nPostednon October 6, 2015
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nOnnthis date in 1683, thirteen German families landed in the Americanncolonies, specifically in Philadelphia. Because most of the Americanncolonists were British citizens, the town those German settlersnformed less than 10 miles from Philadelphia was dubbed Germantown.
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nThenfirst time this historic anniversary was celebrated was in 1883, twoncenturies after the setters landed. The holiday was called “GermannDay,” and it was celebrated in Philadelphia as well as Germantown.nCelebrating the day spread a bit – but of course was stopped in itsntracks when Germany and America found themselves on opposite sides ofntwo World Wars! Public feelings about all things “German” werenpretty low!
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nInn1983, the 300thnanniversary of the first German settlers in America, the celebrationnwas revived. People decided to call it German-American Day. n
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nDidnyou know…?
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Therenare about 50 million German Americans in the U.S. today – and thatnis the largest self-reported ancestry group! There are more GermannAmericans than, for example, Irish Americans, African Americans,nEnglish Americans, Mexican American, or Italian Americans.
Therenare about 50 million German Americans in the U.S. today – and thatnis the largest self-reported ancestry group! There are more GermannAmericans than, for example, Irish Americans, African Americans,nEnglish Americans, Mexican American, or Italian Americans.n
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nGermannsettlers came to America for all the familiar reasons: seeking landnand opportunities, seeking religious freedom, running from politicalnoppression.
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nMostnGerman Americans are fully Americanized – only 5% speak German.nSome of the things German settlers brought with them werenkindergartens, Christmas trees, hamburgers, and hot dogs (wieners) –nand those things all seem pretty American, don’t they?
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nCelebrate!
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Onen of my favorite German (actually, Bavarian) foods is kaese spaetzle.n It’s a kind of mac and cheese made with special egg noodles, Swissn cheese, and topped with thinly-sliced grilled onions. Yummers!
In ate a fair bit of kaese spaetzle in Germany, but I have discoveredn it in the U.S., too, in grocery stories and in restaurants.
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nOnen of my favorite German bands is Rammstein. Check out their songn “Amerika” – part of it is sung in English! Can you “get”n their message?n
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nThen Tomie de Paola book Ann Early American Christmasn shows how one German-American family in a New England town changedn the way everyone in that town celebrated Christmas.
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nTheren are so many yummy German foods, as I have hinted above. Heren are a few “quick and easy” German recipes, and heren are a few German recipes especially for kids.
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nAlsonon this date:
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Physician Assistant Day
Physician Assistant Day n
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nRemembrancenDay in Turkmenistan
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nMadnHatter Day
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nInventornGeorge Westinghouse’s birthday
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nEthnographernThor Heyerdahl’s birthday
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nNovembern holidays
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nNovembern birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in November
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