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| December 2006 Newsletter |
FROM
OUR NOTICEBOARD |
The annual GERMAN LANGUAGE CERTIFICATE GIVING CEREMONY will be held on Wednesday, 6th December at 19.15 hours at Messina Palace under the patronage of H.E. Karl Andreas Freiherr von Stenglin, Ambassador of Germany. The evening will include a Concert by Silvio Zammit (Flute) and Ramona Zammit Formosa (Piano). A reception will conclude the programme. Students attending our courses and teachers are welcome to attend.
Scholarship Awards: Ritienne Curmi, a teacher at the Erin Serracino Inglott Secondary School, Josette Buttigieg, a teacher at the Agius de Soldanis Junior Lyceum (Gozo) and Josette Tabone, a teacher at the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School have been chosen by the Executive Committee to benefit from scholarships for teachers of German made available to the German-Maltese Circle by the Goethe Institute for 2007. Alexander Bencini and Joanna Borg have each been awarded 4-week language scholarships at a Goethe Institute in Germany, which scholarships are reserved for outstanding students following our courses.
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Christmas
time: The “Adventszeit” - a very special time of the year |
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24 days before Christmas, the “Advents-Zeit” is the formal start of the religious Christmas season, with four Advent-Sundays. In Germany, there are some special customs for this time of the year. The living room is decorated with a so called “Adventskranz”, a small wreath made usually of evergreens or with another durable item, decorated with four candles and ribbons which may be used from year to year. There is also the “Adventskalender”, particularly liked by children, as 24 “windows” can be opened each morning, featuring surprises such as Christmas pictures and often small pieces of chocolate. - Advent is the season, in which people get the idea that it is time to think of Christmas, of friends and relatives who do not live nearby, and when stores and retail shops put up Christmas decorations. Customs have somewhat changed, as far as the commercial aspects are concerned. The business people have gradually brought the season forward, in some cases even up to early October, gaining approximately two months for opportunities! Fortunately, Western style “jingle bells” or Christmas carols do not have a chance that early. However, early on the market are for example chocolate covered “Father Christmas” figures, marzipan, “Nürnberger Lebkuchen” and/or “Aachener Printen”, and other seasonal goodies, thanks to “special ingredients” which allow for an extended life. While
“Christmas markets” have a long tradition in Germany, they were
not as wide spread as one can find them now. I remember visiting the
famous “Nürnberg Christmas Market” many years ago. I, like most
visitors, was fascinated by the size, the goods offered and the
special atmosphere. Today, one can find Christmas markets in almost
all German towns - quite a few even in villages in the country. And
many are worthwhile to visit. Cologne continuously expanded the
number of Christmas markets and in fact there are now five within
the city limits and they all seem to be successful.
Almost all markets offer handicrafts, small toys, candles,
home made cookies and some also a seasonal cake called “Stollen”,
the traditional recipe is supposed to come from the city of Dresden.
There is also another specialty, called “Glühwein”, a sweet,
warm long drink, made of red wine flavoured with spices.
It spreads a pleasant smell through the rows of stalls,
putting visitors into the mood of Christmas time, adding to the
unique atmosphere experienced in German Christmas markets. Crowds
patiently move all over the market, pushing each other gently along.
For those visiting a Christmas market the best time to go is when
dawn sets in and when candles and lamps are lit. Visits to Christmas
markets remain in one’s memory. They are one of the most loveable
features of the German Christmas season. |
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| Did
you know that . . . . . . According
to legend, on Christmas Eve in Germany rivers turn to wine, animals
speak to each other, tree blossoms bear fruit, mountains open up to
reveal precious gems, and church bells can be heard ringing from the
bottom of the sea. Of course, only the pure in heart can witness
this Christmas magic. All others must content themselves with
traditional German celebrating, of which there is plenty. As a
matter of fact, there is so much celebrating that is has to begin on
December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. |
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Dr.
Arthur Azzopardi LL.D |
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 Arthur
Azzopardi was a single child who grew up in his parents’ house “Janus”
on a main street in Pieta, where there was constant traffic from St.
Luke’s Hospital, the State Mortuary, and Towing Services. It was
named Janus after the name of a Roman God, guardian of beginning and
end, door and entrance (thus also “January”), and who had two
faces, enabling him to look into two directions at the same time.
