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Our activities for December

After the very hectic months of October and November, during which the German-Maltese Circle successfully organised no less than 12 events including the German Language Days Event, two exhibitions, an Open House on the occasion of the German Unity Anniversary, the German Film Festival, the Christmas Market, the Certificate Giving Ceremony and music appreciation evenings, we wish to offer our members another

German Film Evening showing “Goodbye, Lenin!”
Introduced by Frau Sirka Vella-Facklam
Friday, 10^th December at 7.00p.m.
Director: Wolfgang Becker (2003)
Plot: In a wonderful, touching and comic manner, Good Bye, Lenin! tells the story of how a loving son tries to move mountains and create miracles to restore his mother to health - and keep her in the belief that Lenin really did win after all!

Entrance is free. 
Members of the German-Maltese Circle and their friends are welcome!
 

Notices

  Attention all Members!!  -  Ex
The last day of this term will be Tuesday, 21st December 2010.  Students are informed that lessons will then recommence after the Christmas  and New Year holidays on Thursday, 6th January 2011.  The office and Library will be open only in the mornings during the period 22nd till the 31st December.  The Circle’s Bar & Coffee Shop will remain open for lunches and snacks.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP for 2011 NOW.  For €12.00 for one whole year! Mail  a cheque (payable German-Maltese Circle) or come personally to the office!  You will continue receiving the Newsletter, join our activities,  use the Library services, and much more!  Those who are attending our courses have had their membership already renewed.
ing Events for May at Messina Palace

Short Courses starting in January

A Short Course of 12 lessons for Beginners aimed at those who only want to acquire the basic skills in understanding and communicating in German is due to start on Wednesday, 12^th January 2011. Lessons at 6.00p.m., held once weekly on Wednesdays.  For more information contact the office or click here. 

Another course of 15 lessons, “Communicating in Maltese”, for foreigners will be starting on Friday, 14^th January.  Lessons at 5.30p.m. held once weekly on Fridays. For more information contact the office or click here.

German Language Scholarships 2011

The German-Maltese Circle is pleased to announce an offer of FOUR German language scholarships made available to members of the German-Maltese Circle by the Goethe Institute for 2011.  Click here for full information.

An Echo from the Educational Fair "Welcome to German"

On the 24th November, the Education Fair “Welcome to German” was brought to an official end with the presentation of prizes at Messina Palace to Sarah Jane Mangion who studies German at the St Clare College in Pembroke and to Mrs Michelle Vella-Gobey a teacher of German at St Joseph’s School. 

‘Welcome to German" was an initiative of the Department of German at the University of Malta and was organised in collaboration with the German Maltese Circle, the Directorate for Quality & Standards in Education, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as well as with the German and Austrian embassies in Malta.  More information could be found in our Newsletter for November. 

Sarah Jane was the winner of the Crossword Puzzle about German and Austrian culture for which all schoolchildren learning German in all schools in Malta and in Gozo were invited to participate.  Sarah Jane was presented with a Nintendo Playstation.  She was accompanied by her parents. 

Mrs Michelle Vella-Gobey was the winner of two tickets offered by Lufthansa Malta to teachers of German who attended the workshop led by Prof.Mag. Roland Fischer during the Fair.   

Those attending the ceremony included German Ambassador, Mr Bernd Braun, Austrian Ambassador, Dr Caroline Gudenus, Dr Arndt Kremer (DAAD Lecturer), Mr Sylvain Heydlauf, Manager of Lufthansa Malta, members from the Department of German at the University and officials from the German-Maltese Circle and the German Embassy.
 

Mrs Michelle Vella-Gobey (second from the left) receiving her air tickets from Mr Sylvain Heydlauf with Their Excellencies Mr Bernd Braun and Dr Caroline Gudenus watching the award giving.

Runen - Old runic writings not quite forgotten (Compiled by Ingrid Kidder)

RUNES – (Runen in German) are letter characters which have been used by Germanic tribes for more than a thousand years. They have mainly been carved into wood, stone, ivory or bone, and were not applied like a handwriting as understood in the modern sense.  This explains very obviously the lack of any round letters like the vowels o or a. 

According to a widely accepted research result, the Runes developed in areas of Northern Italy, then inhabited by the Etruscans. Here we speak about the times of approximately 300-200 BC, i.e. when Latin was the main form of writing for communication as well as inscription purposes throughout the Roman Empire. 

Due to contact with the people of Northern Italy the Runes were slowly adopted by Germanic tribes of central and more particularly northern Europe, namely the areas of modern Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as well as the British Isles. Soon, the tribes started moving for about two hundred years between approx. 400 and 600 AD – later called the periods of the great migrations across Europe – Völkerwanderungen. These movements were triggered off by the Huns, who left their eastern European lands swarming in wild hordes towards the west, invading successfully the East Gothic Kingdom. (Remember: “Drei Sieben fünf – machten sich die Hunnen auf die Strümpf“ a school verse to memorise the date of invasion by the Huns in 375 AD).  

Whether the people of the time wanted to leave lasting inscriptions in stone or other materials telling their descendants about their fate and tribulations, or whether they simply wanted to bequeath their achievements to immortalisation is not known. It might as well be that both might have been the case.  It can safely be assumed that they hardly used the runic alphabet for “letters of communication”, but they were very eager in keeping records and narrating their stories, as thousands of stones with inscriptions are found in Scandinavia and Northern Germany. Every single ode must have taken a considerable time to be carved into the material. 

Usually historical facts were the subject, including their relationship and prayers to the Germanic pagan Gods, who were mainly connected with nature and believed to manifest themselves in the elements. Many inscribed tomb-stones were found as well, narrating the glory of the deceased.  

Modern deciphering  proved to be a laborious undertaking, as the different tribes developed different sequences of the letters, also having alphabets consisting of well under 20 up to well over 30 individual characters, often with different meanings.  

The use of the Runes dwindled and the most recent stones have been dated to the 15^th century - by then reduced to mystical meanings only. Tribal hunting and nomad life was mostly urbanised by then and the few and far between scribes had long since adopted Latin characters. Some symbols are however found even in modern times, for hidden political aims or with or possibly without deeper knowledge as company logos. 

Thus for many centuries the Runes were implemented to record the matters of importance pertaining to these tribes - laying in a way literally the foundation stones to the Europe of today.

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