Totensonntag

Totensonntag was last Sunday. It is always the fifth Sunday before Christmas and on this day the Germans remember their dead. It is for all the deceased, not just for war dead, like the America's Memorial Day or Britain's Remembrance Day.

Not knowing it had been Totensonntag, I took advantage of some beautiful weather on Monday to take some photos around Lueneburg. My time here is drawing short and I wanted to make certain that I had some photos of some sites. I walked along the busy street where the city's memorial to all the victims of the Third Reich is located. This time, there were several large flowery wreaths laid at the memorial. The wreaths from from the Lueneburg branches of Germany's political parties and also from the city. The memorial itself is ringed with coffin-like blocks of stone, one for each year from 1933 when the Nazis came to power to 1945 when the war ended. The dark mound-like memorial, almost grave-like, states that it is dedicated to the Nazi's victims and has a kind of free verse poem asking that people despite their political persuasion or nationality, find a way to live in peace. Dating from before the end of the cold war, it naturally asks that Soviets and Americans, live in peace. The ribbons on the flowers in various ways send the same kind of message. The top photo's wreath ribbon reads "No More War." Another pledges opposition to fascism.