My favorite event of the holiday season took place this past weekend at the German American School of Portland. Every year, on the Saturday and Sunday before Thanksgiving, the School celebrates the coming Christmas season with an authentic German festival that includes family entertainment, German foods and traditional Gluhwein, nutcrackers, tree ornaments, Advent calendars, and sweets and treats to satisfy visitors of any nationality. Families and friends of the school and community enjoy musical performances by the students as well as professional German singers, dancers and musicians.
We are so fortunate to have this wonderful school in our community. It offers a bilingual program for students K-5 with emphasis on German culture through music, art, books and conversation. I wish I had an opportunity for this kind of education when I was a child. Maybe my German would be better than it is. I would give anything to be fluent in my grandparent's language. Anyway...it was a wonderful festival and the official opening of the holiday season.
Thank you, Mary, of Little Red House, for hosting Mosaic Monday. I hope you all will visit to see this week's selection of mosaics.
Sounds like a lot of fun. Those kind of events are usually the best kind. I love our local things that we have here. The tomato festival, the fall festival.
ReplyDeleteLove the mosiac.
It must be a wonderful festival. Your collage and the photos you used to assemble it are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful festival...it's beginning to look like Christmas.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful collage. How wonderful a festival that must have been. It is the greatest gift I have ever received....to be bilingual and able to speak German as my ancestors.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a wonderful school and event! I wish I had had the opportunity to learn German. My grandparents were fluent and I didn't realize at the time what a special gift they had, knowing two languages!
ReplyDeleteLike your pictures! What a neat sounding event. Too bad it isn't a little closer to Buffalo NY. Sounds like something I would live to experience. I have German ancestry as well and would live to feel part of that culture!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your pictures and your thoughts.
Ahh.. we have a special German school close enough also..
ReplyDeleteI find the children that go there receive an excellent education..How colorful your post!!
We have something similar in Milwaukee also called the Holiday Folk Fair and I used to be a folk dance performer myself way back when :) Lovely mosaic of German goodies! Danke!
ReplyDeleteEvents like these always put me in the Christmas mood.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great time. I'm hoping to get to the Christmas Market in Bethlehem, PA this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your mosaic of this German festival. My mother is of German heritage. One of my favorite Christmas treasures are the tin candle holders that my grandmother used on her tree when my mother was a child. I don't light candles on my tree, but love the thought of having these vintage ornaments. Happy Holidays to you! ~ Sarah
ReplyDeleteoh this looks like fun
ReplyDeleteI had so much fun looking through all the sites. What a great idea...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun time. :) your photos look so festive and cheerful! :))
ReplyDeleteI've heard of the school but didn't know about the festival. Sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful festival! Thanks for sharing it with all of us.
ReplyDeleteI made your Barley soup last night and it was YUMMY!! And today I am making the chutney!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about this event, how delightful. I would love to attend next year.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you live near a place that has such an event to help you connect with your ancestry. Sounds like a lot of fun. Gluhwein is something I haven't had in years, but always loved it on a cold day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great time. Wonderful mosaic.
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