kind on their doormat where their proud spouses will expect to retrieve them.

Of course, there are a million variations to that - fishing trips, rides in horse carriages, boat cruises, you name it. Carrying an ample supply of beverages MUST be diligently observed, however.

Just thought I'd share some insight into our age-old German traditions and rituals. :toast: