German Unity Day (i.e. Reunification Day)
Yesterday as we marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and many of you shared your memories of when the Berlin Wall came down or admissions of being too young to have known or to have understood the significance of that day. I was truly touched. Your stories were truly remarkable. (See them all right here.)
I’m still gathering my thoughts and attempting to dry off from yesterday’s rainy activities, so I think it’s important to first back up a little and clarify what Germany and the entire world were celebrating yesterday. It wasn’t truly the reunification of East Germany and West Germany. Stores were still open, I still had to go to German class, and life sort of felt like everyday life in Berlin… on the surface.
But stores were closed and classes were canceled back on October 3rd. That’s Germany Unity Day.. or as most people call it, “Reunification Day”.
The two days are easy to mix up – even for the occasional German. I haven’t written about Germany Unity Day here in part because it landed on a Saturday this year and in part because I’m not quite sure about the celebration.
You may have seen this picture on my contact page:
That was me on German Unity Day last year. You can see I’m right in the most famous part of Berlin right next to where The Wall used to run. The Brandenburg Gate is right behind me. You might also see that there weren’t a lot of people at the festival at all.
This year marked the 19th anniversary of Germany Unity Day, Martin and I headed out to the Brandenburg Gate again. Police had blocked the entire area and limited where people could enter and exit. Thousands of people roamed the outskirts of the entrances; we never made it in.
Everyone wanted to see these enormous puppets that were reenacting an uncle and his niece being reunited. My own uncle snapped these shots:
I’m sorry to say the only glimpse Martin and I managed to catch of the beautiful puppets was as they were sleeping on a barge going down the city:
Right before this boat cut off our view:
(You don’t realize how big a city of 3 million people is until they’re all trying to do the same thing as you at the same time.)
No doubt, you’re probably wondering why Germany didn’t combine the two celebrations – honor unity and the fall of The Wall in one big day. That was something the country seriously considered. November 9th was actually a pretty historic day before The Wall. It’s the anniversary of:
- the proclamation of the German Republic in 1918
- the defeat of Hitler’s first coup in 1923
Unfortunately, November 9th is also the anniversary of the first large-scale Nazi-led riot against Jews in 1938. The newly unified country could not justify a day of celebrating their new union on such a tragic day.
Don’t you think that’s a beautiful, fabulous reason to have German Unity Day on a different date?
November 10th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Have you read Fritz Stern’s “Five Germanys I have known” ? It is SUPER GOOD and an awesome overview of German history. It’s the book I always recommend to people who want to learn a little more about German history, but who I know aren’t going to sit down and read a text book. The first chapter on Weimar was kinda slow, but the rest of the book was fascinating!
great gift idea =)
November 10th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Before traveling around Europe last year I really hadn’t thought much to Berlin. We were going because my husband wanted to go and I’m up for anything. The reason you listed at the bottom of this post is the reason I absolutely fell in love with Berlin….everything is so well thought-out. I guess since the city and its people have been through so much and so recently that all the memorials and symbols of history are so well-done…it was incredibly moving and humbling to see how the city as a whole had put so much thought and consideration into how history should be remembered, the fallen should be honored, and the horrible things not forgotten but not exploited either. Anyway, I just thought it was an amazing city full of life and I now recommend it to anyone who is considering travel in Europe, for me it was such a unique experience compared to all the other cities I visited. Thanks for sharing your life in Berlin Katie! : )
November 10th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Those puppets look super cool! I thought they were normal sized until I realized that those little things next to them were people!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Maybe the fall of the wall happened serendipitously to overpower such a black spot in history. To make it a better day? I had a couple of friends get married on 9/11. But now instead of having all the sadness on that day, there is one bright spot as well.
Those are awesome puppets. I woulda like to see more.
~a
November 10th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Oh! Those are the puppets from Royal de Luxe! They were in London a few years ago doing a show called The Sultan’s Elephant. Coolest thing I have ever seen. Literally thousands of people staring in awe and smiling.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Wow…. Yes, that’s a beautiful reason for changing the date! Thanks for explaining it!
November 11th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Hello :) I’m from Germany and I just want to say, it was the right thing not to celebrate the German Unity Day on November the 9th. I was 10 when the two Germanys became one again and even then I knew about the black day called “Reichskristallnacht” on 9.11.1938. It’s when the persucation of the Jewish people in Germany began. They were dragged out of their homes and either murdered right away or “taken away”, which was even more horrible, as it meant ending in a concentration camp.
It’s the darkest spot in German history and we will never forget. And we shouldn’t be allowed, because it’s our duty to make sure something like that will never ever happen again.
The fall of the wall was amazing and a real wonder to me. But it shouldn’t overpower the black spot. Because those horrible things didn’t happen to us as a nation, we were the ones who did it. (And although I’m way to young and didn’t have any part in it, I still feel shame and guild.)
Well, I just reread what I wrote and I’m hoping it’s not too dark. I guess, Germans in general are really sensitive about that topic. Anyway, I like your blog. It’s fun to see Germany through your eyes :-)