German Holidays and Customs in May

German Holidays and Customs in May The first day in the lovely month of May (Camelot) is a national holiday in Germany, Austria, and most of Europe. International Workers Day is observed in many countries around the globe on May 1. But there are other German May customs that reflect the end of winter and the arrival of warmer days. Tag der Arbeit - 1. Mai Oddly, the widespread custom of celebrating Labor Day on the first of May (am ersten Mai) was inspired by events in the United States, one of the few countries that do not observe Labor Day in May! In 1889, a congress of world socialist parties was held in Paris. The attendees, sympathizing with striking workers in Chicago in 1886, voted to support the United States labor movements demands for an 8-hour day. They selected May 1, 1890, as a day of commemoration for the Chicago strikers. In many countries around the world May 1 became an official holiday called Labor Day- but not in the U.S., where that holiday is observed on the first Monday in September. Historically the holiday has had special importance in socialist and communist countries, which is one reason it is not observed in May in America. The U.S. federal holiday was first observed in 1894. Canadians also have observed their Labor Day since September 1894. In Germany, May Day (erster Mai, May 1st) is a national holiday and an important day, partly because of Blutmai (bloody May) in 1929. That year in Berlin the ruling Social Democratic (SPD) party had banned the traditional workers demonstrations. But the KPD (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands) called for demonstrations anyway. The resulting bloodbath left 32 people dead and at least 80 seriously injured. It also left a big split between the two workers parties (KPD and SPD), which the Nazis soon used to their advantage. The National Socialists named the holiday Tag der Arbeit (Day of Labor), the name still used in Germany today. Unlike the U.S. observance, which cuts across all classes, Germanys Tag der Arbeit and most European Labor Day observances are primarily a working-class holiday. In recent years Germanys chronic high unemployment (Arbeitslosigkeit, over 5 million in 2004) also comes into focus each May. The holiday also tends to be a day of Demos that often turn into clashes between the demonstrators (more like hooligans) and the police in Berlin and other large cities. If the weather allows, nice, law-abiding people use the day for picnicking or relaxing with the family. Der Maibaum In Austria and many parts of Germany, especially in Bavaria, the tradition of raising a Maypole (Maibaum) on May 1 still serves to welcome spring- as it has since ancient times. Similar Maypole festivities also can be found in England, Finland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. A Maypole is a tall wooden pole made from a tree trunk (pine or birch), with colorful ribbons, flowers, carved figures, and various other decorations adorning it, depending on the location. In Germany, the name Maibaum (May tree) reflects the custom of placing a small pine tree atop the Maypole, which is usually set up in a towns public square or village green. Traditional dances, music, and folk customs are often associated with the Maypole. In small towns virtually the entire population turns out for the ceremonial raising of the Maypole and the festivities that follow, with Bier und Wurst of course. In Munich, a permanent Maibaum stands at the Viktualienmarkt. Muttertag Mothers Day is not celebrated at the same time around the world, but Germans and Austrians observe Muttertag on the second Sunday in May, just as in the U.S. Learn more on our Mothers Day page. Walpurgis Walpurgis Night  (Walpurgisnacht), the night before May Day, is similar to  Halloween  in that it has to do with supernatural spirits. And like Halloween, Walpurgisnacht is of pagan origin. The bonfires seen in todays celebration reflect those pagan origins and the human desire to drive away the winter cold and welcome spring. Celebrated mainly in Sweden, Finnland, Estonia, Latvia, and Germany,  Walpurgisnacht  gets its name from Saint Walburga (or Walpurga), a woman born in what is now England in 710.  Die  Heilige  Walpurga  traveled to Germany and became a nun at the convent of Heidenheim in Wà ¼rttemberg. Following her death in 778 (or 779), she was made a saint, with May 1 as her saint day. In Germany, the  Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, is considered the focal point of  Walpurgisnacht. Also known as the  Blocksberg, the 1142-meter peak is often shrouded in mist and clouds, lending it a mysterious atmosphere that has contributed to its legendary status as the home of witches (Hexen) and devils (Teufel). That tradition predates the mention of the witches gathering on the Brocken in Goethes: To the Brocken the witches ride... (Die Hexen  zu  dem Brocken  ziehn...) In its Christian version, the former pagan festival in May became Walpurgis, a time to drive out evil spirits- usually with loud noises. In Bavaria Walpurgisnacht is known as  Freinacht  and resembles Halloween, complete with youthful pranks.

