In keeping with the religious significance of Christmas, the
Church as
early as the 6th Century, set apart the four Sundays preceding
Christmas
as a time of devotional preparation, known as the Advent Season,
which
ends with Christmas Eve. The word Advent comes from the Latin
word
advenire-arrive. It is a time of waiting and preparation for the
arrival of the Christchild (Christkind) and is filled with holy
days,
recurring rituals, symbolism and affirmation of the divine. It is
also
filled with human relations and values, cherished, and passed
from
generation to generation.
The video Alle Jahre Wieder - color, app. 60 minutes, (all in
German)
presents this period and captures its spirit. Using many of the
best known
German Christmas songs, this beautiful, musical and cultural
excursion
takes the viewer through the Advent Season to Christmas Eve.
Some of
these songs, in their English version, are familiar to American
audiences and are given in brackets.
Played against the backdrop of the medieval city of
Dinkelsbühl,
the Königsee, Hintersee and the Ramsau in the area of
Berchtesgaden,
with visits to Nürnberg and the Nürnberger
Christkindlmarkt, to
the Wallfahrtskirche Grössweinstein, the Cathedral at
Bamberg and the
Church at Thurnau, it features some of Germany's best known
choirs:
collegium musicum, Regensburger Domspatzen, Kölner
Kinderchor,
Tölzer Knabenchor, Berliner Mozartchor, Heino and the
Sonntagskinder
and other soloists and music groups. It shows close-ups of church
interiors, from the romanesque to the baroque and rokoko,
magnificent
altars and nativity scenes.
Click here for the video's free online Teaching aids.
FURTHER ADVENT RESOURCES compiled by Robert Shea
Return to
Christmas Page for further links and information.
