Category: celebrations
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The Carnival of Questions
Today, I walked for hours through the Carnival Parade “Rosenmontag” in Düsseldorf. The city was alive with music, laughter, and thousands of people dressed in every costume imaginable. This celebration gives people a chance to escape routine, forget their worries, and step into a world of make-believe. Among the sea of extravagant outfits, one stood…
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Morning Coffee Talk ~ 6/365
Good Morning! It is December 6th, and in this part of the world, a very important visitor appears to bring the Christmas spirit to children around Germany. Nikolaus (who is not Santa), but a (Sankt Nikolaus or der Heilige Nikolaus), who was probably born around 245 C.E. in the port city of Patara in what we…
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Chasing the Christmas spirit~
Europe loves its Christmas Markets, the festive mood, the warm drinks cuddled by cold hands, the delicious smells of roasted almonds and the magical lights that chase away the darkness of winter. From the first advent till the winter solstice, people try to spend as much time as possible out in the markets calling on…
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Living the temporary fantasy~
During the last few days, Germans around Duesseldorf have been assuming new identities, merrily yelling our “Helau” and throwing candy from parades. The ‘Karneval’ is going at full force and no it’s not over! There are 2 more days of this jolly madness still to come 🤪! Day 42 of 365~ Photos taken during a…
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The prayer
We might declare our allegiance to a religion or to a non-religion, but either way, there will be moments in our lives when we just feel the need to close our eyes, turn inwards and try desperately to connect to something bigger, greater and more knowing than we are. No matter how amazing and above…
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Searchers along the way
We live to search and we spend our whole life looking for its meaning. I love that fact. I strive to be in the wonder of the quest itself not minding what I find or what remains a mystery. Life is filled with magic and I feel so lucky to feel it every single day.…
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One day left till the year of the Snake
It seems so appropriate for the year to end and a new one to begin with a blanket of fresh snow, a clean slate, a new start. A stillness fell over the city today as more than half the population leaves for their homes away from Shanghai or to holiday destinations leaving a haunting sense…
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Xīn nián kuài lè
The fireworks in Shanghai on Chinese New Year’s eve are the strangest I have ever seen. I took a walk over midnight around the streets and witnessed a frenzy of fireworks lit up by people in every corner of the city. It is not the usual big fireworks show I saw 2 years ago in…