Gay Marriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Gay Marriage - Research Paper Example As the essay stresses everybody is equal in the eyes of God and in the eyes of law; it is man who has created discrimination. The opponents of same sex marriages use their personal interpretation of the Bible to condemn homosexuality. Homosexuality is not something you adopt, it is biological. If God was against homosexuality than why did He create such people? Same sex marriage is a right; just as heterosexual couples have the right to celebrate their union so do gay and lesbian people. People opposed interracial marriages too in the beginning but now interracial marriages are frequent. Man is becoming progressive and the institution of marriage is being revisited; it is no longer a union between a man and a woman it is about two people who love each other and want to spend their lives with each other. As the paper states legalizing same sex marriages and giving them support by extending marriage benefits and laws does not harm straight marriages nor does it encroach upon their rights so why this vehement opposition to a bond between two same sex people who love each other. Same sex marriage does not threaten the institution of marriage; if the real definition of marriage is the union between a man and a woman to procreate than why several heterosexual couples are choosing careers ahead of having children. Same sex marriage is a lie; a deception man has coined to satisfy his/her gratifications.

Critically assess theories of Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Essay

Critically assess theories of Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Based View in terms of their usefulness in explaining firm - Essay Example However, in the modern approach, internationalization only explains the relationships existing between companies (Revilla, Cordeiro and Sarkis, 2011). Transaction cost of economics according to Williamson (1981) explains the cost incurred by a buyer or a seller to execute an economic dealing. It also explains the process via which the firm takes its decision to operate in the open market or in hierarchy. Transaction cost includes aspects of specificity, uncertainty and government mechanisms (Grover and Malhotra, 2003). Asset specificity is the primary explanatory factor of transaction cost theory (Williamson, 2008). Asset specificity refers to the transferability of the assets in business. The extent of asset specificity is directly proportional to the level of effectiveness of occurrence of an economic transaction. The resource based view explains that the firms may attain sustainable competitive advantage by using non-substitutable rare resources. And this advantage in turn helps t he firms to frame strategies for international business. Figure 1: Transaction Cost in Buisness (Source: Stephen, 2013) As shown in the above graph, the rise in the scale of business operations helps a firm to achieve competitive advantage and thereby helps it to reduce the cost the transaction cost of business. Thus competitive advantage facilitates internationalization of firms business by reducing their business operating costs. Application of the Theories The theories of transaction cost under the resource based view helps to justify the wide practice of internationalization in the modern world. In the last 30 years in the global economy, firms with large financial resources have turned into Multinational Corporations that undertook the process of foreign direct investment in business. These firms expand their competitive advantage by efficiently allocating resources in business and thereby reducing the cost of transaction. This has been facilitated after the emergence of global ization and liberalization in the world economy. The business firms in the modern world try to use unique resources in business to attain competitive advantage and thereby reduce the cost of any business transactions. These firms appoint the resources on the basis of VRIN analysis. The resources used by these companies are valuable, rare, non imitable and non-substitutable in nature. Weakness of the Theory However, there have been several weaknesses in the theory of transaction cost of economics under the resource based view. In reality, it becomes almost impossible to find a resource that suffices the conditions of Barneys VRIN analysis. It is also believed by analysts that resource that provided competitive advantage to a firm may be converted into a weakness if a sudden unfavourable change in the environment takes place. A resource cannot provide competitive advantage as that can easily be purchased by other companies. The concept of sustainability is highly versatile in nature. Today, the firms can only enjoy sustainable competitive advantage if its rivals in the industry do not imitate their competences. Alternative Perspectives According to the theory of transaction cost of resource based view, the modern business firms try to attain competitive advantage in their business activities in order to reduce the cost