Especially the latter would have been important for the young boy
Arthur, had he ever been allowed to roam in the extremely busy
streets. Consequently he had no little neighbourhood friends,
instead learning to play alone. “This”, he said “formed
me for life. Though I enjoy company, I am just as well content when
peacefully alone by myself.”
He
attended St. Benild's Primary School and finished at Stella Maris
College. At the age of 17 he started to work as a clerk at the
Prosecution Unit, at the Office of the Attorney General. The Officer
in Charge watched this young lad and urged him to take up law
studies, a step he never regretted. His parents supported this idea,
so he graduated with LL.D at Malta University in 2004. During his
study years and due to the acceptance in an Erasmus Programme he was
able to study for some months at San Pio V University in Rome, as
well as researching his thesis at La Sapienza University, Rome.
During his years of studying he carried on working part-time at the
Office of the Attorney General, thus completing his novice lawyer
requirements even before graduating.
At
some stage his interest for Maritime Law was aroused, prompting him
to take up further studies at the International Maritime Law
Institute following the award of a scholarship by the Maltese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This he finished in May 2006 with
Masters of Law (LL.M) in International Maritime Law. To my question
on his duties in this respect Dr. Azzopardi mentioned that all
international agreements to which Malta was to become a party were
to be vetted and negotiated at his office, whereby he pointed out
specifically that Malta’s merchant flag is the third largest in
the EU and the eight largest in the world, both calculated in
registered gross tonnage. However,
in the Office of the Attorney General he is primarily responsible
for criminal prosecutions before the Court of Criminal Appeal in
Gozo. He is also involved in the mutual legal assistance between the
states world wide; drafting of amending legislation; as well as
assisting the police in cases related to crime committed in Malta,
especially money laundering offences. At the University of Malta he
has already served as an Examiner in the Department of Criminal Law,
and lectures in Criminal Law to newly recruited local wardens. His
knowledge of languages, i.e. Maltese, English, Italian, French and
some German, stands him in good stead for international conferences.
In order to improve his German he joined the German-Maltese Circle a
dozen of years ago; however, he is still in the planning stage as to
when to begin with his first course…. His constant reminder to
this end is his dear mother Lucy Azzopardi, known by all readers as
the friendly lady in the front office of the German-Maltese Circle. Apart
from his profession Arthur pursues very seriously various national
and international missions. Very important to him is his membership
with the LIONS International Club La Valletta. The significance of
the meaning: “Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s
Safety” is deeply ingrained in him, followed by the motto: WE
SERVE. In
Malta there are five LIONS clubs and more than 45,000 clubs in 200
countries and geographical areas. Their main philanthropic concern
is the human eyesight; and it might be mentioned that the white cane
was introduced by the LIONS in 1930. Arthur proudly pointed out that
the first Glaucoma Screening Apparatus in Malta was sponsored by the
Association of the LIONS Clubs of Malta in 1991.
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The Christmas Tree |
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The custom of a Christmas tree, undecorated, is believed to have begun in Germany, in the first half of the 700’s. . . . . The earliest story relates how British monk and missionary St. Boniface was preaching a sermon on the Nativity to a tribe of Germanic Druids outside the town of Geismar. To convince the idolaters that the oak tree was not sacred and inviolable, the "Apostle of Germany" felled one on the spot. Toppling, it crushed every shrub in its path except for a small fir sapling. A chance event can lend itself to numerous interpretations, and legend has it that Boniface, attempting to win converts, interpreted the fir's survival as a miracle, concluding, "Let this be called the tree of the Christ Child." Subsequent Christmases in Germany were celebrated by planting fir saplings. The history of the modern Christmas tree though, goes back to 16th century Germany. The decorations hung on a tree in that time, the earliest we have evidence of, were "roses cut of many-coloured paper, apples, wafers, gilt, sugar." Around Strasbourg there was a widespread practice of bringing trees (evergreens, not necessarily a fir-tree) into houses for decoration during Christmastide. In the 17th century the Christmas tree spread through Germany and Scandinavia. Eventually the tree was extensively decorated, first with candles and candies, then with apples and confections, later with anything glittering mass-produced paraphernalia.
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