During my visit to Germany in April 1982, my German Pape relatives took me sightseeing to nearby towns on Good Friday (April 9 that year). One area we drove through was Harth, in the southernmost part of the Büren district. I heard an awful noise and took this picture of the noisemakers, who happily posed for the camera.
My Tanta Lucia and Unkle Karl-Heinz told me that on Good Friday (Karfreitag) in Germany, bells are not rung because Jesus has died. Before each Mass, children swing the Holzratschen, wooden rattles that make a terrible racket. This is an old custom of the Catholic Church, to call people to Mass.
© Amanda Pape - 2013 - click here to e-mail me.
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