The week before Easter weekend was spring break for the international students in the FU-Best program. Before the Easter festivities, I was able to visit Spreewald and the town of Lübbenau, which is famous for its pickles.
Lübbenau is a small village located roughly an hour south of Berlin by train. Located in the East German forests, the village hosts quaint scenery with buildings showing exposed timber frame construction and a large castle on the edge of the village. The Spreewald (lit. forest of the Spree) is a national protected area encompassing the forest and headwaters of the river Spree–the river which flows north through Berlin and terminates in the North Sea. In the Spreewald, there are small villages accessed mostly via bicycle or foot on trails throughout, with some exceptions.
After the weekend excursion, I came back to Berlin for spring break to wind down before Easter.
Easter has come and gone here in Germany, same as the U.S. This Easter was my first time participating in the full holiday as I am not religious.
The week building up to Easter traditionally runs from Sunday to the following Monday, and it starts with Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag), which commemorates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. This is followed by Easter weekend, which runs from Friday to Monday. Good Friday (Karfreitag) is a holy day, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his burial in the tomb. Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag) celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and the beginning of his 40-day mission to proselytize the power of god and the miracle of the resurrection on Easter Monday (Ostermontag).
The weekend of Easter in Germany is a four-day holiday, unlike the three-day weekend of the U.S. Many places are closed on Karfreitag through Ostermontag, save for some exceptions such as restaurants opening on Saturday and Sunday. This was the first year I celebrated Good Friday, as my host parent is religious. There was a large meal with her sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughter visiting and playing games. Easter Monday featured a quiet day with limited options for activities as most places were closed; a perfect day for reading in a small café.
Timothy Fitzpatrick can be contacted at
