To say that the term ‘public viewing’ is common here in Germany, would be a major understatement. What many in North America would associate with the public viewing of a head of state’s body before it is buried, means something altogether different here. Since 2006, in Germany and now beyond, the term means to watch a sporting event in public with hundreds or thousands of others.
I can’t
express how ubiquitous the term 'public viewing' is here; on billboards, flyers and signs, in every
small village, town square and light post. Public viewing. Football. Beer. As weathered and worn as the most diehard football fan feels today, after weeks of cheering their team on, so do the signs look.
But public viewing sure is
fun. The wrinkled, leathery face watches beside the acne-pocked face, beside the
black, red, gold painted face and the tattoo-ed face. Everyone comes together
for football.
As rumours
spread that Tuesday's semi-final game was some NSA joke or Moriarty hoax, we were stuffed in a
carpenter’s workshop focused on a flatscreen set up in the corner; rain
pouring buckets outside. A friend was celebrating her birthday and rather than call off her party, she decided to set up a
TV. Everyone has football fever right now (okay, one or two people don’t but I
haven’t seen them since June 13th) so planning an event on game night means very few positive RSVPs.
I mentioned
to this particular friend how great it has been to watch the games outside, especially watching teens stand with hand over heart the moment the
national anthem streams through the loudspeakers. She said that national pride is a new
thing, again only since 2006. Before that, and as she was growing up, no one would
have sung the national anthem loudly or flown the German flag proudly, painted their
faces brightly or covered their cars patriotically. That even the Empire State
Building was lit up schwarz, rot, gold is a sign of healing
times, for this country at least.
Then to
hear, above the sobs of Brazilians, the German fans in a stadium far away singing ‘Oh ein Tag,
so wunderschön wie Heute’ (what a day, so wonderful as today) warmed my heart on a rainy, grey evening. The coming together of thousands of
strangers (German ones anyway), in one place, singing the same song - why doesn’t that happen more
often, and without costing millions to organize?
One great
thing that doesn’t cost money, is public viewing. When Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006 game tickets had sold out so quickly, even the cleverest lioness on the prowl couldn't get her teeth on one. So world cup organizers petitioned FIFA to allow the free public broadcast of games around the country. No licensing fees, no entry fees; young and old, boy and girl, family and friend - everyone could come together and watch. Thus the term and tradition were born.
That Germans have misused the term ‘public viewing’, which is translated inexplicably into German as ‘rudelgucken’
(pride or herd watching), and made it their own doesn't seem to bother anyone. It has only gained in popularity, and led to some very creative soccer viewing
opportunities. In Frankfurt a huge 2-sided screen was erected in the middle of
the Main river, allowing 50,000 fans to watch the World Cup games from both
riverbanks.
In Bingen,
a few metres off of the Rhine boardwalk, being rocked ever so gently by passing
freighters, is another amphibious public viewing screen. Rows and rows of
flag-draped tables wait in anticipation for fans to sit on the terraced bank in
front of the screen. Needless to say (but I’ll write it anyways) for Germany
games, this area is packed like a herd of starving lions around a water buffalo
carcass.
And then, in the wee hours of every late night/early morning final whistle announcing Germany's victory, fans drive through the streets obnoxiously honking their horns like they're celebrating their own midnight wedding. For all of those people who could care less about soccer, I hope that you have left the area (and by this I mean, head to Italy, France or Spain), because on Sunday it will be a late, great, loud night, once again. Go team!
These days we have head of state buried almost every day! Blitzsieg!
ReplyDeleteHave you recovered? I'm still working on it, but feel like I'm in football withdrawal!
DeleteThey call it Public Viewing here in Austria too. I don't actually know what the correct English term is, but it is definitely not that. Someone at the tram stop said to me this morning "I hope you win tomorrow" because the average Austrian hears my Hochdeutsch and assumes that I am a "Piefke" Anyway, tomorrow we are all Europeans, and so I hope the car horns will be sounding in Germany until the small hours. I was there sometimes in 2006 and I really think it was a turning point for the German national pride. I don't like football, but I loved the happy atmosphere around at that time. I took a Lufthansa flight on a day that Germany was playing and the stewardesses actually had the little painting stick things to apply the German flag to people's cheeks as they boarded the plane from Vienna to Munich. So, c'mon Germany!
ReplyDeleteI still feel like I'm recovering from the past five weeks, and especially the wonderful evening on Sunday. I hope you had a great evening too, celebrating your European-ness! I agree with you that just seeing all of the young and old coming together and being happy is wonderful, even if it is just sport that is the reason! Now, back to work. Take care!
Delete