Easter In Germany

 Frohe Ostern!

The Easter Bunny seemed to find us all the way in Münster  - not that we were actually worried.  He brought some yummy chocolate in many forms, including lollypop form, and even hid 8 Überraschungseier for the boys to find.

Easter Morning was beautiful. The breeze was a little cool, but the sun was shining again. We previously heard from someone that the Labmerti Cathedral had a beautiful Easter procession and mass, so we decided to bike into the old Stadt.  St. Lamberti Dom, founded in 1090 A.D., is one of the oldest churches in Münster. Sadly, the building is having some major renovations done at the moment, so it was closed for all religious services.

 About half a block away is the Überwasser Kirche. Since the Dom is under renovations, this is where the masses are being held at the moment, unless of course, you want to go to one of the countless other churches around here.

Many of the churches here have beautiful stained glass windows. Many are replicas of the originals since World War II destroyed most of the originals.

The first hour was was full of music. The congregation sang, a boys choir sang and the organ was lovely. The boys waited about 30 minutes before they asked to break out the iPods.

The second hour was the actual mass. Since it was Easter Sunday, there was a special mass led by the local Bishop.  A rather grand procession was led by alter boys and girls swinging incense burners, followed by various robed people. The Bishop came at the end blessing the congregation as he went.

At a later point, the Bishop blessed the congregation again sprinkling us with holy water (which was only shocking if the water hit you before you saw it coming because you couldn't see over the tall person in front of you).

By the end of the service the cathedral was filled with a cloud of incense and a lovely feeling. I love the part of mass where you greet you neighbor. We were sitting by a couple of sweet older nuns who didn't bat an eye at sitting next to our two boys.

Easter evening our wonderful friends, the Kellersmann family, invited us to partake in another Germans tradition; The Easter Bonfire, or Osterfeuer.

As per tradition, the Christmas tree was added to the bonfire helping the initial flames really get going.

Sadly, the beautiful pyramid collapsed after a while.

None the less, we were all able to roast our wursts and enjoy a lovely meal (on a separate grill because it was impossibly hot at the fire). We brought a little touch of American cuisine with us in the form of S'mores fixings. I think they were a hit because everyone ate at least one.

Even though we are away from our family and friends back in the states, we have been lucky enough to be included by others here in Germany. With out our friends here we would be lonely indeed.  We are grateful for all of our friends, where ever they are!